Listening to the radio for me predominantly consists of annoyingly catchy Taylor Swift songs that kill a part of my soul each time I listen to them. With two children usually in the vehicle, the idea of listening to NPR or other news stations seems obsolete.
That is, until Serial come into my life.
For weeks I had been having friends, family and total strangers online ask me if I was listening to the podcast by Sarah Koenig from NPR called Serial. Of course, the answer was no because if it wasn’t Taylor Swift or Kidz Bop, I wasn’t truly aware of its existence or how to bring it into mine.
But then my husband jumped on the band wagon.
And then we went on a long road trip where I wised up and purchased ear phones for the kids and decided it was my time to jump into the Serial pool. I’m a sucker for peer pressure.
But, before I could that, I needed to learn two things.
1. What the hell was a podcast?
2. And how the heck to spell “Serial”. For quite an embarrassingly long amount of time I believed it was a show called Cereal. Perhaps about Wheaties.
So once the answers to these questions were revealed, I was in.
And man, was I in. I’m actually still in. Very much so.
Let me bring you into the fold.
A woman by the name of Rabia Choudry, a wife, mother, attorney, President of the Safe Nation Collaborative, National Security Fellow at the New America Foundation, and a senior CVE consultant, contacted Sarah Koenig from NPR about a case involving her brother’s best friend. This friend, Adnan Syed, was arrested for the murder of his ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee, in 1999, when he was 17 years old. Adnan was convicted and sentenced to life plus thirty years.
Rabia reached out to Sarah Koenig because she and her family believe he is innocent.
Now Sarah is playing the role of investigative reporter into the case and presenting her findings week by week on the program called Serial (NOT cereal).
After listening to all the current podcasts, I started thinking about Adnan but from a perspective I hadn’t read or heard anything about. I started thinking about his family and what this must be like for them. What did they want people to know about their life, not just Adnan’s.
I decided to take a huge leap and see if Rabia was willing to be interviewed by me. I’m not a reporter, and geez, I barely can keep up with my hair color let alone the news. But I was drawn to her because she wrote that Adnan was like family to her. And family is what I DO write about.
So slap my ass and call me Sally, she actually said yes to the interview. I was like a giddy school girl when she agreed. Not because of her somewhat celebrity status, but because I was dying to get the real answers to some of my questions. Not legal or case questions, but the personal stuff. The ones that connect to things we all could understand. You don’t have to be a listener of the podcast to be moved by her answers. Check it out.
You mentioned on your blog, Split the Moon, that Adnan is like family to you – him being your younger brother’s best friend. I’ve never had a member of my family, or even close friends, have to do time in jail, let alone time for murder. How do you maintain a sense of family with someone who is incarcerated?
RABIA: First we have to recognize there is no ONE WAY to be a family. My heart is connected to people who are halfway around the world, and they’re my family. Its connected to those who have passed, and they’re my family. So certainly, being incarcerated doesn’t lessen bonds of love, affection, concern, and all the other attachments we have to family. We continue to treat Adnan like a human being, with dignity, talking to him like we would in any other circumstance, sharing kids stories, challenges, work related stuff, crazy things my parents did or said, laughing, crying, etc.
What are misconceptions the public has about someone who is incarcerated? What are the misconceptions the public has about that individual’s family/friendships?
RABIA: There are so many misconceptions, the first being that every inmate is evil, a socio or psychopath, etc. Often these are people who were young, stupid, in the wrong place at the wrong time, have regrets, hopes, anguish. Another is that they don’t change. Like anyone, they grow, change, mature, develop. Some become spiritual, some contemplative, some active for justice. Many of them try to better themselves, continue to learn, study, read. They aren’t just rotting away. Also, they often know whats going on the world better than those of us in it – they watch the news carefully, read a lot, keep on top of events and developments, etc. The saddest are those who are away from their children because they miss so much, and because they’ll get arbitrarily moved around so they may end up in prisons far from loved ones. In many prisons, it costs money to make calls, so inmates with little means are stuck.
You have stood by Adnan, even going so far as to contact NPR’s Sarah Koenig to investigate the case further. If the tables were turned, do you believe he would have done the same for you?
RABIA: I don’t know, and I don’t operate like that. No one does, not for your loved ones. Adnan is a very compassionate and sensitive person, and I think he would go to many lengths for those he loves.
What have you learned about the law from being so involved in this case that you wish more people knew? What would surprise people to learn about the law, and specifically, this case?
RABIA: I’m a lawyer but not a criminal lawyer. I learned how easily the system is manipulated, how many factors play into an outcome, how one thing can turn a case in either direction, and how many flaws and gaps exist in investigations and prosecutions. As for this case, I want the public to think about this – if it was your loved one convicted on the exact same “evidence” used against Adnan, would you buy it? Would it be a solid enough case for you? Would you accept the testimony of Jay? Would you dismiss how Gutierrez defended the case? When looking at it through that lens, most people wouldn’t stand for it.
What’s been the hardest thing for you to deal with publicly, being so close to Adnan, since the podcast started? Has it put a strain or strengthened your relations with him and his family?
RABIA: No there hasn’t been a strain, but its stressful keeping up with interview requests, messages, wanting to honor all the supporters, and stay on top of the podcast by digging up pertinent documents for each episode. I have kids, family, a job and juggling all this is hard. I think we’ve grown closer during this, his older brother who was estranged for many years is back in the family’s life, and we all stay connected constantly.
As a mother yourself, how did you talk to your daughters about what’s happening to Adnan? Has the publicity of the case changed/altered their opinion of him?
RABIA: My older daughter has lived this her entire life, she was 2 when he was arrested. She’s visited him in jail, etc. So there isn’t much explaining. She isn’t following much of the show or other stuff because she’s a senior in high school and busy with applying for college, projects, etc. My little one who is 6 has not met him but she knows that there is an “Adnan Uncle” who is in jail that Mama is trying to bring home.
What do you love most about Adnan? How has that changed/evolved since you first met him as your brother’s best friend
RABIA: What I love most about him that he always does his best to shield those he loves from any sadness. He won’t share his pain, though I know its there. He doesn’t want us to be sad. He loves to make people laugh.
And lastly, Adnan has said that the pain of being wrongly accused is far worse for his family than if he had actually committed the crime. As someone who is like family to him, would you agree?
RABIA: I do agree. There is closure in that, a sense of justice. As Muslims we believe in a scripture that says “stand for justice, even against yourself”. So if he had committed a crime, we would have felt justice was served. The sense of injustice is what keeps us up at night.
Thank you to Rabia for doing this interview. I really appreciate your honesty and determination to help someone you love.
After reading Rabia’s answers, her last sentence really hit me the hardest. I keep going around and around in my mind about this. Was injustice what occurred? Go listen for yourself. I’d love to know what you all think.
And please check out her blog, Split the Moon, for not just aspects of this case, but also for her strong dedication to stopping social injustices and human rights violations. You can also follow her on Twitter at @rabiasquared.
