Education

A central theme throughout I Am Malala is education and its ability to empower people and effect positive change. Malala first learns the manifold value of pursuing education through her father, whose experiences shape his character and work ethic, and instill in him principles of perseverance and commitment which he transfers to Malala. Malala’s fortunate exposure to an environment in which education is celebrated is a determining factor in both her own development and is influential to her campaign that education be the right of all children.

In addition to the power that education has to increase one’s knowledge base, events in the book show that education has the ability to increase confidence. Ziauddin overcomes the hardships of a childhood stutter and the high expectations of his scholar father to become an eloquent and articulate public speaker, and independent of his father’s financial support, tenaciously pursues his further education which ultimately lead him to becoming a teacher and founder of schools, and a successful political activist. While Malala respects the power of education, as a young girl this is initially seen in her academic competitiveness with her friends and the new girl, Malka-e-Noor. However, when she comes in second place, Malala learns that education does not necessarily amount to academic excellence.

An important moment that extends the meaningfulness of education for Malala is when she starts to become socially aware, witnessing the street children fishing for food at the local rubbish dump and visiting Islamabad where she sees strong, progressive women enjoying professional careers. From the strong women, Malala sees that women can be independent, as the Quran also teaches, and thus learns to be resolute in pursuing her own education, while from the street children, she learns the hard truth that there are children even less fortunate than herself, from whom education is withheld and who need an advocate. These experiences of oppression and denial of universal education, which are further perpetuated by the Taliban, further shape Malala’s construction of education as being powerful in enabling change, leading Malala to increasingly believe in the value of education and to speak out about the education rights of women and children.

Education Quotes

My father came from a backward village yet through education and force of personality he made a good living for us and a name for himself. Chapter 1

When my father tells me stories of his childhood, he always says that though Baba was a difficult man he gave him the most important gift – the gift of education. Chapter 2

He believed that lack of education was the root of all Pakistan’s problems. (Malala, on her father) Chapter 3

I came second.
It didn’t matter. Lincoln also wrote in the letter to his son’s teacher, ‘Teach him how to gracefully lose.’ Chapter 5

My father used to say the people of Swat and the teachers would continue to educate our children until the last room, the last teacher and the last student was alive. Chapter 11

I began to see that the pen and the words that come from it can be much more powerful than machine guns, tanks or helicopters. Chapter 13

Education is education. We should learn everything and then choose which path to follow. Education is neither Eastern nor Western, it is human. Chapter 13

‘I know the importance of education because my pens and books were taken from me by force.’ (excerpt from speech at Pakistani education gala) Chapter 17

‘Let us pick up our books and our pens,’ I said. ‘They are our most powerful weapons. One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world.’ (Malala to the UN) Epilogue

Rights and Gender

Another central theme in I am Malala is that of rights, and in particular, women’s rights. Malala is raised in a progressive Pashtun Pakistani family, a rather unique and complex environment, which frames her point of reference from a young age and underpins the development of her worldview on rights and gender.

Women have had a conflicting role in the both the Pashtun culture and in Pakistan as a nation. On the one hand, the Pashtun tribe highly esteems its courageous folk hero for whom Malala is named, on the other hand, it devalues the role of girls and women in the family, and even considers women to be a man’s personal property. Malala shares the story of a woman who was sold into marriage at age 10 and alludes to honour killings, where a male family member takes it upon themselves to kill a female relative whom they feel has brought shame, whether literal or perceived, upon the family. While Malala’s mother married for love and is included in her husband’s discussions, her situation does not appear to be the norm; the ‘weddings’ game Malala plays with her cousins still appears predicated on the concept of arranged marriages, while including wives in discussion is considered a weakness by Ziauddin’s friends.

As a nation, Pakistan was founded on gender equality, seen through the speeches of founder Jinnah whom Malala frequently references. It was even the first Muslim nation to have a female prime minister. However, in practice, women are still treated as inferior to men as demonstrated through their diminished rights at court and through their education not being seen as a priority. The successful women whom Malala observes in Islamabad pursuing professional roles are a beacon for Malala and keep the dream alive for her that women can achieve equal status to men.

With the Taliban takeover of Pakistan, Malala lives through a particularly chaotic period of women’s rights. The Taliban use violence and intimidation to enforce their ideology, which amongst other things makes women cover their faces in public and prohibits girls from attending school. Malala is a devout follower of Islam and recognises the Taliban’s misinterpretation of the Quran teachings; nowhere in the Quran does it state that women should be dependent on men. Fortunately for Malala, despite the escalating crisis and Taliban’s attempts to devalue women, she grows up with the knowledge that women can be strong, witnessing such exemplar models as her own mother, who remains a continual source of courage and strength within the family and Madam Maryam, who remains committed to educating the girls despite the Taliban’s directives to close female schools.

Malala’s passion for gender equality only strengthens as she matures, and she is fortified by other like-minded advocates who become significant role models in her activism. Her father, Ziauddin, having recognised his privilege over his own sisters, works towards reversing the inequality by providing affordable education to girls as well as boys, writing about women’s rights, naming his daughter after a powerful female hero, and teaching his sons to respect women. When female prime minister Benazir Bhutto, whose gender reforms were praised, is assassinated, in a metaphoric passing of the baton, Malala’s hears her own internal voice compelling her to pick up the fight for women’s rights. Malala’s speaking engagements on women’s rights and education take her to Islamabad, where she experiences a city thriving with successful women and where she mourns that Pakistan has become a country which would sadden the founder, Jinnah, who envisaged a much greater role in the country for women.

Ultimately, multiple events and experiences shaped Malala’s calling to campaign for women’s rights, and lead to her courageous efforts and single-minded focus in improving the situation for herself and for others. Despite her near death, Malala continues her campaign for gender equality and universal education, and with the added support of a global community thanks to her story being told, has founded the Malala Fund which invests in education so that all girls can be educated and reach their full potential.

Rights and Gender Quotes

Yet, outside the door to the school lay not only the noise and craziness of Mingora, the main city of Swat, but also those like the Taliban who think girls should not go to school. Prologue

For most Pashtuns it’s a gloomy day when a daughter is born. Chapter 1

Though she cannot read or write, my father shares everything with her, telling her about his day, the good and the bad. Chapter 1 (on Malala’s mother)

While boys and men could roam freely about town, my mother and I could not go out without a male relative to accompany us, even if it was a five-year-old boy! This was the tradition. Chapter 1

‘From early on I could feel I was different from my sisters,’ my father says. (Ziauddin) Chapter 2

‘No struggle can ever succeed without women participating side by side with men. There are two powers in the world; one is the sword and the other is the pen. There is a third power stronger than both, that of women.’ (Jinnah) Chapter 2

‘I will protect your freedom, Malala. Carry on with your dreams.’ (Ziauddin) Chapter 4

From an early age I was interested in politics and sat on my father’s knee listening to everything he and his friends discussed. Chapter 6

But I was more concerned with matters closer to home – our own street to be exact. I told my friends at school about the rubbish-dump children and that we should help. Chapter 6

‘We can sit by and hope the government will help but they won’t. If I can help support one or two children and another family supports one or two then between us we can help them all.’ (Malala) Chapter 6

When it suits the Taliban, women can be vocal and visible. Chapter 10

When you’re very young, you love the burqa because it’s great for dressing up. But when you are made to wear it, that’s a different matter. Chapter 13

I began to see that the pen and the words that come from it can be much more powerful than machine guns, tanks or helicopters. Chapter 13

‘The secret school is our silent protest,’ she told us. (Madam Maryam) Chapter 14

I always knew my mother was a strong woman but I looked at her with new respect. (when Malala’s mother defends herself against a man’s advances) Chapter 15

She herself would never appear in public. She refused even to be photographed. She is a very traditional woman… Were she to break that tradition, men and women would talk against her, particularly those in our own family. (Tor Pekai) Chapter 17

My headmistress Maryam was a strong, educated woman but in our society she could not live on her own and come to work. She had to be living with a husband, brother or parents. Chapter 18

Nowhere is it written in the Quran that a woman should be dependent on a man. Chapter 18

Identity

The theme of identity is explored in I am Malala through the manner in which Malala is shaped by social factors including her family, history, beliefs, and customs as well as individual forces.

Malala proudly professes to be, like all Swatis, first a Swat, then a Pashtun, then a Pakistani. Swatis perceive themselves as distinct from other people through their shared and unique experience of living the same geographical region and through their further connection of historical enculturation as Pashtun people, separate from any national identity imposed on them when Pakistan was formed in 1947. Malala identifies with the Islamic faith, which plays an important role in her worldview, and is confused when the Taliban misinterpret Islamic teachings for their own purposes. Malala is not only a product of her family’s lineage, but by valuing and assimilating the beliefs and customs to which they subscribe, she incorporates into her own self-image a shared historical and cultural heritage.

While Malala strongly identifies as Swati Pashtun, she is in many ways unique, which demonstrates the complex nature of identity. Compared to her cousins in the village, Malala is considered ‘modern’ and her upbringing in a rather liberal household, with a progressive father and a traditional mother, is not the social norm. From a young age, Malala seems to have a sense of who she is, being freely outspoken on the issues that are of importance to her and single-minded in her campaign for education equality. She is determined not to be defined by external factors and has dreams for to become a professional woman in a field of her own choosing. Because of the opposition Malala encounters in the form of Taliban bans and the lack of government will, her work regarding education equality naturally becomes political, which in turn increases her visibility as a target of the Taliban. When the story of her shooting becomes global, Malala is inadvertently catapulted onto the world stage and confronted with a new public perception of herself, an international figure of courage and commitment and a voice for millions of girls unable to attend school, a weighty responsibility Malala could not have anticipated as a young girl in Swat.

Malala’s bravery in penning her story, I am Malala, a retrospective response to the question posed to her by the Taliban fighter who shot her, and in graciously accepting the public profile that has been thrust upon her, demonstrates how identity is shaped by individual experience and the manner in which those experiences are assimilated into an individual’s sense of self.

Identity Quotes

To be torn from the country that you love is not something to wish on anyone. Prologue

I close my eyes and for a moment I am back in my valley – the high snow-topped mountains, green waving fields and fresh blue rivers – and my heart smiles when it looks at the people of Swat. Prologue

‘Who is Malala?’ he demanded. No one said anything, but several of the girls looked at me. I was the only girl with my face not covered. Prologue

Our home was always full of people visiting from the village. Hospitality is an important part of Pashtun culture. Chapter 1

So I was born a proud daughter of Pakistan, though like all Swatis I thought of myself first as Swati and then Pashtun, before Pakistani. Chapter 1

He described what was happening in Afghanistan as a ‘war between two elephants’ – the US and the Soviet Union – not our war, and said that we Pashtuns were ‘like the grass crushed by the hooves of two fierce beasts’. (Rahmat Shah Sayel, a Peshawar poet) Chapter 2

We Pashtuns cannot turn away relatives or friends, however inconvenient. We don’t respect privacy and there is no such thing as making an appointment to see someone. Visitors can turn up whenever they wish and can stay as long as they want. Chapter 3

You could see the White Mountain from everywhere, and my father told me he used to think of it as a symbol of peace for our land, a white flag at the end of our valley. Chapter 4

From an early age I was interested in politics and sat on my father’s knee listening to everything he and his friends discussed. Chapter 6

I knew that any of the girls in my class could have achieved what I had achieved if they had had their parents’ support. Chapter 17

‘If anything had happened to her it would have been blamed on the white woman,’ she said afterwards. ‘If she’d died I would have killed Pakistan’s Mother Teresa.’ (Dr Fiona) Chapter 22

I used to be known as his daughter; now he’s known as my father. Epilogue

Tolerance and Prejudice

The theme of tolerance in I am Malala is introduced through Malala’s referencing of the speech of Pakistan’s founder, Jinnah, and in her certainty that Islam is peaceful and tolerant. Jinnah envisaged a land of tolerance, where its people would be independent and free to choose their own beliefs while respecting the choice of others to hold beliefs that differ from one’s own, an ideal Malala hopes her nation will one day achieve. Instead of such freedoms, what occurred over time was that the Taliban were able to exploit people’s lack of knowledge of Arabic (Pakistan’s official langue is Urdu) to gradually spread ignorance and fear through destroying ancient Buddhist relics and through its misinterpretation of the Quran which indoctrinated people to their extremist views and created a mentality of prejudice toward those unwilling to accept their teachings.

The Taliban’s teachings resulted in divisions between people, increased discrimination and violence towards those who held less extreme views, and in the most severe cases, threats of death, such as when Malala’s father, Ziauddin, receives an anonymous letter denouncing a girls’ school picnic as obscene and vulgar, and against Islam. Ziauddin could not comprehend how nobody did anything to counter the spread of ignorance, and how the government failed in its leadership, demonstrating how the slippery slope of quickly formed ill-judgments of others can lead to prejudice. Ziauddin’s commitment to educating people to be independent thinkers, particularly given the fact he himself had been indoctrinated into becoming a jihadi as a young man, exemplifies how prejudice may be identified and rejected.

Malala’s faith in Islam, which she knows to be peaceful and tolerant, is a great source of strength to her throughout her life. This contrasts the view of Islam that is presented through the Taliban’s teachings and those of other likeminded extremists who attempt to propagandise Islamic teachings in order to incite violence against non-Muslims they consider infidels. Malala candidly invites the reader unfamiliar with the tenets of Islam into her personal faith relationship, thereby providing an alternative perspective compared to that which is often portrayed by the media, whose frequent portrayals of Islamic associations with terrorist aims demonstrates the ease with which prejudice may be perpetuated by governments and the media.

Tolerance and Prejudice Quotes

He wanted to encourage independent thought and hated the way the school he was at rewarded obedience above openmindedness and creativity. Chapter 3

‘You are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place of worship in this State of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion or caste or creed – that has nothing to do with the business of the state.’ (Jinnah) Chapter 7

Mullahs often misinterpret the Quran and Hadith when they teach them in our country as few people understand the original Arabic. Fazlullah exploited this ignorance. Chapter 9

‘This is how these militants work. They … first see what the local problems are and target those responsible, and that way they get the support of the silent majority. … After, when they get power, they behave like the criminals they once hunted down.’ (Hidayatullah, to Ziauddin) Chapter 9

We felt like the Taliban saw us as little dolls to control, telling us what to do and how to dress. I thought if God wanted us to be like that He wouldn’t have made us all different. Chapter 10

All this happened and no one did a thing. Chapter 10

‘But you just use him to learn the literal meaning of the words; don’t follow his explanations and interpretation. Only learn what God says. His words are divine messages, which you are free and independent to interpret.’ (Ziauddin to Malala) Chapter 10

We were scared, but our fear was not as strong as our courage. Chapter 11

My father said the Taliban presence in Swat was not possible without the support of some in the army and the bureaucracy. Chapter 11

He hated the fact that most people would not speak up. (Malala, on her father) Chapter 11

They are abusing our religion,’ I said in interviews. ‘How will you accept Islam if I put a gun to your head and say Islam is the true religion? If they want every person in the world to be Muslim why don’t they show themselves to be good Muslims first?’ (Malala) Chapter 12

The Taliban bulldozed both our Pashtun values and the values of Islam. Chapter 12

Our country had so many crises and no real leaders to tackle them. Chapter 16

‘My only ambition,’ he said, ‘is to educate my children and my nation as much as I am able. But when half of your leaders tell lies and the other half is negotiating with the Taliban, there is nowhere to go. One has to speak out.’ (Ziauddin) Chapter 17

It was hard to visit that place and read those speeches without thinking that Jinnah would be very disappointed in Pakistan. … He wished us to be independent, to be tolerant, to be kind to each other. He wanted everyone to be free whatever their beliefs. Chapter 18

… I didn’t even think a single bad thought about the man who shot me – I had no thoughts of revenge – I just wanted to go back to Swat. I wanted to go home. Chapter 23