Journo

Pakistani journalist, Meera Jamal, fled to Germany last October following a spate of threats in response to her articles. After spending several months in a German refugee camp, the media watchdog group, Reporters Without Borders helped secure her an internship in Deutsche Welle's Urdu-speaking news department.

DW: Pakistan is considered one of the most dangerous countries for journalists. What is your own experience?

Meera Jamal: I suppose that is pretty much true. The danger which is faced by the journalist is on two folds; one is from the secret services. You see a lot of incidents of journalists being harassed, beaten up, or killed by them. And the other is the Islamic radical groups.

Why did you leave Pakistan?

It was pretty much because of the Islamic radical group. I was writing on the issues of women's rights and basic human rights, in which you have to, at times, criticise certain norms or rules followed by the Islamic clerics or created by them.

And this didn't go well with the Islamic radial groups. For example, on International Women's Day, I wrote about a prostitute -- a 56 year old woman whose children never knew she was a prostitute. I thought that she was a great example of how a woman can sacrifice herself in order to support her children. That was really looked down upon. The other example was my series of articles on women's rights, for example the right of divorce, the right of separation, the right of child custody.

How were you threatened?

Initially it was phone calls, then it went on to be doubled by letters. Then, in August 2008, I was stopped by four men on my way to work, which really scared me. They threatened me, for my life. It was really scary. I felt so much in danger for myself and I felt like I was putting my family at risk. I was totally shattered actually because of it.

You lived in Karachi at the time, what do you think would have happened if you had stayed on in Pakistan, despite the threats?

I suppose these people are really unpredictable. There are incidents where they can throw acid on you, or they can ambush you. They can do anything. Being a woman, it's the most difficult thing. There's a particular kind of Asian mentality, where a woman represents the entire family's moral standing in the society. And if anything goes bad with the woman, the entire family would be defamed. It's pretty much difficult for you to combat that, and being a woman, it was horrible for me.

So they could have maybe killed you?

Yes, but killing is the easiest part. Your family and your defamation for your family, that's the horrible part. I think I would never want to have that happen to them.

Do you think the fact that you were a woman reporting about women's issues, was that the most enraging bit to the people who threatened you? Or was it the issues you reported about?

It was the issues, it was me being a woman and writing about such issues, instigating other woman and convincing them of my ideas.

It was partly because of my personal life as well, because I am a non-believer, which catches attention a lot. "She's a non-believer and she's writing to defame Islam". So these kinds of things triggered them off.

What triggered you in a situation that's so difficult for journalists, to join the profession?

Actually, you feel very much satisfied when you are doing something that can improve society, or at least you feel that it can bring a change, even a little bit. For instance, the write-ups I've done are basically on social issues, human rights. When you go and talk to the people and get feedback, that people are reading you and appreciate that woman. There were instances when I got calls from people who wanted to help. So when I get such responses, it makes you feel on top of the world. That you are actually doing something, your pieces make a difference. That's what keeps you going. It's very intoxicating.

So it must have been very frustrating to come to Germany as a refugee and at the beginning not to be able to work?

It was more than frustration in the beginning, because you are totally isolated, you don't have friends or family and it makes you feel like you are isolated from the rest of the world. Journalism becomes part of your digestive system, as you can say. You read the news and it keeps you going, it runs in your blood. So once you are taken out of that, you feel very much dehydrated for news.

So after spending some months in the refugee camp, you've joined Deutsche Welle for a few months. What do you think the future will be like? Would you like to return to Pakistan at some time or is that not an option at the moment?

It is not the option at the moment, because I don't want to put my family back at risk. I don't want to put myself back at risk. So not at the moment. But yes, I would love to go back. No matter what lies in front of you, you have to try. You can't give up. If you give up, you die. Even if not physically, then at least mentally you accept defeat. And that is not a thing I've been trained to do by my parents. They always told me to keep trying and give 100 percent.

Interview: Anke Rasper/ cg

Editor: Kateri Jochum