Saturday, May 28, 2016

In I Am Malala, Malala describes an incident where, one night, Malala's father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, is named on the radio program for violating the Taliban's rules. Ziauddin discussed how the beautiful face of Islam was being destroyed by the Taliban and how he will not back down to them. Describe the role Malala's father played and continues to play in her life. Ziauddin blames himself for why Malala ended up getting shot. Was he right to encourage his daughter to publicly speak out against the Taliban? Defend your answer.

Malala's father has been her role model throughout her life. Ziauddin raised Malala to be passionate about learning and encouraged her to fight for women's rights to education in order to establish equality in Pakistan. Ziauddin provided crucial media connections that allowed his daughter to garner attention on a national scale. Eventually, the Taliban's threats to his life contributed to Malala being shot for her activism.
Your question as to the rightness of Ziauddin's encouragement can be approached in different ways. On a moral level, it was certainly right for Malala to advocate for her right and the right of all women to education. There is no question as to the good Malala's activism has achieved, which lead to her receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014. By extension, it was morally right for Ziauddin to encourage Malala's activism.
Was it then right, in a practical sense, for Ziauddin as a parent to encourage his 15-year-old daughter to stand up to the Taliban? After all, parents are responsible for keeping their children safe. In his memoir, Let Her Fly: A Father's Journey, Ziauddin discusses the Taliban's threats against him and his concern that he would be shot in front of his family. While he taught his daughter to exercise caution, he believed that any violence would be directed at him.
Knowing the result of Malala's shooting, her eventual recovery and continued activism influences the approach to this question. Had Malala been killed as a result of the shooting, Ziauddin would carry a much greater burden of guilt.

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