In this episode of The Children’s Hour, Grammy-winning oud player Rahim AlHaj shares his story of leaving Iraq as a refugee and finding a new home in New Mexico. Listeners will discover the oud, a 5,000-year-old string instrument, and learn about the challenges and strengths that refugees bring to their communities. The Kids Crew also talk about Malala Yousafzai and what it means to welcome strangers with kindness and compassion.

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What does it mean to be a stranger in a new land? On this episode of The Children’s Hour, we explore the experiences of refugees—people who must leave their homes to find safety somewhere else.

Our special guest is Rahim AlHaj, a two-time Grammy Award-winning musician and composer. He grew up in Baghdad, Iraq, where he began playing the oud, a string instrument that is more than 5,000 years old and considered the ancestor of the guitar, violin, and all other stringed instruments. Rahim had to leave Iraq during the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein because he spoke out for justice. His choices put him in danger, so he fled first to Jordan, then to Syria, and finally to the United States as a political refugee. Today, Rahim calls Albuquerque, New Mexico his home.

Rahim explains what it means to be a refugee. He reminds us that nobody chooses to leave their home unless they are forced to. Refugees bring their knowledge, skills, and culture with them—whether they are teachers, doctors, musicians, or farmers. By welcoming them, we gain stronger, more diverse communities filled with new ideas, food, art, and traditions.

Our Kids Crew had many questions for Rahim. They asked what it was like to move to a completely new country, not knowing the language or the customs. He told us how even something as simple as reading a menu was confusing at first, but how music helped him find connection. Rahim also shared how he grew up so devoted to his oud that he named it “Habibi,” which means “my darling,” and even slept with it by his side.

The oud is round-backed and produces a deep, resonant tone. Rahim demonstrated its sound on our show, and it was unlike anything most of us had ever heard. He explained that the oud’s shape allows the music to resonate inside the instrument before flowing back out, like a voice echoing in a room.

The oud is one of the world’s oldest instruments, with roots tracing back 5,000 years to Mesopotamia. Can you hear the galloping hooves in his Horses song? The piece he played live for us at Outpost is called Baghdad, New Mexico, an homage to his two homes. Listening to Rahim play felt like traveling through time and across cultures. 

The Kids Crew also learned about Malala Yousafzai, who became a refugee after standing up to the Taliban in Pakistan. When she was only 11 years old, Malala bravely demanded the right for girls to go to school. She went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize and inspire millions around the globe. Like Rahim, Malala shows how refugees bring not only their culture, but also powerful stories of courage and hope.

Throughout the show, Rahim emphasized that welcoming refugees is about kindness and fairness. The United States has always been a place where people come seeking safety, and every culture has teachings that encourage compassion for strangers. Refugees remind us of our shared humanity. By including them, we build communities that are stronger, more peaceful, and filled with variety—new foods, new music, new languages, and new friends.

This episode of The Children’s Hour was produced by Katie Stone, with help from our Kids Crew and our producers Sarah Gabrielli and Thaniel Lentz. Chad Scheer recorded our show at Outpost Performance Space, and Amber Shiel writes our learning materials.

The Children’s Hour radio show is distributed by Native Voice One: The Native American Radio Network.

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Please note: not all songs we play can be found in Spotify.