Just ten years ago, when Sahira Al Younany, now of Dee Why, was 17 years old, Islamic State tanks rolled into the ancient northern Iraqi city of Mosul flying their victorious black and white flags, just 20 kilometres from the town where she lived. It was an ominous day that would change her life forever.
Islamic State gave non-Muslims an ultimatum: leave the town or face forcible conversion to Islam or death. The choice was terriifying and stark. “My life in Iraq was all I had ever known,” Sahira remembers. “I just sat in my room and looked at all my stuffed toys, my photos and books and was paralysed. I couldn’t decide what to fit in one suitcase. The few photo albums she rescued are now her most treasured possessions.
Within a few hours, 18 members of Sahira’s family hurriedly squished into a mini bus with all their jewellery, cash and a few small bags, joining a kilometres-long queue of people fleeing to neighbouring Turkey.
Sahira will share her remarkable journey of heartbreak, courage and resilience at the Manly Writers Festival in a session on the 28th of March. She will be joined on the panel by author Melinda Ham, who featured Sahira in her book The Lucky Ones Stories of Australian Refugee Journeys published by Affirm Press.
In her book, Melinda, a former foreign correspondent, writes about seven refugee families. Though they are from different generations, countries and cultures, the families in this book share one thing in common: like Sahira, they have escaped persecution in their homelands to find safety in Australia.
Spanning 70 years, and tracking journeys from Iraq, Afghanistan, Poland, Tibet, Vietnam and the Democratic Republic of Congo, The Lucky Ones offers a window into the complex history of Australian refugee experiences.
In their own words, the people in this book are the ‘lucky ones’ who survived terror, detention, beatings and torture to reach a country that offered them a new beginning,
The session will be hosted by renowned journalist Antony Loewenstein, who is the author of The Palestine Laboratory, which won the Walkley Book of the Year in 2024.
Join this fascinating session at the Manly Writers Festival and learn about identity and belonging. Hear first-hand what it’s like to be forced to flee your home country forever and forge a new life in Australia. More than 38 million refugees worldwide are waiting to be resettled. More than ever, this is a global issue that cannot be ignored.
Manly Writers’ Festival
A celebration of the power and joy of reading, writing, and ideas
28, 29, 30 March
Program and tickets: www.manlywritersfestival.org.au
Manly Observer is providing free publicity in support of Manly Writer’s Festival
