I am Australian not an Iraqi refugee
GROWING up, Hazm Khudedo always wanted to be a policeman in his home country of Iraq … but now, he can’t think back to those times.
From 2007 to 2019, Mr Khudedo worked part time as a police officer, a taxi driver and a mechanic.
But when Daesh, also know as Islamic State, invaded his country in 2014, his life dramatically changed.
“I wanted to be a policeman … I loved it … (then) big trouble,” he said.
“If you see, you can’t believe.”
Part of Mr Khudedo’s role was to attend horrific scenes, and document what he saw.
“You see in the TV or program community here … you see the pictures,” he said,
“When the Daesh come in, they say, ‘You are not Islam’ … cut your head off.
“Everybody, we say, we believe God, but we’re not Islam.”
Mr Khudedo said the Daesh would murder men to take their wives as prisoners.
“They take all the family, all the girls, they take it for them,” he said.
“They cut too many head of my community.
“Too many of my community was gone.
“The Daesh took them. One of them was my wife’s mum.”
After escaping into the mountains for two to three months, Mr Khudedo said he and his family were able to move to Australia in 2019.
“The mountain … it’s very difficult life there,” he said.
“No food, the water is very little.
“(My wife) went to the UN. She said, I don't want to live in Iraq … I want to go to Australia.
“The UN said okay.” Mr Khudedo arrived in Toowoomba at the end of 2019 with his wife, two daughters and young son.
“They were very young … very, very small,” he said.
“(In Australia), everything’s easy. I love it.”
Mr Khudedo said he felt safe in the community, and considers himself a full Australian.
He does not allow himself to miss Iraq or the former life.
“Even though I was born there, even my dad there, my mum there, my brother there and my sisters … I can’t miss them.
“If I miss Iraq, I remember. “Big trouble there … you don’t believe it.
“Too many of my community gone.
“Can’t think about it.” Since relocating to Australia, Mr Khudedo has gained official qualifications in mechanical work, and opened up his own shop, which he has since sold.
He is enrolled in TAFE where he is also learning English.
His children are enrolled in a local Toowoomba school, and he said he felt so lucky to live in Australia.