Iraqi Australian

Infobox Ethnic group
group = Iraqi Australian


poptime = 80,000 [ [http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Fear-checks-turnout-for-Iraq-poll/2005/01/21/1106110948104.html http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Fear-checks-turnout-for-Iraq-poll/2005/01/21/1106110948104.html] ]
popplace = Sydney, Melbourne, Victoria
langs = Arabic, English,
rels = Predominantly Christian, and Muslim (both Sunni and Shia), with minorities who follow Judaism, Mandaeism and Yazdânism
related-c= Other Iraqi people and Iraqi Kiwi

Iraqi Australians are people of Iraqi origin living in Australia.Since the 1991 Gulf War, thousands of Iraqis have found refuge in Australia. The total of population is estimated to be as high as 80,000. [ [http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Fear-checks-turnout-for-Iraq-poll/2005/01/21/1106110948104.html http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Fear-checks-turnout-for-Iraq-poll/2005/01/21/1106110948104.html] ]

History

Iraqi-born Victorians were first identified in the Victorian census in 1976, when 189 people were recorded. Within five years the community had almost tripled to 408, and by 1991 had increased to 603. Most Iraqis had escaped hardships caused by the eight-year Iran-Iraq war, which ended in 1988.cite web | url =http://immigration.museum.vic.gov.au/Origins/history.aspx?id=29 | title =Immigration from Iraq | accessdate =2007-08-14 | publisher =immigration.museum.vic.gov.au]

The outbreak of the Gulf War in 1991 led a large number of people to flee Iraq into the neighbouring countries. Some refugees lived in processing camps for up to five years before being accepted into Australia under the Special Humanitarian Program. During this period the visas of around 400 Iraqis living in Australia were extended until the end of the Gulf War.

Iraqi immigration to Australia peaked between 1992 and 1995, with the Iraq-born population in Victoria increasing to 3,492 by 1996.By 2001 this community had increased a further 74% to 6,091 people..cite web | url =http://immigration.museum.vic.gov.au/Origins/history.aspx?id=29 | title =Immigration from Iraq | accessdate =2007-08-14 | publisher =immigration.museum.vic.gov.au] Most recent Iraqi immigrants have arrived under the Family and Skilled Migration categories. Some Iraqis have sought refugee status after arrival in Australia, and have been detained pending processing.

Today the Iraq-born community in Victoria is culturally diverse, with settlers from many ethnic and cultural backgrounds including Arabs, Kurds, Turkomans, Chaldeans and Assyrians . Although Islam is the dominant religion in Iraq, only 29% of the Iraq-born immigrants living in Victoria are Muslim; 68% are Christian.

Nearly half of the Iraqi community speaks Arabic at home; only 3% speaks English, reflecting the number of recent immigrants in the community. Over half of Iraq-born Victorians are aged under 35, and only 12% are aged over fifty. Of those in the workforce, both men and women are most commonly employed as labourers and related workers within the manufacturing industry, while nearly a quarter are employed in professional positions. The community is supported by organizations such as the Australian Iraqi Forum several religious or cultural associations.

Notable Iraqi Australians

*Adeeb Kamal Ad-Deen, poet
*Gad Ben-Meir, lawyer
*Toba Khedoori, artist
*Majid Shokor, actor
*Faisal Faisal, athlete
*Don Hany, (1975 - ), actor (known for his role as "Theo Rahme" in White Collar Blue)
*Osamah Sami, actor
*Eli Akira Kaufman, film maker [ [http://www.mpacorn.com/news/2006/1124/On_The_Town/020.html Moorpark Acorn ] ]
*Oren Ambarchi, musician

External links

* [http://www.arabcouncil.org.au Arab Council Australia]
* [http://www.absradio.com.au/ Arabic Broadcasting Service Australia]
* [http://www.arabicnights.com.au/ Australian Arabic Entertainment Directory]
* [http://www.austarab.com.au/ Australia Arab Chamber of Commerce and Industry]
* [http://www.aac.org.au/ Australian Arabic Council]
* [http://www.dfat.gov.au/caar/ The Council for Australian-Arab Relations (CAAR)]

ee also

*Arab diaspora

References