Comment on Refugee family opens up on coming to Oklahoma

Refugee family opens up on coming to Oklahoma

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Nassil Abdullah galloped sideways, her sneakers toeing the faded blue boundary line of the soccer field. Go! she screamed, her cries cutting through the noise of several youth soccer games on a cloudless Saturday morning at Merrel Medley Park in south Oklahoma City. A few paces away, wearing a green T-shirt with the word "COACH" printed across the back in thick, white letters, her husband Estabraq Al-Adhami picked key moments to call out to his players, his calm composure a contrast to his wife's unbridled enthusiasm. The couple's older daughter, Hala, 9, was playing in the final game of the season with her YMCA team, the Stars. Nearby, their other daughter, Lamar, 6, and a friend pushed a pink plastic Jeep across empty bleachers, oblivious to the on-field action. Soccer games have become a beloved part of the family's busy schedule since coming to the United States nearly five years ago. The Oklahoman (http://bit.ly/2sTqGZO ) reports that Estabraq, 46, an Iraqi, and Nassil, 37, a Palestinian, arrived in Oklahoma from Lebanon in September 2012 with their two young daughters, determined to forge a brighter future for their family. Many refugees now living in the Oklahoma City area feel uneasy in the wake of President Trump's executive order that, in part, seeks a 120-day suspension of refugee admissions. Even though the courts have blocked the ban from taking effect, many were unwilling to share their stories, worried about possible repercussions. Nassil hopes that talking about her family's experiences will help combat misconceptions and give people a "real impression" of who refugees are. Nassil is thankful that their girls are growing up in a country where their cares center on things like school and what they're going to wear and what sport they're going to play — unlike the thoughts of children in war-torn countries who worry about survival and for whom sleeping is a privilege.

 

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