In Their Own Words: Lives of Iraqi Americans is a documentary that profiles the lives of five Iraqi Americans who, after the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime, volunteered their time and talents to advance democracy and development in Iraq.

For these remarkable people, the rise of Saddam Hussein led them to America. After the regime fell, their love of Iraq compelled them to return to help restore the values that make Iraq a great nation.

Click on the links below to view the profiles of Iraqi Americans who have volunteered their time and talent to advance democracy and development in Iraq. A transcript of each segment also is available.

	Azzam Alwash works to restore the Mesopotamian Marshes after their systematic destruction by Saddam Hussein during the war with Kuwait. Video | Transcript
	Dr. Hind Rassam Culhane returns to Iraq to train teachers and finds herself teaching the values of the Iraq of her youth -- love of family, country and religion. Video | Transcript
	Ambassador Feisal Istrabadi used his expertise in constitutional law to write the human rights portion of the Transitional Administrative Law, which was adopted as the Constitution of Iraq. Now a deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Istrabadi talks about Iraq's place in the world community. Video | Transcript
	John Kanno, from California’s Iraqi-Assyrian community, is an electrical engineer who ran for a seat in the U.S. Congress. Kanno, who reached across ethnic and religious divides during his campaign, explains how his Iraqi roots are the basis for his commitment to democracy in Iraq and in America. Video | Transcript
	Susan Mishu Dakak returns to Iraq to help rebuild the infrastructure of the water system and also is working with childhood friends to promote the representation of women in the Iraqi parliament. Susan's story is entwined with her father's, Fuad Mishu, who in 1937 was a co-founder of the Iraqi Symphony Orchestra, which made a triumphant return to the world stage in 2004. Video | Transcript

For more information, please call Pauletta Walsh, U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Public Affairs, at (202) 647-6230 or email at walshpx@state.gov.

Credits

A Production of the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Public Affairs, Office of Broadcast Services, Washington, DC

With special thanks to:

• Azzam and Susie Alwash
• The Iraq Foundation
• Eden Again and Nature Iraq Project
• Dr. Hind Rassam Culhane and John Culhane
• Mercy College, Division of Social and Behavior Sciences, Dobbs Ferry, NY
• Cazenovia College, Cazenovia, NY
• "Circus Guy"
• Ambassador Feisal Istrabadi
• Mission of Iraq to the United Nations
• John and Lydia Kanno
• Corn Products, Inc., Modesto, CA
• St. Zaia's Church, Modesto, CA
• McHenry Museum, Modesto, CA
• Mr. Harout Eskenian
• Susan, Jenan and J. Paul Dakak
• Mr. and Mrs. Fuad Mishu and family
• The Iraqi Symphony Orchestra

Film Clips and Photos Courtesy of:

• CNN ImageSource
• Fox News Channel
• United Nations Archives
• Nixon Presidential Materials Staff, NARA
• WNDU-TV 16, South Bend, Indiana
• The National Symphony Orchestra, Washington, DC