The Russian news broadcasts that Natalia Mahenia watches every day at her Mountlake Terrace home show the fierce opposition many Russian officials feel about the war.
But Mahenia, 44, who moved to Mountlake Terrace three years ago from the former Russian republic of Kyrgyzstan, says she and her family strongly support the U.S. decision to attack Iraq.
“We think that terrorism is really breeding in Iraq,” she said. “The American government is doing (its) best to prevent terrorism.”
As the war in Iraq entered its second week, Mahenia and many other Snohomish County residents born outside the United States were keeping a close watch on the conflict and the international reaction to it.
The United States failed to win support for the war from key allies including France and Germany, and hundreds of thousands of people around the world have protested the war.
Mahenia said she is disappointed the war is not receiving more international support. Mahenia, whose native country is near Afghanistan, said she believes the U.S. military will improve conditions in Iraq.
“We know all the problems that are connected to Afghanistan before the American army came,” she said. “Now the situation became much better. We think the same situation will be in Iraq. We think the situation is going to be better.”
As the war continues, immigrants — especially those from the Middle East — are watching carefully for any signs of local backlash, said Rosario Reyes, president of the Las Americas Business Center Inc. in Lynnwood. The organization offers a variety of business services to Snohomish County’s growing Hispanic population. Almost all of her clients are first-generation immigrants.
“I worry that the longer the conflict goes on, people are going to be discriminating more against people of Arab descent,” said Reyes, who moved to the United States from Peru in 1978. “We’re in a transition time, with the immigrants just watching to see what’s going to happen and hoping there won’t be more anti-immigrant sentiment there.”
So far, that doesn’t seem to be happening, she said. But the war is yet another reason Americans should devote time to understanding international issues, she said. Reyes and her three daughters, who were born in the United States, have discussed the war often.
“We’ve used this opportunity to talk about that international civic responsibility,” she said. “We’re trying really hard to make them understand the decisions they make here impact someone else. We’re hoping their generation will see that.”
At Cedar Valley Community School in Lynnwood, which serves 433 students from more than 20 countries, teachers spent extra time last week emphasizing the importance of respect and tolerance, school principal Gayle Everly said. The school teaches kindergarten through eighth grade and is one of the most diverse in the county.
“It’s an opportunity to help kids have dialogue and stay open to other people’s opinions and realize that some other people don’t have the same opinion that you do,” Everly said.
The congregation at Bethany Korean Church in Edmonds is also paying close attention to the war, said the Rev. Chang Cheh, who moved here in 1981 from South Korea. Cheh, who was 3 years old during the Korean War, said he is concerned about the civilians in Iraq.
Thousands of South Koreans have demonstrated against the U.S.-led attack, and public polls there show strong opposition to the war.
Cheh said he supports U.S. troops, but added: “We don’t want any war. We’re not against America, but we don’t want war. Hopefully, the war should be finished shortly and peacefully.”
His church is continuing to pray for those involved in the conflict, Cheh said.
“Before the war started, we prayed and we keep praying to give President Bush wisdom and right decisions. And we pray for the Iraqi people, and we just pray for the families who send their sons or husband to the battlefield,” he said.
Katherine Schiffner is a reporter for the Herald in Everett.
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