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. 

Modern Day Romeo and Juliet Are Together Again...

Continuing with the ongoing saga of Zakia and Mohammed Ali - there is some fantastic news! Both of them have been released from custody and are back together as of Tuesday. Huzzah!! Additionally, all charges have been dropped. Woot woot!!!!

It appears that Afghan social media blew up with support of Zakia and Mohammed Ali asking for their release, plus the case has had extensive news coverage in Afghanistan. Holy cow! Maybe Afghanistan is finally coming out of the stone age.

According to the New York Times, "Last week, Mohammad Ali was released from custody on an order from the office of Attorney General Mohammad Ishaq Aloko. And after Mohammad Ali produced documentation of his marriage to Zakia, the charges against her were dismissed as well after a brief hearing on Tuesday. Ms. Khaliqi said the authorities had offered to draw up a warrant for the arrest of Zakia’s father for trying to force her to marry against her will, which is a crime under Afghanistan’s Elimination of Violence Against Women law." You can read the full article here.

Zakia has refused to press charges against her father.  

Here's hoping that this is the end of their troubles and they can go on and live a happy life together. Zakia and Mohammed Ali, you are an inspiration. All the best!

Lovers No Longer on the Run - Zakia and Mohammad Ali

If you remember, I have been following and posting about an Afghan couple - Zakia, 18, and Mohammad Ali, 21 who fell and love and just wanted to marry each other (the first "A True Romeo and Juliet Story" and the next "Lovers On The Run"). Today, I was searching for any latest news on the couple and came across a sad update:  Mohammad Ali has been captured. 

After the pair eloped in March, they had spent the subsequent months on the run. Sadly, Mohammad Ali was "captured by six of his male in-laws on a street in downtown in Kabul and dragged to a police station", where he was charged with kidnapping. In Afghanistan, kidnapping carries a death penalty (NY Times). The six men were Zakia's brothers and uncles who were tipped off about the general area where the couple had been hiding. Mohammad Ali refused to divulge where his wife was sheltered. She was only a few hundred yards away from where he was captured. 

After his capture, Zakia met with her father-in-law who supports the couple's relationship and they tried to come up with a plan. They weighed a few options but finally decided that Zakia should go to a woman's shelter, which is not quite the safe haven that they are in other parts of the world. Zakia will be a virtual prisoner there, but at least she will not have to return to her family where many believe that her life would be in danger. There's the added issue that Zakia just might be pregnant. <sigh> Why can't they just leave this couple alone?!

Now this lovely couple has to wait, separated from each other, until the case comes to court for any resolution. I can only hope that somehow this will resolve itself so that there is no loss of life and the couple can live in peace with each other.

You can read the full NY Times article here. 

Lovers On The Run - The Continuing Story of Zakia and Mohammad Ali

If you remember, approximately 6 weeks ago, I posted a blog about a modern day Romeo and Juliet story that was taking place in Afghanistan.  To recap, two young adults (Zakia, 18 and Mohammad Ali, 21) had fallen in love but because they are from different sects, their families would not allow them to wed. 

Here's an updated story:

On the first day of spring, Zakia and Mohammad Ali eloped and were wed by a mullah. But despite their marriage, all is not well. This lovely young couple are on the run from both their families - who have threatened to kill the couple and the police who have trumped up charges of bigamy and "attempted adultery." Because of these issues, the newelyweds cannot truly enjoy their honeymoon as they are constantly on the run from authorities. In the past month, they have stayed in homes of friends when they could and even slept in caves when they could not find shelter. For awhile, they were staying with distant relatives and former neighbors of Mohammad Ali in the mountains of central Afghanistan, but they were seen by another distant relative who told Mohammad Ali's father where the couple were staying. Nosy old biatch! 

Running short of money, constantly on the run, and unable to escape Afghanistan has not lessened the love this couple feels for each other. They remain committed to their relationship and want nothing more than to live their lives in peace with each other. I am glad The New York Times in continuing to follow the story.  You can read the full article here. There's a video on The New York Times website where Mohammad Ali shares his thoughts and feelings.

Zakia and Mohammad Ali, my thoughts and best wishes for your safety!!

A True "Romeo and Juliet" Story...

We've all grown up hearing the tragedy of the Shakespeare's young lovers that was written over 400 years ago. The story: Romeo and Juliet is about "two star-crossed lovers in the depths of forbidden love despite an ancient family feud". The story ends with the deaths of the lovers.

Do you think Shakespeare would possibly surmise that over 400 years later, his story would become a reality? Yes, in 2014, there is a true Romeo and Juliet story and it starts in rural Afghanistan in the town of Bamian (not quite Verona, is it?).  

18 year old Zakia and 21 year old Mohammad Ali, both children of farmers, have fallen in love. This would seem to be an easy story in which two adults who have fallen in love should marry and live happily ever after, but such is not the case, because Zakia and Mohammad Ali live in a country which has not yet gotten out of the 15th century. You see, Mohammad Ali is a Hazara (a Shia Muslim) and Zakia is a Tajik (a Sunni Muslim), which is apparently part of the problem - as these two factions cannot live in harmony with each other (sound familiar? The Capulets and the Montagues?).  Additionally, this is a country in which arranged marriages are still the norm. As a result of all this issues, these two lovers are forbidden to wed and are being threatened with death on a daily basis by members of their own families. Zakia is currently hiding in a local woman's shelter in fear of her life, but will not give up on her dream of marrying her love. There isn't an end to the story, but I am hoping that it will be a happier ending than the one in which Shakespeare wrote.

I found the story on the New York Times website and it just breaks my heart. You can read the full text of the story here. I want to be able to do something to help these young lovers, but I cannot. I can only keep following the story and hope that true love will prevail. This is an untenable situation where two grown adults cannot decide who they can or cannot marry.

Then again this is a country in which a 14-year-old girl who had been raped by an old man and the court has ordered both of them tried for adultery and dropped the rape charge. While the U.S. is far from perfect, at least the justice system  is moderately more evolved that most of the countries in the Middle East. 

To Zakia and Mohammad Ali: keep fighting the good fight!

4/22/14 Update: Zakia and Mohammad Ali married. Check out this blog post.