Preloading

Activist Zainab Salbi on Escaping an Abusive Marriage Arranged by Her Mother

Season 6 Episode 625
Aired on 11/22/2015 | CC tv-14
Zainab Salbi grew up in Baghdad, under the shadow of Saddam Hussein. Her father's job as the brutal dictator's pilot drew the family into Saddam's inner circle, a dangerous place for a young woman. Zainab says her mother, Alia, would do whatever it takes to protect her, and as Zainab got older, her mother increasingly saw Saddam is an immediate threat to her daughter's safety.

Growing up, Zainab says, her mother supported her marrying how she wanted. Yet, when Zainab was just 20 years old, her mother arranged a marriage for her in the United States to an Iraqi-American. In the video above, Zainab explains why the marriage didn't last and how her mother's plan to save her from Saddam ultimately backfired.