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Education had been a great gift for him. He believed that lack of education was the root of all of Pakistan’s problems. Ignorance allowed politicians to fool people and bad administrators to be reelected. He believed school should be available for all, rich and poor, boys and girls.
In Chapter 3, Malala describes why Ziauddin places so much importance on education. He sees knowledge as a path to freedom because it promotes critical thought. Educated people are less likely to be fooled into voting for dishonest politicians because they can apply historical context to current situations. For that reason, Ziauddin considers educating all young people critical for Pakistan’s future. He teaches this conviction to Malala in the abstract when she is young. When the Taliban takes over Swat Valley, Malala realizes that her father’s warnings are coming to fruition as the people of her village, and then her entire country, believe the liars who distort history and the Quran.
But fear is very powerful and in the end it was this fear that had made people turn against Shabana. Terror had made people cruel. The Taliban bulldozed both our Pashtun values and the values of Islam.
In Chapter 12, the Taliban begins to leave their victims’ bodies in the square as a warning to others who defy their laws. One of these victims is Shebana, a popular dancer who many citizens once openly admired. The lack of public outrage over the brutal murder of a once-loved woman shows Malala that her fellow citizens have become so fearful of the Taliban that they have forgotten their moral obligation to love and care for one other. Malala contends that fear is so powerful that it can cause people to act against their own principles out of self-preservation.
I wore pink to the gala and talked publicly about how we had defied the Taliban edict and carried on going to school secretly. "I know the importance of education because my pens and books were taken from me by force," I said. "But the girls of Swat are not afraid of anyone. We have continued with our education.”
In Chapter 17, the chief minister of Punjab invites Malala to speak at an education gala where she explains how she came to learn the true value of education. When the Taliban brings terror to Malala’s home and takes away her right to an education, she experiences firsthand the heartbreak of losing her rights. Almost losing her beloved freedom of choice taught Malala that she never wants to be frightened into compliance. She will always fight back. As an example, she proudly compares going to school in secret as an act of courage and defiance against tyranny.
