I Am Malala: Chapter 11 Summary & Analysis

This was a dark time in Malala’s life: the country was in chaos, and she felt unsafe in her own town. She didn’t feel comfortable wearing her school uniform, since the uniform was a sign that she was being educated, and thus, in the Taliban’s eyes, dishonoring Allah. Nevertheless, Malala began high school. She continued to do well on her exams, usually defeating her rival, Malka-e-Noor. She had trouble with mathematics, but excelled at writing and theater. She wrote an amusing sketch based on Romeo and Juliet. Malala notes that the sketch was popular, in no small part because laughs were few and far between at the time.

Across Pakistan the Taliban started blowing up schools for girls. When Malala heard about this she was horrified, unable to believe that anyone could do such a thing. At one point in 2008, a girls’ school was blown up almost every day. In February, Malala was sitting in her kitchen when she heard an explosion: a suicide bomber, she later learned, had blown up a chunk of the Haji Baba High School, not far from Malala’s school. Malala asked Ziauddin if he was frightened, now that the Taliban violence had reached his home. Ziauddin replied that they had to remember their courage and refuse to give in to the Taliban’s intimidation.

In response to the escalating violence in Swat, Ziauddin joined with a group of elders who wanted to challenge Fazlullah’s interpretations of the Quran. Although Ziauddin was far younger than the other men in this group, he was chosen as a spokesperson, since he was known to be an eloquent and courageous man. In the coming months, Ziauddin made a series of popular speeches denouncing Fazlullah. He accused Fazlullah of destroying Swati culture and ruining Pakistani lives. Ziauddin encouraged the common people of Swat to resist Fazlullah’s influence, often reciting the famous Martin Niemöller poem, “First they came for the communists, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a communist…” Malala worshiped her father for his bravery and eloquence.

At school, Ziauddin organized a peace march, in which most of the girls agreed to participate. A local television station stopped by the march and asked to interview the students. Malala, along with many of her classmates, answered questions from reporters. Malala later realized that this was a bold move for the station: Pakistan was under great pressure to depict the Taliban in a positive light, and interviewing the girls whom the Taliban threatened made the Taliban seem inhumane. In one interview, Malala said, “How dare the Taliban take away my basic right to education?” Malala’s passionate statement later appeared on televisions across Pakistan. Ziauddin told Malala that he was very proud of her.

On October 7, 2008, Malala heard explosions not far from her home. These turned out to be bombings at the Sangota Convent School for girls, a famous institution that had educated women for nearly a century. Following the bombing, Ziauddin gave interviews in which he denounced militant extremists with particular furor. By the end of the near, the Taliban had bombed nearly 400 schools for girls across the country. Following Bhutto’s death, the government had fallen under the control of President Asif Zardari, Bhutto’s widower. While he continued his wife’s opposition to the Taliban, life in Swat continued to deteriorate.

Ziauddin allowed his relatives from other parts of Pakistan to stay with him in his house. As a result, Malala’s home was suddenly very crowded. She quarreled with her visiting cousins and her brother, Khushal, almost constantly. At the end of 2008, Fazlullah's deputy made a sudden announcement: Ziauddin’s girls’ school would close. He warned women to avoid going to school after January 15. Malala didn’t take this threat seriously, because she saw her father’s bravery, but many of her friends believed that their lives would be in danger if they continued to attend school.