Around the world, women’s rights have been limited because the government and men feel women will overpower them. I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb demonstrates how women’s rights have been limited and restricted due to the Taliban taking control over The Swat Valley of Pakistan. Before the Taliban, women could have jobs however they were limited to certain kinds of jobs. Growing up, Yousafzia felt that girl could strive to achieve more if they are educated. However, the government and the Taliban saw that women having more opportunities would interfere what they considered their culture and traditions. However, Yousafzai saw other women with the same culture and tradition having more freedom that the women in Swat Valley.
The Taliban came into power in 2005 in Pakistan and began dictating the civilians how to live their lives the “right Islamic way”. The people of the Swat District were forced to obey every command of the Taliban unless they and their families wanted to be killed. Women especially became very oppressed and had to enter Purdah, wear hijabs whenever in public, and were encouraged to not go to school. All westernized media, clothes and games were banned, anyone who did not follow the law would be shot. The community lived in such a terrible state of fear that Malala and her family were afraid to go outside where they were known as famous social, political and educational activists. A BBC correspondent contacted Ziauddin to make a blog from a school girl’s point of view on living under Taliban rule. Malala soon took up the challenge and related her experiences over the phone about her oppressive life in Swat Valley and the threats against girls like her for going to school. Eventually, her school had to close after many local school bombings, and then the whole valley had to be evacuated for the Pakistani Army to come wipe out the Taliban.
What does it take to be a hero? Is it to be rebellious? Demonstrating willpower? Or is it showing compassion for others? These are all characteristics that make up swat valley’s own hero, showing these attributes at the young age of 14. Her name is Malala Yousafzai. She resembles the fictional persona of Katniss Everdeen, another young girl who showed the same traits that Malala. Malala Yousafzai and Katniss Everdeen show the qualities of being rebellious, showing compassion and demonstrating willpower.
First and foremost, this paragraph will focus on the teen activist Malala Yousafzai, who is fighting for girl’s rights to education. Even when the Taliban shut down her school, she would never cease fighting for girl’s rights to education. The Taliban are a Sunni Islamic
For young women in Swat Valley, a district in the northwest frontier province of Mingora, Pakistan, having basic rights such as an education is an issue that has been fought for since its existence. Malala Yousafzai daughter of activist Ziauddin Yousafzai is one of many unfortunate young women who have felt the wrath and despair of the Pakistani Taliban regarding this issue.
What do you do when your freedom is taken away from you? This is the question that Malala, the main character of I am Malala, must answer. Malala is a young teenage girl that resides in Pakistan with her family. The Taliban has recently come into her country and is restricting the freedom and rights of Pakistan’s citizens, especially the rights of women. Malala tells her story of bravery, courage, and perseverance through her autobiography, I am Malala. Although she is brave and courageous, she faces many obstacles in her pursuit of gaining women’s rights in Pakistan.
“Teenage girl Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head by the Taliban for speaking up about girls education.” This was what most headlines in October 2012 consisted of. Millions of girls are denied an education globally. Their lives are changed at such a young age as most are forced into arranged marriages. Malala wasn’t silenced by a bullet, she spoke out. Girls education is being denied around the world and is being addressed because women’s rights matter.
“When a boy is born in Pakistan, it’s a cause for celebration. Guns are fired in the air. Gifts are placed in the baby’s cot. And the boy’s name is inscribed on the family tree. But when a girl is born, no one visits the parents, and women have only sympathy for the mother” (Yousafzai, 18). A power yet true statement from Malala Yousafzai in her memoir, I am Malala, shows the gap between males and females in Pakistan. That gap has led to many issues in that region, one being girl’s educational rights. The historical significance of this issue is shown through the past of Pakistan and the shocking statistics that go along with it, as well as the long term effects and what is being done today.
When asking women from countries like Canada, the US, England and France, what their future is like, it is usually based on an independent career. On the other hand, women from Pakistan do not have their own future, or much of one decided, they could only dream. The author uses pathos to help the reader experience the pain and feel sympathy for the women, and even people. As many kids, regardless of gender, cannot afford spending time in school when they might not even eat that night. An example demonstrating the visuals Malala and her family felt after the Taliban took over her town are very realistic, stating, “The military operation was ineffective. Our hearts sank.” (Yousafzai, pg. 58) The taliban represent the evil, this is due to the fact that they do not encourage women having an education, nevertheless being independent. The hopes and aspirations were all decimated at once after facing the truth. As this isn’t an issue faced in only Pakistan. Sweeping this issue under the rug is no help.
“The Taliban could take our pens and our books, but they could not stop our minds from thinking,” (Malala). I read a non-fiction book called I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai. This book is an extraordinary story about the life of a girl who got shot for standing up for herself, and women’s rights. I was amazed at all of the cultural difference there were, so I will be comparing our culture with theirs. The first thing that I had noticed was how the women were expected to dress. Secondly, I noticed that the role women play was very limiting in their culture. Even the food that they ate was very different! I also noticed that their religion and faith were a very large part of their culture.
In Chapters 21 and 22, I think the Pakistani military took such heavy-handed control over Malala’s medical care is because she is someone who can help save Pakistan from the Taliban. Especially when the Taliban go through all that trouble to kill Malala shows that Malala can be a real threat to the Taliban. With Malala’s inspirational speeches, people will soon gain confidence and courage to stand up against the Taliban. The circumstances of her shooting and her continued survival were so politically sensitive because after she won the National Peace Prize, she have been doing many interviews on television and she mentioned Obama as one of her favorite politicians. The Taliban spoke out against Malala’s admirations for Obama and for promoting
Even if they could, according to Unicef, many schools cannot meet the needs of young girls in terms of safety and quality of education, a problem which could be mitigated with better funding. Sexism is another reason why girls in the Middle East are unable to receive an education. In the book, I am Malala, Malala describes how the culture of Pakistan favors boys, writing how “rifles are fired in celebration of a son, while daughters are hidden away behind a curtain, their role in life simply to prepare food and give birth to children” (Yousafzai 13). This cultural role set for girls pressures them to remain in the house, showing how they would be less likely to receive an education. Oppression of girls’ rights to education also comes in physical forms, such as the Taliban, an organization that is explained by Malala to oppress the young
The Taliban is an extremist Islamic group highly emphasizing a strong interpretation of sharia law that arose in the early 1990s after the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan. Referencing the BBC article, a common belief holds that the Taliban first emerged in religious seminaries that preached a hard line of Sunni Islam. The Taliban’s promise to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the surrounding area was to restore peace and security using their interpretation of the sharia law once they were in power (“Who Are the Taliban?”). Along with the many new policies and regulations of society, there arose a new interpretation of the role of women in society. Women became very restricted and had to live in a way that was extremely submissive to men to the point where it was almost dehumanizing, as many would argue. Although the Taliban has been out of control in Afghanistan since December of 2001, remnants of their oppression towards women remain. In this paper, I will demonstrate the Taliban’s remaining effects in Afghan society regarding many aspects of everyday life, such as the workforce, education, healthcare, and human rights. To begin, I will give a brief overview of how Afghan women participated in society before the Taliban came to power. I will then provide information and examples that shed light on women’s life during Taliban rule. In the final section of this paper, I will describe how the lifestyle of women has changed as a result of the Taliban’s oppressive laws and
In contrast, Malala’s attempt to create social change was far more dangerous. Malala and many other girls in Pakistan are denied the right to education when the Taliban seize power in the Swat Valley, Pakistan. Malala’s struggle takes place in contemporary Pakistan where speaking out is considered very dangerous. The memoir revels the destruction of Pakistan founder, Ali Jinnah’s original vision of a ‘land of tolerance’ by increasing Islamisation; two military dictatorships ; corrupt politicians, poverty, illiteracy and the rise of the ‘forces of militancy and extremism’ exemplified by the Taliban, who was led by Maulana Fazlullah and the imposition of terror and fear under the guise of sharia law. The repression of individual freedom made people fearful to speak out. The Taliban had banned women from going ‘outside without a male relative to accompany (them)’ and told people ‘stop listening to music, watching movies and dancing’. The Taliban had ‘blown up 400 schools’ and had held public whippings demonstrated the consequences of disobedience, as did the execution of ‘infidels’ like young dancer, Shabana, whose body was dumped in the public square. Both texts, however more so Malala than Rita reveal that speaking out in a volatile and dangerous political environment does involve more risks, but is essential for change to occur.
In “I am Malala,” Malala Yousafzai explores the idea that education empowers women to stand up for their rights, so that they can have a positive future.
The book “I am Malala” tells the story of eleven year old girl that campaigned and fought for woman’s rights and for the Taliban to allow them to go to school. Malala had an extremely tight nit family bond along with very supportive parents. She always had their support especially from her father Ziauddin. I believe that if I had a daughter so young that wanted to make such a big difference in her country I would stand by her one-hundred percent and push her to set out her dreams. That is exactly what her parents did, they always encouraged her to do whatever she put her mind to even now in present day.