Our Modern Day Romeo & Juliet - an Update!

Photo credit: Andrew Quilty, NY Times

If you've been reading my blog regularly, you know that I have been following a gut-wrenching story about a young couple from Afghanistan - Zakia and Mohammad Ali (past blog posts can be read here). It's been months since there was news about the young couple and I was hoping that "no news is good news". Alas, the troubles of our young couple continues.

A quick recap of the story: Boy and girl meet, fall in love, and wish to marry. But they are from different Muslim sects and the families disapprove. The couple elope and are forced to go on the run due to death threats to the couple by both families. Mohammad Ali is captured and charged with kidnapping and Zakia hides in a women's shelter. Eventually, Mohammad is released from custody after the charges were dropped and the couple were happily reunited. In a Hollywood movie, this story would end here with a "happily ever after" resolution. Sadly, that is not reality.

After the couple were reunited, they were welcomed and accepted by his family, but not hers, when they returned to their village. At one point, Mohammad Ali was chased by one of Zakia's brothers who was armed with a gun and a knife. Mohammad Ali managed to escape, and then he and a pregnant Zakia fled to some distant mountain villages for protection. They then moved to Kabul due to Zakia having a difficult pregnancy and the medical services available there. Finally the couple decided to seek refuge in another country.

A NY Times article reports that "[o]fficials at the United States Embassy, as well as at several European embassies in Kabul, told them they could consider their asylum request only if they first fled as refugees to a neighboring country" (NY Times article, 3/7/2015). In October, the couple and Mohammad Ali's father, Anwar crossed into Tajikistan on visas in order to apply for status as refugees which would then allow them to ask for asylum in the West. Officials told them that they qualify for refugee status on at least 5 different grounds. While in the process of registering, the couple and Anwar were stopped by two men identifying themselves as police officers who robbed them of their life savings (some $5,000), jewelry that Zakia was wearing, and their cellphones. They then deported the couple and Anwar back to Afghanistan.

With Zakia's pregnancy nearing term, the couple returned to their village and have (for the moment) decided to remain in their village. Mohammad Ali spends his days in working the fields of his family's farm, armed with a gun for protection. Zakia refuses to leave the house, living in fear of her large family who continue to publicly vow to kill her and Mohammad Ali. The good news in all this is that the couple's daughter was born in December and according to Mohammad Ali, "'This is our proof that we belonged together...Nobody can take this away from us now'" (NY Times article, 3/7/2015).

You can read the entire article on the NY Times website. It's a heartbreaking tale, but the hopeless romantic in me hopes that love will win out in the end. While I understand the decision to stay in the village and homeland which they love, I'm am fearful for their safety and hope that they try to seek asylum again.