by Richard Prior
Staff Writer
Mohammed Ali Barakzoy remembers all the good reasons why he left Afghanistan. And he still misses it.
He came to the United States 23 years ago “because of the war with the Soviets,” he said. “Fighting a war, it was terrible; defending the country.
“Some, the Communist Party members, brought outsiders, the Soviets, on us. It was ... it really was terrible.”
The 30-year-old Barakzoy arrived in the United States with his wife, Asefa Ali, and their 2-month-old son, Ormal. The couple later had another son, Akmal, and a daughter, Aisha.
Ormal graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in microbiology. Akmal is studying law at Syracuse University. Aisha is in the eighth grade.
And on Thursday, Mohammed Ali joined the rest of his family in becoming an American citizen.
“We came to this country because the United States is a leader of democracy in the world,” he said. “But, sure — I do miss Afghanistan. It’s the birthplace. I know a lot of people, and we share values with those people.
“You can’t distance yourself from the suffering those people maintained during all those years.”
Mohammed Ali Barakzoy was one of 47 persons from more than a dozen countries who became American citizens last week during a ceremony at the federal courthouse.
The presiding judge was U.S. Magistrate Judge Marcia Morales Howard, whose own family came from Cuba in 1960.
The principal speaker was Clemente Inclan, whose parents came from Cuba. He was introduced by Paul Perez, U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Florida, who is a naturalized citizen from ... Cuba.
“You could say we’ve got a little Cuban Mafia going on here,” Perez joked.
While watching the Olympics, Inclan said, he still finds himself moved by hearing the National Anthem, which has played 27 times so far for Gold Medal winners at the games.
“Remember that is your anthem now,” he told the newest Americans. “It’s not just a song. It stands for the hopes and dreams of millions and millions of people.
“It stands for freedom and what is good in all human beings.”
All Americans, except for pure-blooded Indians, are immigrants, Inclan said, recalling the observation by President Franklin Roosevelt.
“Immigrants and refugees are the very core of America,” said Inclan, who has spent 10 years as a prosecutor in the state attorney’s office in Jacksonville. “I know that each one of you has traveled a unique path. With sacrifice and hard work, you are here today.”
Immigrants, Inclan has noticed, share several characteristics. Perseverance and hard work are two of those traits.
“Most come here with little or no money,” he said. They come here, and they move up. They work double shifts.
“They may have been professionals and business people (in their homelands), but they start out cleaning floors, even bathrooms.”
Immigrants know all about sacrifice, he said.
“It’s so difficult to leave loved ones in your old country ... difficult to leave what you grew up with,” he said. “But you did it.”
And they all arrive with hope.
“You have come here for a better life,” said Inclan. “You have come here because you know anything can be achieved in this country.”
Also represented at the ceremony were the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Florida, the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution and the Sertoma Breakfast Club of Downtown Jacksonville.