Proud for wrong reasons

when I came to USA almost two years ago, I met few Iraqi families that live in concetrated areas. I noticed that ethnicity and religion background is something they feel defensive about it and somehow they try to hide it initially so that they show libirity or maybe ignorance due to the fact they live in USA but after a while thier believes start appear on thier discussions so clearly.

Its like the far you go from your country the more you got local about your origins , they feel proud to mention I'm Muslim, Christian , Kurdish, Chaldean ..etc than saying I'm Iraqi.

Wars had contributed in this insecure pride feelings as it made impacted people think that thier origins are in danger by other groups but these thoughts are the goals of war specially civil wars to make people fight each other so I was surprised that people living in USA which supposed to be stable place act definicivly like someone will wipe them from the earth

and the funy thing you can meet with families from other ethnicities and you can spend good time with but if a reliogus or politic subjiect opened then heat starts getting deep and maybe makes you not welcomed.