Cross-border love weathers war

Iraqi ambassador’s wife sees a shift in Iran-Iraq ties after war in 1980s

Iraqi Ambassador to Korea Khalil Al-Mosawi had a secret that he never shared with any other family members for many years after he tied the knot with his wife Avazeh Kasrai in 1982.

His wife is an Iranian. Kasrai left Iran in 1979 to study in Britain months after the Iranian Revolution took place. She was 18.

The two first met in Derby, Britain, as antiwar campaigners in 1981 and were married there the following year when Iran and Iraq were at war.

Al-Mosawi was a renowned human rights activist fighting against then the Saddam Hussein regime, and Kasrai was a student attending a British university.

Because of his anti-Hussein activities abroad, Al-Mosawi was pursued and constantly threatened by the Iraqi Embassy in London when Hussein was in power.

“We sealed the deal of peace between the two countries (through the marriage),” Kasrai said in a recent interview with The Korea Times at the residence of the Iraqi ambassador in Seoul.

However, the price the couple paid for their choice was enormous.

“It was not easy for either of us because the two countries were at war at that time. This puts extra pressure on our relationship,” she said.

Now the wife of the Iraqi ambassador said that few of her husband’s relatives knew back then that she was an Iranian.

“Everybody thought that I was from Greece. I was even given an Arabic name in case they were to ask my name or other personal information,” she said.

Kasrai said her and her husband keeping her nationality a secret was inevitable back then.

If it was known to anybody, she said, their marriage would have faced a critical chapter and Al-Mosawi’s other family members, who were then in Iraq, would also have suffered the consequences.

“Culturally we are very close to Koreans. When two people marry, this is not about two individuals getting married. We think two families are getting married,” she said.

“So imagine. My husband had brothers and cousins at the front. You never know what was going to happen to them (if his marriage with a woman from the then enemy country was made public),” she added.

The trying time continued until 2003 when Saddam Hussein was removed from power after 24 years.

Al-Mosawi was one of the few Iraqi people who headed back to Iraq immediately after Hussein left the post.

He was quoted by Kasrai as saying that people like him and his wife, who were educated, owed their country and therefore should play a productive role to rebuild the war-torn nation.

Al-Mosawi, then a human rights activist-turned-businessman, set up a radio station in Iraq after realizing that there was a cultural void in his home country. The station became popular immediately.

Years later, Al-Mosawi was called upon by the foreign ministry of Iraq to serve as a diplomat. Korea is his first foreign posting.

Shifting relations

Over the past three decades since the couple married, there has been a dramatic shift in Iran-Iraq relations from enemy states to close partners. The two countries had been at odds in the 1980s, but now they reportedly work closely together for mutual prosperity.

Kasrai noted that Iran and Iraq are now very close.

“Iran and Iraq have very strong bonds not only religiously but also culturally. I personally think that Iraq is culturally closer to Iran than any other Middle Eastern countries that speak the same language of Arabic with Iraq,” she observed.

One of the things that bind the two cultures is their common celebrations of Norouz referring to New Day or the Persian New Year. It marks the first day of spring or equinox and is considered the beginning of the New Year in the Persian calendar.

“The difference is that Iranians celebrate Norouz longer than Iraqis. In Iran, government officials have five days off during the Norouz holiday, while students will have a two-week break. In Iraq, Norouz is a National holiday, and people will have one day off,” Kasrai said.

The wife of the Iraqi ambassador noted the pronunciation and spelling of the holiday varies from country to country, explaining that Norouz is her favorite. Some Middle Eastern countries pronounce it Norwruz or others pronounce it differently.

People celebrate the day by placing seven items whose names start with the initial S on the table of their home. Sazeh referring to crops and sweb meaning apples are among the seven.

Each of these items is the symbol of something. For example, sazeh is the symbol of life, and apples mean beauty, according to Kasrai.

“On April 2, which is the 13th day after Norouz, Iranians usually go for a picnic with their families. They throw away young plants they grow to celebrate Norouz somewhere in the picnic area. This indicates that they returned the crop to nature where it was originally from,” she said.

“They do this because the number 13 is considered as a bad omen and Iranians want to get rid of the bad omen by returning what they have to nature.”

Near the end of the interview, Kasrai cautiously expressed hope to serve for Iraq. “I hope I can be of service to Iraq … Although I am an Iranian by birth, I am an Iraqi by choice. I will do my best for the people of Iraq.” By Kang Hyun-kyung, The Korea Times