I had the idea, back in the States, that I would come to Char Fasson, perhaps hear stories from Shiraz, Rashida, or other people, and then go to the person about whom I had heard those stories and ask them directly to tell me about their experiences. I expected that in some cases people would refuse. I didn’t really expect people to outright lie.
I shouldn’t say that yet. In fact, it’s not fair to assume that Muzammel is lying to me. After our short interview (literally 6 minutes), he followed me downstairs and conspiratorially whispered that he would tell me “everything” later. But during the interview, he denied everything that I had heard about his situation. The story was particularly interesting, as I had heard it told by others: his daughter had borrowed money from an NGO (micro-credit), but had not been able to pay it back. Her husband then threatened to Muzammel that if he didn’t offer the money, he would beat the daughter. But according to Muzammel, it was his wife who borrowed the money, and then, for reasons not clear to me, re-loaned it out to others. Now they have had to sell their land and their house to pay back the debt.
The topics I’m interested in are often very sensitive for people… I knew that before I started. But I’ve found myself a bit flustered over how to broach such topics with people. How well should I know them before I start asking about dowery? Is it rude to ask about things such as second-wives? As I have said before, often the best research information is rather ‘dropped’ into my lap when I least expect it.
