I am Zina, an Arab Christian. I am Iraqi from the land of Mesopotamia, the land of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. My native language is Chaldean. My family roots go back thousands of years, where our father Abraham was called by God to leave his home to go to the Promised Land. Since my childhood, my country was involved in one war after another. During that many years of being under war, I lost all hope of a stable life.
My parents would not risk our safety and had nightmares of my oldest brother possibly joining the war. The only option available to us was to flee to Jordan. We left everything behind and became refugees there. Even though we had some difficulty in Jordan as refugees, a thread of hope still hung in our hearts—that we would have a new and normal life.
Hundreds of thousands of my people had to escape war and persecution. Christians and Muslims alike fled to other countries—Europe, America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand to name a few. Most of them arrived in these countries not speaking the language since they knew only Arabic. They were strangers, knowing nothing about the western world except what they had seen in Hollywood movies.
My desire and goal for my blog is to be the electronic shelter where I can share my life with no fear of being judged for who I am, my dreams for my life, or what it means to be a Christian Arab woman. I would like to shed light on the many people, including family, friends, neighbors, and professors who have shaped my life. They are my heroes.
Education:
- BA in History – Baghdad University – Baghdad, Iraq
- MA in Professional Counseling – Cincinnati Christian University – Cincinnati, Ohio – USA
