Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Jul 11, 2025

I may have been born in Mosul, Iraq, but I am from Kansas

I may have been born in Mosul, Iraq, but I am from Kansas

As a first-generation Arab American Muslim, I have been grilled by questions about where I am from for most of my life. As a child I found interrogations about my identity to be emotionally disruptive. I processed them as microaggressions even before microaggression was a thing.
But as I got older and more mature, I approached such questions as innocent inquiries inspired by a desire to connect. In fact, I welcomed and encouraged people’s interest. I personally prefer to live in a world where we don’t feel compelled to conceal our curiosity for fear of being misunderstood. Every question, even those that are initially mean-spirited, are opportunities toward more honest discourse.

As the years passed, my responses to probing questions became too complicated to be socially efficient. I would sometimes give my entire geographic history, replete with emotional confessions, starting from my birth place of Mosul, Iraq, and ending with Overland Park. Other times, I would just say, “I am from here” — “here” as in the whole of America. I did not identify with just one particular state.

Now, after 38 years of living in the United States, when people ask me where I am really from, it feels akin to being asked what I want to be when I grow up. It suggests that at 46 and with three adult children, I am not grown up or accomplished enough, or in this case not American enough.

The cumulative effect of such questions over the span of one’s lifetime can induce a great deal of self-doubt. I wonder: Am I American enough?

Even when all indications are that I am not going anywhere, some part of me still feels as if the proverbial rug could still be pulled right out from under me. It’s a feeling that I experience as friction against my desire to make a more meaningful impact on my community.

Last year, Leawood resident Joy Koesten contacted me offering guidance on local elections and reminding me to vote. With that explicit invitation, I felt perhaps it was my turn to ask a few questions about my community and its hierarchy of values. Koesten, now a candidate for Kansas Senate District 11, thoughtfully answered my questions without making me feel self-conscious about my ignorance.

That conversation became the impetus for further discussions and more enthusiastic participation. By becoming more involved in local politics, I began to feel more rooted, more at home. Political participation and a sense of community became corollaries in my mind.

I had spent so much of my life maintaining a defensive posture against the accusation that I do not belong that I was unduly living my life as if I were having a post-traumatic stress response to the constant motion that defines the lives of so many foreign-born citizens.

Of course, I had voted before, but ultimately it was real political participation, however modest, that gave me a sense of community. Finally, I have managed to internalize that feeling of belonging. I am genuinely proud to be a Kansan.

Where am I really from, you might ask? I was born in Mosul, but I want to be buried in Kansas. I hope that answers the question once and for all.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
Iran Conducts Ballistic Missile Launches Amid Heightened Tensions with Israel
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
×