iraqi refugee project - Holly Pickett Photography

One family's journey from Baghdad to Ohio

In 2006, Haider and Shaimaa Bahar fled to Cairo with their sons, 4-year-old Karar, and baby Ali. They sought medical treatment for Karar, whose eyesight had grown steadily worse since birth. They also escaped the violence of Baghdad, where they endured shootings, bombings, and death threats. Karar, who witnessed two murders, was traumatized and suffered from anxiety attacks and nightmares.

In Cairo, Haider was unable to find steady work or help for Karar’s vision. He and Shaimaa grappled with their uncertain future and precarious financial situation, and worried about Karar’s emotional fragility.

The Bahars were granted asylum by the U.S. and emigrated to Columbus, Ohio, in December 2009. Haider found work as a delivery van driver, and Shaimaa took care of the children, including two more: Renad was born in 2012, and Mustafa in 2016. They set about becoming a typical American family: they ate fast food, learned to drive on icy roads, and shopped for school clothes on Black Friday.

Shaimaa became a U.S. citizen in January 2015; Haider was naturalized a few months later. They were elated at their new status. Though eye doctors have been unable to help Karar, now a high school freshman, he gets good grades and has an active social life.

Citing what he perceived as a tough stance on Islamic extremism and a hope for more U.S. jobs, Haider voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election. However, in the month after President Trump signed the first travel order banning immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries, Haider expressed worry that his family wouldn't be able to come to the U.S., and empathized with other refugees. Was "Make America Great Again" meant for Americans like him too?

Karar, 6, holds up a magnifying glass, which his father Haider picked up for him while they wandered through a market in Alexandria, Egypt, October 2008.

Haider Bahar tries to comfort his son 6-year-old son Karar before bedtime. Karar witnessed violence in Baghdad, and doesn't want to go to sleep because he has nightmares. Cairo, June 2008.

Shaimaa soothes Karar, who is worried that they will have to return to Iraq due to the family's financial straits. He witnessed the killing of a shop owner and his son near their Baghdad home, and is terrified of returning to Iraq. Cairo, June 2008.

Shaimaa breaks down during a quiet moment at home."We are stuck here," she said. "We can’t go back to Iraq." Cairo, June 2008.

Karar struggles to see what a family friend is writing on the board at home. He underwent eye surgery in Iraq in 2002, but his eyesight continued to worsen. Cairo, June 2008.

Karar cries tears of joy while Haider reads a letter aloud from the director of Karar's school, inviting him back to class and giving him a scholarship. Karar, a bright student who loved school, could no longer attend, because Haider and Shaimaa ran out of money to pay for his tuition and expenses. Cairo, June 2009.

Karar sleeps on a mattress on the floor of his parents' room. He has a bedroom of his own, but prefers to be close to his parents in case he has a bad dream. Cairo, October 2008.

The Bahars eat lunch with the Mohanna family, following the "Arbayeen" memorial for Yasser Mohanna in Cairo, Egypt, Nov. 4, 2008. Arbayeen is a memorial service forty days after someone dies. Yasser Mohanna died of illness while his family was waiting to be resettled in the U.S.

Karar, Haider, Ali, and Shaimaa speak with Haider's parents, who called via Skype from in Iraq. They had to plan their communication around Baghdad's frequent electricity outages and connectivity problems. Cairo, June 2008

Haider, Ali, and Karar swim in the Mediterranean Sea in Alexandria. A visiting relative treated the family to a weekend mini-vacation away from Cairo. October 2008.

Karar sleeps next to Haider. Cairo, June 2008.

Haider and Karar wait for Karar's counseling appointment at a Cairo NGO called AMERA, which provides legal and psychological support to refugees. June 2008.

Shaimaa shops at an outdoor produce market. Cairo, November 2009.

Haider draws a marker mustache on Karar's upper lip. No matter their difficult circumstances, Haider tried to make sure his children could be children and had time for play. Cairo, June 2008.

Shaimaa pushes a stroller carrying Karar and Ali after picking Karar up from school. Cairo, November 2009.

Karar weighs himself on a scale and Ali cries for attention while Shaimaa busily packs for the family's journey to the United States. The Bahars finally received word that they would be granted asylum in the U.S., and would be resettled near Columbus, Ohio. Cairo, December 2009.

With Iraqi friends helping them, Shaimaa, Karar, Ali, and Haider walk toward the security checkpoint at Cairo International Airport on their way to the United States on Dec. 9, 2009. As the U.S. streamlined the acceptance for Iraqi refugees in 2007 and 2008, the pace of resettlement accelerated. Several of the Bahars' friends emigrated to America in the months before or after they left.

On their first morning in the U.S., a warmly-dressed Karar takes in the scenery as their resettlement case manager drives them to their first appointments in Columbus, Ohio, Dec. 10, 2009. Everything in America, including the climate, was a new experience.

Holding a sleeping Ali in one arm, Shaimaa fills out and signs forms at the social security office in Columbus, Ohio, on the Bahars' first full day in the United States, Dec. 10, 2009. In the first weeks after arriving in the U.S., refugees typically have a full schedule of appointments for social security, government assistance, medical checkups, and school registration.

Shaimaa, Ali, Karar, and Haider on their first morning in the U.S., at the apartment that was set up for them by resettlement agency US Together, Dec. 10, 2009.

Shaimaa prepares dinner in her family's apartment in Hilliard, near Columbus, Ohio. December 2009.

Seven-year-old Karar, who didn't speak any English when he arrived in the U.S., looks at a nurse inquisitively while being weighed for his physical examination at a health clinic. Columbus, Ohio, December 2009.

Haider sets plates of food on top of a black trash bag on the floor before dinner in the apartment set up for them by the resettlement agency in Hilliard, a suburb of Columbus, Ohio, December 2009.

Eight-year-old Karar Bahar in his second-grade classroom in Hilliard, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus. September 2010.

Karar swings by himself during lunch recess at his school. When Karar arrived in the U.S. in 2009, he didn't speak English, he was struggling with his vision, and he had missed several years of school because of the situation in Iraq and in Egypt. As he started the second grade, he was still adjusting to being back in school and catching up academically and socially to his American classmates. Hilliard, Ohio, September 2010.

The Bahars--Karar, Shaimaa, Ali, Haider, and new baby Renad--posed with wax statues of Michelle and Barack Obama during a 2013 family vacation to Washington, D.C. The framed photo was displayed prominently in the Bahar living room near Columbus, Ohio, December, 2014.

Shaimaa shops with her 2-year-old, American-born daughter Renad in Sam's Club. The family did what they could to cut costs for their family of five, including taking advantage of day-after-Christmas sales and buying in bulk. Columbus, Ohio, December 2014.

Haider delivers prescription medicines to Kroger Pharmacy. He earns $6 per stop, before the the cost of gas, insurance, and vehicle maintenance, which he must pay himself. He also must provide his own vehicle. Columbus, Ohio, April 2015.

Karar rides around with friends in a cul de sac outside his family's home. He was thriving in school, both academically and socially. Dublin, Ohio, April 2015.

Shaimaa cuddles with 2-year-old Renad in their living room. Shaimaa and Haider often tell their children that they love them, and give their affection freely. Dublin, Ohio, December, 2014.

To celebrate the 5th anniversary of their arrival in the United States, Shaimaa, 2-year-old Renad, Haider, 8-year-old Ali, and 12-year-old Karar dressed up and went to Cane's fast food restaurant. Columbus, Ohio, Dec. 10, 2014.

Shaimaa takes the Naturalization Oath, officially becoming the first American citizen in her family, at U.S. District Court, Southern District of Columbus, Ohio, Jan. 14, 2015. At Shaimaa's naturalization, 52 people from 28 countries became citizens. She studied for months in advance of her citizenship test, and received a perfect score.

Karar, Renad, Shaimaa, Haider, and Ali eat dinner in their living room in Dublin, a suburb of Columbus, Ohio. They had moved from Hilliard, another suburb, to Dublin a couple years before. January 2015.

Ali does homework while Karar and Huang Do, Karar's classmate, hang out in the boys' bedroom. Dublin, Ohio, January 2015.

The Bahar family walks to their car from the Southern District Court of Ohio in Columbus, after Haider took the oath of citizenship on April 23, 2015. “Right now, this is my country," Haider said. "Freedom, security, and the law.”

Haider unwinds by smoking a nargileh, also called shisha or hookah, in his living room while Shaimaa brings in a platter of fruit. Dublin, Ohio, April 2015

A rural landscape passes by the car window, and Karar dozes peacefully on the way to dinner with his family on the fifth anniversary of their arrival in the U.S., in Columbus, Ohio, Dec. 10, 2014.

While his son Mustafa sleeps, Haider watches a news segment about the court challenge to President Donald Trump's immigration executive order. Haider voted for Trump, while Shaimaa voted for Hillary Clinton. Dublin, Ohio, February 2017.

Fourteen-year-old Karar entertains friends Sydney Reeves, 13, and Olivia Shafer, 13, while walking to class at John Sells Middle School. Karar works one-on-one with a teacher specializing in visual impairment and receives additional tools to help him in school. Dublin, Ohio, February 2017.

Shaimaa gets her 5-year-old Renad and 6-month-old son Mustafa ready for the day. Both Renad and Mustafa were born in the U.S. Dublin, Ohio, February 2017.

Holding his six-month-old son Mustafa, Haider uses Viber to call his brother Nassir in Baghdad. from his living room in the U.S. Dublin, Ohio, February 2017.

Karar, 14, steps out into a snow flurry. Columbus, Ohio, February 2017.