Michigan, Detroit ideal destination for Iraqis

Detroit and its surrounding areas continue to be a destination for Iraqis. WSJ writer Sarmad Ali discusses what the interest is.

Excerpt:

When Iraqis talk of going to the U.S., Michigan often is the place they want to see. Naturally, they are familiar with the cities of New York and Chicago and the state of Texas. But to many Iraqis, Michigan is an ideal destination. When I talk to them on the phone, they tell me how gorgeous they hear Michigan is. Even its Arabic pronunciation in Iraq, I think, has come to have a nicer cadence than names of other states and cities.

Recently I made a trip to check it out for myself. Michigan is definitely a nice place, but it was over-hyped back home. And in the large Iraqi community around Detroit and Dearborn, I got a sense of division along religious lines — Sunni and Shiite — just like back home in Iraq now.

Read the entire article here.
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