I Am Malala: Chapter 3 Summary & Analysis

Malala is close to both of her parents, but in one sense Tor Pekai represents a “cautionary tale,” both for Ziauddin and Malala. When education is discouraged for women, it’s easy for young girls to give in to what’s easier and more fun—not going to school—as they don’t yet have a mature perspective on the importance of education. But missing out on an education often leaves women like Tor Pekai unsatisfied and regretful.

Ziauddin’s decision to pursue education and literature is a bold one, particularly considering his relationship with his father. Again Malala mentions the fact that Pashtuns discriminate against dark-skinned people. This is probably a cultural remnant of colonialism—the belief that whiteness is superior has gradually developed into an inferiority complex and racial hierarchy even in non-whites. Malala is often strikingly realistic about her culture, not shying away from either the positives or the negatives.

In one sense, Malala’s version of Ziauddin’s story is like a prequel to her own story, which we have yet to hear. Like Malala, Ziauddin relies extensively on the kindness of his friends and neighbors. Although it’s tempting to read his life as a story of “one man overcoming the odds,” the reality is that Ziauddin’s life is a testament to the importance of helping other people, and accepting others’ help.

Throughout this chapter, Malala shows the ways that the events of history influence the lives of individual Pakistani people. Here, for instance, Ziauddin’s career as a public speaker and debater—in essence, a mascot for the importance of free speech—is intimately tied to the rise of Benazir Bhutto. It’s implied, for instance, that Ziauddin would never have been allowed to lobby for Pashtun rights so freely under General Zia—Zia would have sent an army to break up the demonstrations.

The Salman Rushdie affair is often considered an “acid test” of one’s political leanings. It’s possible to argue that Rushdie was trying to offend Muslims by satirizing the prophet Mohammed in his novel, but it also seems reasonable to say that Rushdie shouldn’t have been persecuted for his right to free speech (especially considering that The Satanic Verses has great literary value, and little real criticism of Islam). Ziauddin chooses a middle ground, acknowledging that Rushdie’s book is offensive, but refusing to believe that he should be hurt for writing it. Ziauddin basically argues that God doesn’t need humans to use violence on his behalf—God can defend himself. The best way to actually convert people to Islam is through reasoned discourse and good deeds, not threats and violence. This idea will be important as Malala defends Islam while also condemning violent extremism.

Malala doesn’t sugarcoat the difficulties of achieving one’s goals. She goes into great detail about the setbacks her father went through when trying to set up a school system in the Swat Valley. Again Ziauddin makes progress because he’s lucky enough to have loyal friends like Mohammed Naeem Khan. Although Malala never says so explicitly, we can assume that Ziauddin and Mohammed want to establish schools because of their passion for free speech and the right to education.

In this long, important section, we see the ways that Ziauddin deals with complications in his plans. He falls out with his friend Mohammed, but doesn’t let this ruin his goal of building a chain of schools: he values the school project even more highly than he values one man’s friendship. Ziauddin’s challenges are external as well as internal, as he learns that the school system in Pakistan (at the time) is designed to make superintendents rich, not to educate children. Malala makes it clear that Ziauddin’s Pashtun roots lead him to oppose corruption—Malala acknowledges that there are many problems in Pashtun culture, but a crucial part of it is also a fierce commitment to what is right.

Ziauddin’s ascent to fame seems simultaneously difficult and easy. We get the image of him selling popcorn to support his schools, but we’re given little information about how exactly his charisma as a speaker and debater translated into greater enrollment in the schools. While it’s a little frustrating that Malala doesn’t give us more information on the subject it’s inspiring to hear that Ziauddin’s failure made him work harder, rather than give up—another aspect of a good role model.

Ziauddin’s relationship with Tor Pekai is unusual in a number of ways. We’ve already been told that Ziauddin married Tor Pekai for love, rather than because his family arranged the marriage. In a sense, Ziauddin’s relationship with Tor Pekai is similar to his relationship with education: he loves both his wife and his schools for the most intimate, personal of reasons—not because of any obligation to.

Although Tor Pekai isn’t an educated woman, this doesn’t mean that she can’t be helpful to the establishment of the schools in the Swat Valley. As Malala grows up, she learns that her mother was essential in the building of Ziauddin’s schools: she has strong role models in both of her parents. Malala never loses sight of the difficulties that afflicted her father as a young man: he couldn’t even pay for his wife’s jewelry at the wedding.

The way Malala mentions the bombing of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 is almost off-handed—it’s certainly not the focal point of a chapter, or a section of the book. Nevertheless we can sense that 9/11 will “change everything,” both in the United States and in Pakistan. The terrorist attack will usher in a global “War on Terror,” which we’ll read more about in the coming chapters. While to Americans 9/11 was an epoch-defining catastrophe, Malala’s detached perspective on the attack helps remind us that violence occurs in other parts of the world all the time, much of it perpetrated by America itself, and the people affected by it are no less valuable than those lost on 9/11.