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Summary: Chapter 9 (Radio Mullah)
Malala describes the arrival of the Taliban in Swat when she is ten years old. Their leader, Maulana Fazlullah, becomes known as Radio Mullah when he starts broadcasting regularly from an illegal radio station. Radio serves as a vital source of news for the many people who are illiterate and have no TVs. At first, Fazlullah impresses many, including Malala’s mother, with his pious guidance. He supports bringing back sharia law, an appealing idea to people who are unhappy with the failures of the Pakistani justice system. Fazlullah declares more and more things to be haram, or forbidden, including music, movies, dance, haircuts, Western dress, and school for girls. He claims sinfulness will invoke God’s punishment.
Increasingly, Fazlullah focuses on his large female audience—arguing they should stay home and only go out veiled and with a male relative. Many women donate money and jewelry to his cause. Malala sees Pashtun women like her mother as strong caretakers. Soon the Taliban patrol the streets looking for wrongdoing, killing and publicly flogging people for their transgressions or resistance. Danger gets closer to Malala. A public notice condemns Ziauddin’s school for being too Western. Ziauddin responds by writing a letter to the newspaper, begging the Taliban not to harm his schoolchildren.
Summary: Chapter 10 (Toffees, Tennis Balls, and the Buddhas of Swat)
Malala explains that the Taliban not only ban arts and culture, but also attack history, destroying important Buddha statues. Now the Taliban have reached the capital, Islamabad, where there is a violent confrontation at the Red Mosque between Islamic militants and the military. The mosque, siding with Osama bin Laden, protests the government’s support of America’s War on Terror. The militant Burqa Brigade highlight the Taliban’s hypocrisy concerning women: The Taliban demands that women stay home, hidden from view, unless they choose to join the bloody battle.
In response to the killing of one the mosque’s leaders, there are a series of suicide bombings in the country, and Fazlullah declares war on the government. Benazir Bhutto’s return to Pakistan in October 2007 fills many with hope for democracy, but she is murdered by a suicide bomber two months later. Malala protests the way the Quran is misinterpreted to justify Benazir’s murder. Meanwhile, the army arrives in Swat, greeting the people with toffees and tennis balls and establishing a curfew. Fighting erupts between the army and the militants. The Taliban gains control of the area, but Musharraf sends more troops. The fighting turns fierce, and different militant groups join together to form the Pakistan Taliban, strengthening their effort. Fazlullah is designated chief of Swat.
Analysis
The second section of the book, titled “The Valley of Death,” chronicles Malala’s wavering resilience during the Taliban’s arrival in Swat Valley and the region’s rapid descent into chaos and violence. The Taliban have terrorized Afghanistan for years. Even though Afghanistan is Pakistan’s neighbor, this violence always seemed far away to Malala and her family. Now, the Yousafzais begin to experience the fear and terror that until now they have only witnessed through media. They become figuratively displaced from their home before they have to physically leave as everything familiar to them is stripped away and weaponized. Malala’s trust in institutions crumbles. She knows that people in power lie and are corrupt. She tries not to live in fear, but the events of this section reinforce the idea that no one is coming to rescue Pakistan, and evil could possibly win.
Ghulamullah, the mufti who attempted to close Ziauddin’s school, foreshadowed the radical agenda that comes to the Swat Valley in the form of Fazlullah. Where Ghulamullah failed, Fazlullah will not. His slow and steady descent into extremism serves as a frightening reinforcement of Malala’s father’s teachings. While some are fooled by the initially moderate words of the “Radio Mullah,” Ziauddin knows the true danger of his words. Some of his opinions are agreeable to people in Mingora because they are not educated in the Quran, and do not know any better. By focusing on the issues and complaints of common people and targeting those he blames for the problems, Fazlullah gains support. Malala watches as her father is ignored when he tries to warn people of the danger Fazlullah represents. This chapter marks a turning point for Malala, as she witnesses that a lack of education is indeed the root cause of militancy because it allows terrorism to flourish.
Malala recognizes that Fazlullah’s words, especially regarding women, are empty. She knows that the Quran does not support the idea that women should stay home while men go out to work. She also has the powerful example of her mother, so she knows that women are the strong backbone of society. They bear, nourish, and raise their children, while men simply go to work to make money. Fazlullah’s teachings do not ring true for her. At only eight years old, Malala recognizes Fazlullah as dishonest and dangerous. She sees what is happening in her community as his words radicalize her neighbors, but she has the stalwart example of Ziauddin who again refuses to close his school. Malala is naturally driven, but as her world descends further into chaos, she learns about the determination and courage needed to be an activist.
In Chapter 10, Malala describes living in a place that has essentially lost its identity and its sanity. She feels as if her entire country has gone mad. Malala notes the hypocrisy of the Burqa Brigade, Taliban women who terrorize the capital city of Islamabad. According to Fazlullah, they should be home tending to household duties, but they are commended for destroying cities when it is politically expedient. Malala’s sense of helplessness deepens when Bhutto is assassinated. Living with constant violence around them, the family no longer feels free as they are imprisoned by fear. Malala vows to follow in Bhutto’s footsteps and change her country for the better. With the death of her political hero and no hope for the future, Malala the activist is born. In this dark place, Malala finds motivation to keep doing the work that will consume the rest of her life because she would rather die fighting than live under the rule of tyrants.
