2 Quotes by Zahra Hankir

That day, I came to a stark realization. I was afraid of men, and the harder I fought, the more intense the fear became. I can’t think of an experience that is more harrowing than a woman being sexually harassed or assaulted by a man.

Those sorts of stories accumulated until they formed an archetype: the tragic yet resilient Iraqi woman, a metaphor for the country itself. In hindsight, it seems so facile to see Iraqi women only through the prism of their war-ravaged lives, but how else do you report a story where pain is etched on the face of every woman you interview?