Altmuslim sat down with Kathy and Abdulrahman Zeitoun to discuss Dave Eggers newest book, Zeitoun, which depicts the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina through the lens of Abdulrahman and his family. Eggers first came across Zeitoun’s story in the second book in Voice of Witness’ series, Voices From the Storm: The People of New Orleans on Hurricane Katrina and its Aftermath.
Abdulrahman Zeitoun, a landlord and owner of a construction business, stayed behind to take care of work sites and buildings during the storm. After the levees broke, Zeitoun canoed around the city rescuing survivors and feeding abandoned dogs. One of his tenant buildings still had phone access, and he called his wife Kathy at noon every day. Kathy had taken their children to Baton Rouge, and after days without hearing from her husband, assumed the worst. She had no way of knowing that her husband had been arrested on suspicion of terrorism.
McSweeney’s Store is currently selling Zeitoun and Voices from the Storm together at a discounted price of $30.00. Proceeds from Zeitoun go toward The Zeitoun Foundation.
To read the full Zeitoun interview, click here.
To read Altmuslim’s interview with Dave Eggers, click here.
**
Altmuslim: When your husband disappeared in the wake of Katrina, what was going through your mind?
Kathy: I was my worst enemy and my best friend at the same time. One side of me was saying that he was shot, and the other side was saying that the phone probably went out, or that they took him from the city and shipped him to another state [for his safety]. But after you don’t hear anything for a couple of weeks, then the bad side starts winning. I was a nervous wreck. I didn’t want to think he was dead, but at the same time I started thinking, “What am I going to do with my kids? How am I going to get through this?” Of course, with Allah’s mercy, there’s always a way.
Altmuslim: How long was it between his disappearance and the time you found him again and what happened after you found out he was still alive? How did he get back home again?
Kathy: It was between September 6th until about a week before he was released.
When we found out he was in prison, another hurricane was about to hit. I told my sister, “Alhamdullillah, at least I don’t have to worry about the hurricane – he’s safe, he’s in prison.” I wanted to take a plane and come back [from Arizona], but [the people I was staying with] were telling me, “You can’t just jump on a plane – you need to think this through, you have kids, there’s no rental cards, and you’re in no condition to drive.” Also, my husband’s family would call me constantly – all they knew was what they saw on television, so they think that this is what our city is like on an average day. But they were worried about their son, and the worst thing you can tell someone who is looking for their family is that you don’t know where they are.
Altmuslim: How did your story make it’s way from your personal experience to a major book?
Kathy: After my husband got out of jail, we went to Camp Greyhound. A reporter came up and started speaking to my husband, and the lady [in charge] told the reporter, “I don’t want you talking to that man because he just got out of prison.” I found my voice through all of this. I wasn’t as vocal before, but this time I thought there was a need to defend my husband. This story getting out, it is definitely because of Allah’s mercy.
One of our clients, a lawyer who we’ve done work for years, I told him the story, and he said, “Kathy, put it down on paper, no matter how tedious.” It was hard getting the information from my husband, because he was humiliated and embarrassed. I would try to sweet talk him – “Ya, habibi, I got you some tea – now tell me the story.” I would just nag him to death until I got the story. I sent it to the lawyer, and eventually it found its way to the paper, and then Voices of Witness put it in a book.
Then Dave Eggers contacted us – at first we were very skeptical. We had never heard of him before, and we were worried about backlash. We got to know him very well, and he bonded with my husband. He got him to talk about things he wouldn’t talk about with me.
Abdulrahman: I feel that Allah sent [Dave] from the sky to write this story. I never dreamed that someone would write a book about me or my experiences.
Altmuslim:In light of your experience, you’ve created the Zeitoun Foundation. Tell us about what you hope to accomplish with it.
Kathy: The majority of the profits from the book will be going to fund the Zeitoun Foundation. It was a very good idea from Dave Eggers, because he has done several foundations before. He felt [it would be an extension of] our reputation for being generous and helping people. You never know when you’re going to need Allah’s help, so you want to help people who are in need. When I talk to people about the book, I tell them that you’re not just buying the book, you’re donating to charity. You’re helping to rebuild the city, and you’re donating to Muslim organizations as well.
