Читать книгу Gathering Strength: - Peggy Kelsey - Страница 26

In Focus: Zainab

Zainab

I liked living in the village, but it’s impossible for widows to earn a living there. In Kabul I can work and live freely. In my village, people talked about me because I lived alone with my children without a man.

I met and Zainab at a literacy center aided by Church World Service (CWS). Even though there were only women there, she wore her burqa with the front veil raised, framing her face.

Zainab grew up in a Hazara village near Bamyan. At 18 she became engaged, and married two years later. Her husband died in a landmine explosion which also injured their oldest son. She now lives in Kabul and cleans houses to support her family. Besides learning to read, she earns money sewing quilts in a program run by the literacy center.

Peggy: Tell me about life with your husband.

Zainab: My husband was a good man, but he had a lot of debts. Finally, one of his creditors insisted on being paid, but we didn’t have any money. So I sold my wedding gold to pay the debt.

Peggy: Gold or other items a woman is given as wedding gifts belong to her personally, to support her in case her husband dies or divorces her. Her husband can’t legally take it from her. After Zainab gave her wedding gold to pay her husband’s creditor, she was left with nothing when he died.

Zainab: I gave up my gold freely. I loved my husband and the creditor might have killed him or taken my daughter away, so I told my husband that it was better for them to take my gold.

Peggy: When you were young, did you look forward to wearing a burqa like your mother?

This question caused an angry debate between Zainab and my translator, Shakilla S., who didn’t like what Zainab said and tried to elicit a more "politically correct" reply. To Shakilla’s credit, she told me that this was Zainab’s actual response:

Zainab: Yes, I liked the burqa when I was young and I like to wear it now. Actually, I don’t like it, but I’m used to it. I feel ashamed if I don’t wear it. It is hijab. I like it because it is good in Islam, it covers my body and people can’t see me.