Owner stands firm: Casa Pita represents her American and Iraqi heritage

Back in March, the customers inside Casa Pita were dancing.

They weren’t just dancing, they were jumping around and singing, chanting “Iraq” as the TV showed the Iraq National Soccer Team’s victory, qualifying them to participate in this year’s World Cup.

Normally, the patrons would have to go up to Phoenix to watch an Iraq soccer match, but this time they were able to finally watch it in their hometown, along with plates of various Middle Eastern delicacies.

It was a moment full of joy, pride and community.

But that high was quickly diminished just a couple of weeks later.

Amna Al-Qaisi, the owner of Casa Pita, received an anonymous letter addressed to the restaurant that took offense to their décor.

In the letter, the writer said they walked in one day, thinking it was still Frida’s Café, but decided to stay. Soon, they noticed the Middle Eastern decorations and Iraqi flag that hung on the walls, prompting them to write, “If your allegiance lies with another country, and not ours, then please go back to the country you obviously love so much. I am sure they will welcome you with open arms. This is one Tucsonan who will not be returning to this place.”

After receiving the letter, Al-Qaisi wants to make two things clear: she is proud of her roots and proud to be an American.

“The United States is for every good person, nice person, hard working person that has dignity,” Al-Qaisi said. “No one can judge and tell the people because of their roots or because of their accent that they do not love this country.”

Al-Qaisi is originally from Iraq, even working for the U.S. Embassy there. That’s where she would proudly wear a pin that was half Iraqi flag and half U.S. flag on her blazer.

While working for the U.S. Embassy, Al-Qaisi and her family faced dangerous situations, which caused her boss to make the decision to send them to America, specifically Tucson.

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For the past 20 years, Al-Qaisi and her family have been U.S. citizens, making a living here in Tucson. Not only have Al-Qaisi and her three children graduated from the University of Arizona, but she has also opened various restaurants around town with her late husband.

Most recently, Al-Qaisi opened Casa Pita at 5526 E. Grant Rd., specializing in Middle Eastern dishes.

The restaurant is filled with all kinds of décor that she’s collected from her travels, like artwork and trinkets from Syria, Dubai and Egypt. An Iraqi flag was also hung on one wall as an ode to her roots.

“My mom, she's Babylonian and I'm super proud of her, I mean it's one of the seven ancient wonders of the world,” Al-Qaisi said. “I can't just ignore my descendants, ignore my civilization and ignore my roots.”

Before the letter, Al-Qaisi said they had seen lots of positive reviews from customers, a majority of whom are American. She said she has forged friendships with many of them, some who even have her personal number and call her for other restaurant recommendations.

From the ingredients down to the extravagant plating, Al-Qaisi and her staff are proud to show the delicious flavors of their culture to Tucson, bringing a piece of themselves to their new home. But since receiving the letter, Al-Qaisi said there have been feelings of uneasiness, which prompted her to want to make her stance clear: she is an American.

“I belong to USA, and I'm proud of USA. This is my country,” Al-Qaisi said. “The grave of my husband is here. I will not go to any other country.”

Though the Iraq flag has been taken down, Al-Qaisi has replaced it with a World Cup banner that features flags from all different countries.

She and her staff will continue to serve tasty Middle Eastern meals and have celebratory watch parties for Iraq during the World Cup, in hopes of making Casa Pita a place where the community can come together and enjoy one another, no matter their differences.