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Munir Al Sahlany helped Australian soldiers to communicate with local people in the war-torn country. He was one of hundreds of Iraqi interpreters evacuated from Iraq in 2008 after Australian forces were pulled out of the country and concerns were held for those local people who had helped the Western soldiers. 557 Iraqi interpreters and their families were allowed to settle down in Australia.
Australian troops often asked Mr Al Sahlany why he helped the Western forces. He said he wanted to help put an end to the tyranny in Iraq and was also keen to improve his English skills.
After arriving in Australia, he visited the Gallipoli Barracks and met up with some of the soldiers he had helped before. As a single man, he left his elderly parents and relatives behind when he resettled in 2008. Changing his residence seemed to be unavoidable as dozens of interpreters who helped the Australians have reported about being rejected in their own communities because they worked for the Australian army during its operation in Iraq between 2003 and 2009. These people are often seen as traitors in the locals’ eyes.
Some resettling in Australia claim that they did not get the support they needed from authorities. A Baghdad man said the interpreters were struggling to find work, other than cleaning or security jobs. They also lacked the help from governments and departments.
One interpreter has reported that they were evacuated by military airplanes from Iraq and treated as refugees in Australia. A woman’s qualifications of civil engineering were not recognized although she had been on a good salary in Iraq.
Despite all these claims Mr Al Sahlany is interested in furthering ties between Australia and Iraq in the future. He is planning to begin a six-month course which will allow him to start a degree at a university. He is considering studying international relations or information technology. As for the Australian people, Mr Al Sahlany said the Australians are good and friendly people and he is not interested in cultural or religious barriers-just the content of people’s character.