Education

A central theme throughout I Am Malala and Pride is education and its ability to empower people and effect positive change. Malala learns the 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. An important moment which 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. The educational value of social awareness is also emphasised in Pride, particularly its ability to open one’s eyes to the plight of others, much like travelling helps to deconstruct preconceived ideas about other cultures formed through unfamiliarity. As the LGSM and mining communities get to know one another and learn of their common oppression, they form a solidarity and develop harmonious interrelationships.

The alliance between the LGSM and the miners, like Malala’s pursuit of education, was influential to the respective characters’ campaigns for rights and equality that feature in the book and the film. 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. The strong women in Pride, such as Gwen, Sian and Hefina educate themselves about their differences with the other group by seeking out new information, such as, Gwen wanting to know if all lesbians are vegetarians. Conversely, Maureen is shown as close-minded and uneducated, for example, through her assumption that HIV/AIDS can be transmitted through bedsheets.

While Malala initially values the public recognition that comes with attaining education, seen in her academic competitiveness with her friends and Malka-e-Noor, she comes to discover new learning experiences through coming in second place. Pride demonstrates that even with all the affluence of the Bromley residence, Joe’s family’s need to keep up social appearances shows their desire for excellence supersedes their willingness to truly learn.

In addition to the power that education has to increase one’s knowledge base, events in I am Malala and Pride show that education has the ability to increase confidence. Despite their humble beginnings, Malala’s father from a ‘backward village’, and Dai Donovan from a small mining community, both make significant changes in their worlds. Ziauddin overcomes the hardships of a childhood stutter and the high expectations of his scholar father to become an eloquent and articulate public speaker, a founder of schools, and a successful political activist, while Dai brings together two diverse communities to support one another in the fight against a common oppression. Also in Pride, Sian gains confidence through Jonathan to handle the police and free unlawfully arrested miners, eventually going on to become a politician, while Carl positively redefines himself by learning to dance with Jonathon, eventually becoming more confident and attracting the eye of women who would not have noticed him without the transition. Martin, Hefina and Gwen also grow as characters through openmindedly encountering the LGSM group.

Education Quotes

I am Malala

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

Pride

‘I see.’ (Gwen) Scene 5

‘Truth told you’re the first gays I’ve ever met in my life.’
‘As far as you’re aware.’ (Dai and Mark) Scene 6

‘What he’s trying to say is you can’t make grand, sweeping generalisations.’ (Ray) Scene 9

‘You girls have opened my eyes.’ (Gwen to Steph) Scene 16

Rights

Another central theme in Pride and I am Malala is that of rights, and in particular, women’s, worker’s and gay 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. Pride reveals how oppression forces a community to make a stand in regard to gender, gay and worker rights. The two texts highlight that the fight for rights, of any nature, is rarely an individual struggle. Whilst Malala and Mark may be the figureheads of their causes, they are successful because of their support. Malala is thrust into the limelight after being attacked, however her father, her female principal and others inspire her and work with her in her cause. The common bond between the mining community and the gay and lesbian community is their quest for rights. Finding common enemies in the government and police intervention in their lives, which fundamentally challenges their right to be who they really are, the groups experience an unexpected solidarity, which ultimately leads to success.

Pride reminds the audience that you do not have to belong to a group in order to support it; you don’t have to be a woman to support women’s rights, you don’t have to be Black or Asian or any mixed ethnicity to support the fight against racism. Like Malala’s father, who reaches out across gender to support all women, if everyone joins together in the fight, you are more likely to win.

The LGSM and miners group wish to have equal rights within the larger community, which mirrors Malala’s quest for rights within an unsympathetic and inflexible environment. The inequality for the LGSM is seen through the discrepancy in age of consent that is highlighted in Joe’s life, and through the group not being free to go about their life free from police and public harassment, which is a basic human right. For the miners, their rights to work and provide for their families are threatened when the government aims to close coal pits for economic reasons, and their protest are met with heavy-handed police and an unsympathetic government. I am Malala reveals that women have had a conflicting role in 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 highlights the need for rights within her community through a story of a woman who was sold into marriage at age ten 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. Family shame is also present as a tool for regulating rights for Joe and Gethin who are each not able to be themselves and have agency within their families. 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.

The fight for rights in the texts is ultimately a battle against the establishment and traditions. Although differing in their severity and approach, it is meaningful to consider the oppressive Taliban rule in I am Malala with the legal status of the miners and the gay community in the UK under the Thatcher government as presented in Pride. 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 the 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. The film Pride depicts overwhelming public discrimination against the gay and lesbian community and the unwavering stance taken by the Thatcher government towards the miners that seems insurmountable. However, the groups fight for their rights, the common factors leading them to support each other. This highlights that the struggle for rights is best achieved by groups rather than individuals. The marches held by the groups show a sign of solidarity that can make a louder statement than individual voices, a fact that Mark harnesses at the outset of the film.

Rights Quotes

Pride

‘It’s a show of solidarity. Who hates the miners? Thatcher. Who else? The police, the public and the tabloid press. Sound familiar? (Mark) Scene 3

‘It’s also illegal, darling. Sixteen for breeders. Twenty-one for gays. Did you learn nothing on that march? You’re still a minor.’ (Steph to Joe) Scene 4

‘Now these mining communities are being bullied. Just like we are. Bullied by the police. Bullied by the tabloids. Bullied by the government.’ (Mark) Scene 4

‘I grew up in Northern Ireland. I know all about what happens when people don’t talk to each other. That’s why I’ve never understood, what’s the point of supporting gay rights but nobody else’s rights, you know?’ (Mark to Dai) Scene 10

‘They’re pulling the lads in for anything now.’ (Cliff) Scene 10

‘That’s the same whether you’re standing on a picket line or trolling down Clapham High Street in full drag.’ (Jonathan explains to the committee the limits to police powers) Scene 10

‘… it’s not enough to always be defending. Sometimes you have to attack to push forward …’ (Mark) Scene 11

‘Yes, it is bread we fight for but we fight for roses too!’ (Song lyric) Scene 11

‘Don’t give it all to the fight. Save some for home. There’s more to life, you know.’ (Dai to Mark) Scene 16

‘Never mind the miners. There’s gay people dying every day.’ (A gay man to Gethin when he is collecting for the miners) Scene 16

‘There’s got to be some kind of compromise.’
‘Why?’
‘Because that’s the way you get things done.’ (Lesbians Against Pit Closures members to Steph) Scene 19

I am Malala

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

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

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

Gender

The women of Pride and I am Malala are seeking gender equality. 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. Within the gay community presented in Pride, gender is not so clearly defined and this is seen as characters and the club-goers discard traditional gender dress codes. However, the patriarchal assumptions that are present in the wider community invade the smaller community. The women resist this as they form a factional lesbians only group to combine their feminists rights with the other causes for which they are fighting. The outmoded gender expectations of the macho-male are seen in those opposing the LGSM group; aggressive skinheads and narrowminded miners see themselves as the prototype males and are quick to assert physical dominance over the gay men either by throwing objects at the march or storming the welfare hall looking for a fight.

Malala’s passion for gender equality only strengthens as she matures, and she is fortified by other likeminded 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, writing about women’s rights, naming his daughter after a powerful female hero, and teaching his sons to respect women. When female prime minister and gender reformist Benazir Bhutto is assassinated, in a metaphoric passing of the baton, Malala 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. While in Pride, gender issues may initially be the domain of the gay and lesbian community, it is also clearly outlined in the wives and mothers of the film. Often the director positions women in the home doing chores, such as Joe’s mother making a bed or Sian cooking dinner, showing their anticipated place in society. The gender roles are defined in the Dulais Valley community, men in the pits and women in the home and, later, men on the picket lines and woman making the sandwiches. Gail’s understanding, expressed to Steph, that sex was for men and that women were to simply tolerate it is typical of the patriarchal influence on the small town life.

The integration into the struggle for the miners and collaboration with the gay community, in particular a conversation with Jonathan, opens Sian’s eyes to her place as a woman. She re-evaluates the tradition that she has accepted as a wife and mother and challenges herself to be what she desires. In the closing onscreen text, it is revealed that Sian has taken classes and eventually becomes a politician. Ultimately, multiple events and experiences shape 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.

Gender Quotes

I am Malala

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

Pride

‘Give it to the Lesbians. They love a banner.’ (Mark) Scene 3

‘… and you know we’re homosapien, too…’. (Lyrics to song in gay bar) Scene 6

‘Every women is a lesbian at heart.’ (Steph, Zoe and Stella) Scene 9

‘What he’s trying to say is you can’t make grand, sweeping generalisations.’ (Ray) Scene 9

‘… when are you going to address my question about a Women’s group?’ (Stella) Scene 11

‘I’ll listen to a certain amount of drunken bollocks, Gail but sex is not just for the men. It’s for the women too. Believe me.’ (Steph) Scene 14 

‘I’m a wife and mother, love.’ (Sian to Jonathan) Scene 18

Identity

The theme of identity is explored in I am Malala and Pride through the manner in which individuals are shaped by social factors including family, history, beliefs and customs, as well as oppressive forces. While the miners and the gay community in Pride extract a substantial part of their identity from the communities in which they live and the causes for which they fight, the characters also express and fight for their own unique identity. Mark’s identity is largely derived from his lifestyle and his role as a leader and activist. Dai notices how much Mark draws his sense of self from his causes and offers advice to leave a little for home and not spend all his life and energy on the fight. Although a leader like Mark, Malala draws much of her identity from her heritage rather than from her cause. Malala proudly professes to be, like all Swatis, first a Swati, then a Pashtun, then a Pakistani. Swatis perceive themselves as distinct from other people through their shared and unique experience of living in 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. The integration of her past and desired future as a moulding force of her identity is congruent to the lives of Cliff and Gethin who aim to own their own identity within larger group that historically have rejected them. Gethin’s struggle for identity is mirrored in the life of Cliff. While Gethin lives an openly gay lifestyle, he finds it difficult to reconcile his Welsh mining town upbringing. The cause gives him opportunity to reach out to his mother and integrate into a mining town without the reprisals of physical violence he encountered as a child. The need for the reconciliation of the dual components of his identity is seen as he refuses to stop collecting for the miners after the lost vote. Cliff, in contrast, is a solid union man and a past miner. He is encapsulated by the mining town and the mining life, even losing his brother in one of the pits. Cliff’s opportunity to reconcile this traditional lifestyle with his gay lifestyle comes through the encounter with the LGSM group. As a result he steps into his true identity, telling Hefina he is gay. Ironically, she has already known for some time, showing that a person’s identity is far greater than their outward facade.

Like Joe stumbling inadvertently into the midst of a gay right march and being handed a banner and recruited to LGSM, Malala is also thrust into a position that solidifies her identity. 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 cements her identity as she performs her public roles as a teacher and leader. Joe’s identity is also gained through the struggle for rights. As he joins the LGSM group he becomes strong enough to step into his true identity as a young gay man. Despite this, the group reject his name ‘Joe’ and brand him ‘Bromley’, referring to his suburban upbringing, leaving Joe to further struggle for his true identity.

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. In like manner, Mark’s identity as a leader results from his continued fights for equality; he continually faces acts of violence and discontent from the public and police but perseveres with the fight, forging his personality and identity.

Identity Quotes

Pride

‘I can’t change my style. It has to be a style of firm leadership.’ (Margaret Thatcher, on TV) Scene 1 

‘It’s just I don’t really want to be too visible.’ (Joe) Scene 3

‘This is a gay and lesbian group and we are unapologetic about that.’ (Mark) Scene 5

‘What he’s trying to say is you can’t make grand, sweeping generalisations.’ (Ray) Scene 9

‘But without it, these villages are nothing, they’re finished.’ (Cliff, regarding mining) Scene 11

‘I’m in Wales. And I don’t have to pretend to be something that I’m not.’ (Gethin) Scene 11

‘I’m a wife and mother, love.’ (Sian to Jonathan) Scene 18

I am Malala

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 – Prejudice

Pride and I am Malala highlight the presence and consequences of prejudice and tolerance. The discussion around tolerance and prejudice regarding the miners and the gay and lesbian community in London is complex in its layers and Pride aims to show many of these. The theme of tolerance and prejudice 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 their 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. Stephen Beresford and Matthew Warchus are unrelenting in their accurate depictions of the levels of prejudice experienced by the gay community in Pride. There is an obvious physical threat from groups who despise the gay and lesbian community of Pride without reason. This is seen in the actions of the skinheads who spit at or throw things at the group and the derogatory names they are called. The package that is thrown through the bookshop window adds another level of undeserved aggression. There is a legal aspect highlighted by Joe’s age, when Steph explains that there is inequality between gay and heterosexual age of consent. Furthermore, the aggression of the police, as reported by the group and supported in the scenes where police mock miners for collaborating with gays or mock gays for collaborating with miners, highlights that some legal powers are distorted to support individual prejudices.

I am Malala depicts Taliban’s teachings that 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. Contrasting this reaction to Ziauddin’s cause, many members of the traditional mining community depicted in Pride actually shift their own understanding when confronted by a new idea. Equally, their change is a shift in mindset toward the gay and lesbian group, who are willing to listen and receive rather than react and threaten. On arrival at the welfare hall, the LGSM group remind Jonathon to tone it down, expecting his flamboyance to be too much for the community, however once inside, they are surprised at the questions the community has, which are not what they had anticipated. The women ask if all lesbians are vegetarian and who does the housework in a male-male relationship. When Jonathon disregards the group’s advice and lets his hair down by revelling in flashy dancing antics, he is met with a rousing reception from the community rather than disdain. The community attitude is an ever-present form of prejudice and rarely dissipates in the film in order to reveal what it would be like for the LGSM characters; neighbours complain about parties, jokes are made about AIDS, and Joe’s parents are inflexible in their understanding of his lifestyle. Small comments create an ‘us and them’ framework and contribute to a cumulatively oppressive atmosphere. Maureen encapsulates many of these negative traits and, when invited to mix with the LGSM group at the Dulais Valley, refuses, choosing to remain in her ignorance and prejudice. One of her sons embodies other more physical aspects of prejudice.

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. Similar to Malala’s invitation to let go of the extreme views and find the authentic truth, Dai also has faith that once the miners and the LGSM groups mix, they will see an alternate side to what is presented by media and creates prejudice. Mark’s vision of helping others to overcome barriers also highlights that ‘prejudice can’t survive proximity’; those who are willing to openmindedly mix with others soon see similarities rather than differences, and preconceived prejudice is challenged. This is a principle that is reciprocated between the groups. The mining community learns about the gay and lesbian community and the gay and lesbian community learns about the miners. The miners and the gays and lesbians develop an understanding and together help to advance the cause of human dignity and gay rights. The fact that the groups turns up in person to show their support to one another helps to break down any potential barriers.

Tolerance – Prejudice Quotes

I am Malala

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

Pride

‘Just mind yourself on that last train. There’s weirdos and all sorts on there.’ (Joe’s mother, Marion) Scene 4

‘I’ve never met a lesbian before.’ (Joe to Steph) Scene 4

‘It’s also illegal, darling. Sixteen for breeders. Twenty-one for gays. Did you learn nothing on that march? You’re still a minor.’ (Steph to Joe) Scene 4

‘Now these mining communities are being bullied. Just like we are. Bullied by the police. Bullied by the tabloids. Bullied by the government.’ (Mark) Scene 4

And when you’re in a fight as bitter and as important as this one, against an enemy, so much bigger, so much stronger than you – well. To find out that you have a friend you never knew existed – It’s the best thing in the world. (Dai, thank you speech at the gay bar) Scene 6

‘I don’t have a problem with … what they are.’ (Maureen) Scene 7

‘It’s the men. You bring a load of gays into a working men’s club and you get trouble. I’m sorry.’ (Maureen) Scene 7

‘… I had you down as many things but prejudiced was never one of them.’ (Sian to her husband, Martin) Scene 8

‘AIDS. Anally. Injected. Death Sentence.’ (Jason, Joe’s brother in law in response to viewing the TV ads regarding AIDS) Scene 11

‘The homosexuals have been told that it is us, the normal population, and not them, that is out of step. Any society that accepts that sick deception is swirling headlong into a cesspool of its own making.’ (Newspaper article) Scene 11

‘Can you see what we’ve done here? By coming together- all of us- by pledging our solidarity, our friendship – We’ve made history.’ (Dai, addressing the Pits and Perverts Benefits Balls) Scene 14

‘You girls have opened my eyes.’ (Gwen to Steph) Scene 16

‘You must have found it a bit weird. A load of gays and lesbians descending on you like that?’
‘Why on earth would we have found that weird?’ (TV reporter questioning Cliff at the parade) Scene 19