‘It’s a privilege for me to be an Australian citizen’

The Al-loos family from Iraq will be among 1400 people to take the oath of citizenship in Paramatta today.

Luay Al-loos, with youngest son Fadi, 13, at their Northmead home in Sydney yesterday, will become a citizen of Australia today. Picture: Britta Campion

In 2004, in Baghdad, Iraq, Luay Al-loos’ uncle was kidnapped and held for ransom. He survived the ordeal, but it was a shock for the extended family who, as Christians, were used to a level of persecution.

“You remember ISIS, we start to hear about it, similar to ISIS in that town,” Mr Al-loos, 46, said. Soon after, the whole family made an executive decision: they would leave Iraq.

Fifteen tumultuous years later, a small portion of the extended family — Mr Al-loos, his wife Rana Hannoodee and his two boys included — are in Sydney, Australia, and will today take the oath and become some of the nation’s newest citizens. Zain, 15, and Fadi, 13, don’t strictly need to take the oath as they’re under 16, but they will, like their parents, put on “smart casual” clothes and take the pledge in Parramatta at Australia’s largest Australia Day citizenship ceremony. Ms Hannoodee did not wish to be photographed for this story.

“It will be a privilege for me to be an Australian citizen,” Mr Al-loos said.

In 2006, Mr Al-loos and his family left their home in Baghdad and made for Amman, Jordan. “Most Christians, we left,” he said.

“It wasn’t suitable. A lot of difficulties. There’s always trouble, (it’s) not safe for children, infrastructure, two hours a day of electricity, potable water is not safe to drink sometimes — there are many, many things.”

The family flew to Amman — travelling overland was much too dangerous, he said — with just the clothes in their bags. Mr Al-loos, a civil engineer, studied English while working part-time.

“I applied (in) 2012 to come to Australia as I remember, the end of the year, through my relative and through the church and United Nations,” Mr Al-loos said. “And in May I went to the Australian embassy in Amman and they granted me a refugee visa to come to Australia.”

It was May 28, 2013, when the family stepped off the plane in Sydney and saw some of his extended family waiting.

“I feel it’s like my home, the greeting at the airport,” Mr Al-loos said.

Since then, the family has gone from strength to strength. Mr Al-loos is now working in structural engineering, while Ms Hannoodee changed career trajectory from engineering to become a chef.

Today, more than 1400 people will take the oath and become Australian citizens at a ceremony that will include a performance by Yothu Yindi & The Treaty Project. In 2018, the City of Parramatta welcomed 1450 new citizens.

A new survey found most new migrants and refugees feel it is important to mark Australia Day, with 77 per cent of those surveyed by refugee and migrant settlement agency AMES Australia agreeing a national day is important.

Since 1949, more than five million people have been granted Australian citizenship, and the government is celebrating the 70-year introduction of Australian citizenship into law.