Cultural Narrative: I Am Malala

I am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban is a novel written by Malala Yousafzai with the help of Christina Lamb that tells the story of Malala and her advocacy for women’s rights to education, and how that led to her being shot by the Taliban. Malala recounts her life and experiences growing up being a part of the Pashtun community in the Swat Valley of Pakistan. Having a daughter was not normally a cause for celebration for Pashtuns, the ethnic group of this Pakistani region. Malala states, “For most Pashtuns it is a gloomy day when a daughter is born” (Yousafzai, 2013). Malala expresses that in her community, being a girl meant she was destined to be hidden away with a sole purpose of cooking, cleaning, and bearing children. These are the roles women are expected to fulfill and pursuing an education was not encouraged nor welcomed by extremists of the Islamic faith (Yousafzai, 2013). Malala’s father, Ziauddin, believed she was destined for greatness the moment she entered the world, and encouraged her throughout childhood and young adulthood to pursue an education regardless of her gender. Her father was an educator who owned a school and was well respected in his community and who also spoke out against extremists, such as the Taliban, and argued for education rights for all. I felt inspired after reading this novel and believe it connects to my role as a professional with maintaining the ethical principle of justice.

Malala recalls her childhood in the Swat Valley of Pakistan. She talks about its incredible
beauty, glorious mountains, water-falls, and magnificent crystal lakes (Yousafzai, 2013). The area that Malala lived in, Mingora, was the only city within the Valley that overtime became very crowded. Her father had just started running his first school a few years after her birth so they did not have a lot of money to get by, but she and her brothers still always felt loved and cared for by her parents. Her mother, Toor Pakai, can not read or write and is devoutly religious. Malala talks about how her mother prays five times a day and has certain strict beliefs, such as women should not dance because God would not like it. However, Malala claims she loves to dance behind closed doors with friends, another example of her free spirit. Malala’s parents love each other very much. Her mother and father marriage was for love and was nor arranged, like many other marriages in her community. Her father would always confide in her mother and tell her about his day, good or bad, and ask her advice. This contradicted typical Pashtun marriages. The women were not typically involved in politics, or aspects of life outside of the home, but her father always included her mother and she states, “if people saw us they would say we are a sweet family” (Yousafzai, 2013).
Malala’s advocacy efforts stem from her father’s love of education and encouragement of her to pursue it for herself. She believed all girls should be allowed to go to school beyond the age of ten, which is the common age Pushtan or other Islamic girls will attend school for (Yousafzai, 2013). Malala spoke at events and gave many speeches attempting to spread awareness of this issue. Malala and her father, who also publicly spoke out in favor of education for women, received praise and recognition for their efforts. At the age of 14 Malala was nominated for the international peace prize of KidsRights, and was awarded Pakistan’s first National Peace Prize titled the Malala Prize in her honor (Yousafzai, 2013). All the while, the Taliban had a heavy presence in Pakistan and was at its most powerful. The Taliban is a militant Islamic group consisting of Islamic extremists who adhere to certain aspects of the Quran with great pride and strictly believe a women’s role is in her home, she must be escorted around by her husband/ father/ close male relative, and should not be educated beyond childhood because that would interfere with their familial role (Yousafzai, 2013). Malala spoke out, not against the Taliban but in favor of education which inadvertently went against the Taliban’s beliefs. Although revered by many because of it, Malala became a threat to the Taliban’s mission. In October of 2012, at the age of 15, two men boarded Malala’s school bus after her school day and shot her. Malala survived the shooting, but not without complications. She was in a coma for four days, and had to be flown to Birmingham, England for further medical support. After months of recovery in the hospital Malala was able to be reunited with her family in Birmingham, where they moved for safety after Malala’s recovery from the shooting. Malala returned to school in England and continued advocating for education rights nationwide.

I found this book extremely eye opening and I was truly inspired. I have had the privilege of pursuing a master’s degree as a woman without any scrutiny or fear of death. I loved the detail Malala provided when talking about her home, her family, and her culture. I enjoyed reading the first hand accounts of someone a part of the Islamic faith and her take on the issues in Pakistan with their government and the Taliban. As an American, I feel I have only received biased information about Islam and its beliefs and I think I learned much more from reading this book then I ever have watching the news. I think this connects perfectly with Malala’s education advocacy efforts. Malala states, “We should learn everything and then choose which path to follow” (Yousafzai, 2013). This also applies to the ethical principle of justice and is so important as a future practitioner of occupational therapy. I must not judge any client due to their background, religion, gender, or sexuality. No matter what I think I know, there is always more to learn. As an OT, if I have a client with a different cultural or religious background, I must not make any judgments or snap decisions but take the time to learn about them and their culture. I’m sure they will have as much to teach me as I them. I highly recommend this book to anyone of any gender, but especially for women who have ever felt that they have had a harder time achieving their goals or success. Malala is proof, it is never impossible.


References
Yousafzai, M. (2013). I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban. United States: Little, Brown.