New Author, Another Story, Same Atrocity

13 September 2018 (Wall Street International)* – It Matters How This Ends is the debut work of Jamale Mahfouz published in August 2018, in Beirut, Lebanon. Tackling a very sensitive matter, Mahfouz employs stylistic devices such as collage and allusion to emphasize the importance of bringing to light what is long held as taboo and giving voice to a dangerous silence.

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Sexual assault and harassment are daily occurrences across the globe, yet the recurrence of such hostilities should never be a reason to belittle or marginalize the voice of any victim or silence their pain.

The book relays a blunt stance against the silence covering this social issue and encourages every victim to speak up for the sake of themselves and others. Mahfouz reiterates her stance against the silence and her encouragement to speak up.

The author might have written the story of someone she personally knew, but unfortunately everyone can write a similar story about a friend they know. “The story is based on a real-life experience of a very close friend.

The reason I decided to write about her is upon a request from that friend to tell her story to the world as she is unable to tell it herself.

What also motivated me to take this step is the shared experience of harassment and sexual abuse many women friends and acquaintances face on daily basis. However, the victims of such harassment are not solely women, as a drastic number of children experience this same cruelty every day, everywhere.

The story, of course, reflects a part of my personal experience as well.”

The women behind the story breaks the silence and entrusts Mahfouz with the personal details of a life that no human should experience.

“I felt is it is a bounding duty to talk about this out loud, especially that we live in a part of the world where such issues remain the greatest taboo regardless of the repercussions they entail on the individual and the social level. It is high time we talked about this matter and shared our experiences rather than keeping it to ourselves. When we abstain from talking and sharing our experience with the world, we become victims of violence and silence.”