Interview with Shaila Abdullah,author of "Beyond the Cayenne Wall" by Irene Watson, publishing editor of Reader Views

Irene Watson, Publishing Editor of Reader Views, is pleased to have as our guest, Shaila Abdullah, author of Beyond the Cayenne Wall.

Hi Shaila, thank you for taking the time to participate in this interview.

Irene: Shaila, why do you feel that Beyond the Cayenne Wall was in important book for you to write? What objectives do you have for the book?
Shaila: There is a great dearth of writers who have managed to lift the veil to reveal the richness or even the oppression within Pakistan. There are issues that to this day are not talked about openly, such as rape, abuse, violence at home, incest, etc. And to this day it’s considered a stigma in that culture to be in a situation like miscarriage, infertility, divorce, and separation. For most of the women, life does not exist outside the four walls of their home and I feel that it is important to tell the stories of women who venture beyond those walls and find themselves. The book is a message for women of that land to rise and discover their true selves, the unique person that’s them.

Pakistani women face a rough battle. On one hand where society provides them the richness of tradition and family values, there is little or no freedom for them. The unjust Hudood Ordinance has subjected women who report a rape to be jailed for lack of evidence. 60% of women in Pakistani jails are today are in there because of this law. According to the Independent Rights Commission, over 600 women were killed in the early part of 2003 in Pakistan. It’s a country where historically women have little rights and I do believe that global awareness of the violations of women’s rights can bring about changes for future generations there.


Irene: What challenges did you have while writing this book and how did you overcome them?
Shaila: Beyond the Cayenne Wall started as a healing through writing process after a life altering event. In the beginning, I never thought that these stories that I was writing would one day take the shape of a book. I am essentially an introvert and get easily caught up in my characters. For a long time I struggled with the first story about Tannu, the woman who is forced to give up her firstborn to the caretakers of a shrine as the tradition dictated. It was a price she was expected to pay because she was forced by her mother-in-law to go to the shrine of fertility and pray for a child. I was haunted by the character that I had created and to this day I wonder if I should write an entire book on the rest of her life. She is an epitome of strength, a rare combination of resilience and rebellion in one who in the final act of defiance, tears herself away from the ties that bound her to the choices she did not want to make in her life.

Irene: Your collection of stories has a broader mission than entertainment or telling a story. Can you talk more about that mission and what you hope the readers take away from reading the book?
Shaila: Beyond the Cayenne Wall, is a collection of stories about the struggles of Pakistani women and the barriers they face at every crosswalk of life. I write for a multicultural diaspora to raise awareness about women’s issues in Pakistan. From the time a girl is born until she grows up, she is pushed to fulfill various roles, daughter, sister, wife and later a mother until she loses her sense of individuality in all the duties expected out of her. My book attempts to bring such taboo subjects to light as infertility, abuse, incest, affairs, separation, and divorce The book deals with courageous women who venture beyond the wall that society has constructed for them.


Irene: Your book is considered fiction. Are your characters based on actual stories that you received from various women?
Shaila: Most of the characters that I created in my fictional work are from Karachi, the place where I grew up, a place that at one resonates with cultural richness and sectarian differences. I find that distance plays a remarkable role in recalling the sights and sounds of a place. Again it has a lot to do with the fact that you don’t realize what you are missing until it is snatched away from you. My characters are derived from a lifetime of acquaintance, there are stories of dear friends in there as well as tales told in the passing, there are also events in there that I read about growing up. I recreated these stories from a fictional perspective.


Irene: What compelled you to write a fiction rather than a nonfiction book about the challenges Pakistani women have?
Shaila: Sometimes truth is very jarring for people. There is nothing that invokes a dreaded feeling in one’s heart than knowing that the unfortunate events that you are reading about are real. Fiction offers a soft cushion for sensitive readers. Still the tales are important enough to be told to the international community and to folks who take freedom for granted in the free world. Some of us didn’t grow up with that luxury.


Irene: As a Westerner it is hard for me to fathom how harshly the women in your book are treated. Is this treatment still prevalent in the Pakistani culture?
Shaila: Historically, seen but not heard is a motto in many households. Equal rights were granted to women 1400 years ago in Islam but even to this day women in Pakistan are deprived of their basic rights. They face violence and abuse at the hands of family members and even law makers. Even to this day, there are parts of Pakistan where not the court, but tribal leaders or jirga decides punishment for a crime. In cases of honor crimes, women end up being accused or tortured as payback fro crimes committed by other family members. Family honor is believed to be tied to women of the household and yet they have no rights. Take the case of Mukhtar Mai, who dared to raise her voice against her gang rape. She was blamed for giving Pakistan a bad name and put under house arrest. Where is the justice in that?

Irene: Do you believe that the women in Pakistan will ever have the freedom women have in the United States?
Shaila: The changes have been slow in coming. With every administration that comes in, it is often one step forward, two backwards. One can only hope, that the coming years bring greater freedom, respect, and due justice for women in that part of the world. Perhaps women like Mukhtar Mai would give women in Pakistan courage to rise and stand up for their rights. I think pressure from international community can bring about radical changes too.


Irene: Is your book available in Pakistan? If so, what reactions have you had?
Shaila: The book is available internationally. It is still fairly new, having just been released in late October. I have had calls for interview and requests for review copies. I was recently interviewed by Voice of America for their program Beyond the Headlines. The show was aired on December 13 on GEO TV. I was also invited to the Chowrangi 2005 Fundraiser early December in New York to do a book reading to benefit the long-term reconstruction and rehabilitation of schools in the earthquake affected areas of Pakistan. So far the reactions to the book have been positive.

Irene: What reactions have you had to your book in the West?
Shaila: Very positive. It seems that in the West there is a great interest in this genre. Beyond the Cayenne Wall was awarded the Jury Prize for Outstanding Fiction in the 2005 Norumbega Fiction Awards. The book was also mentioned in the Austin American Statesman. Happynews.com recently ran a story on the book. For a two month old book, all these are encouraging signs.

Irene: What has been your biggest reward in publishing Beyond the Cayenne Wall?
Shaila: Like any other new author, it gives me a great rush. I have been told it’s a huge accomplishment but it also leaves me with the thought that I shouldn’t be a one time wonder. I already have ideas for three books that I have outlined and hope to start working on the first one in January. It’s hard to do anything around a two year old that does not involve being on your toes practically 24/7 but I am very blessed to have an extremely supportive spouse who doesn’t bat an eye when it comes to lending a hand around the house.

Irene: Thank you Shaila for your time. Is there anything you would like to add about your book or your experience writing it?
Shaila: For those folks interested in learning more about the book or to read an excerpt of the book, please visit my website at http://www.shailaabdullah.com. Thanks for the opportunity to speak to you. I greatly appreciate it.