Author presents story of Afghan lovers fearing honor killing

"Without all the publicity, they'd be dead by now." That was the judgment of Club member Rod Nordland about Ali and Zakia, the subjects of his new book, "The Lovers: Afghanistan's Romeo and Juliet, the True Story of How They Defied Their Families and Escaped an Honor Killing," which was featured at a National Press Club Book Rap Feb. 10.

The book tells the story of Ali and Zakia, whose relationship was (and remains) dangerous because it crosses ethnic, sectarian and customary boundaries.

Nordland was Kabul bureau chief for The New York Times. He said he "was waiting for a 'good' honor killing to write about" when he learned of Zakia.

Zakia was at a women's shelter hiding from her family, which was determined to kill her because of her relationship with Ali. Not only was their relationship not sanctioned by her father, but it would not likely have been, given that she is a Sunni Tajik and he a Shia Hazara. Fearing that the women's shelter would be forced to return her to her family, Zakia escaped, she and Ali eloped and were on the run.

"It was also pretty clear to me they weren't going to get very far," Nordland said, noting they had little money and their home province of Bamyan "was a pretty hard place to hide” so he decided to help them.

In response to a question from Club President Tommy Burr, who was moderating the Book Rap, Nordland acknowledged that he "crossed the line" from reporting the story to becoming a part of it.

"At some point I felt like I really didn't have a choice," Nordland said. "It's like coming across a crash: do you take pictures first or do you give first aid first? ...There are times when you have to follow your humanity and get involved in a story."

Nordland decided not to tell his editor what he was doing, fearing he'd be told to stop, he said. "I think he was relieved I didn't push that decision onto him," he said.

The only real solution for the couple, Nordland said, is to leave Afghanistan and receive asylum in a third country. They tried and reached neighboring Tajikistan, but the police robbed and expelled them. And after seeing the photo of the young Kurdish boy who drowned in Turkey, the couple (who now have a toddler) decided against fleeing without the certainty of being accepted.

Nordland said he hopes Ali and Zakia will have a happier ending than Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet. To that end he has arranged for them to be represented by an entertainment lawyer for a possible motion picture, and said the book has already prompted interest from some foreign diplomats which he hopes will result in an offer of asylum abroad.