THE INFLUENCE OF SETTING ON
MALALA’S
RESISTANCE AGAINST T
ALIBAN’S
RULES ON IDEAL
MUSLIM WOMEN IN I AM MALALA: A FEMINIST STUDY
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
DIAN WINDRIANI Student Number: 134214025
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
ii
THE INFLUENCE OF SETTING ON
MALALA’S
RESISTANCE AGAINST TALIBAN’S RULES ON IDEAL
MUSLIM WOMEN IN I AM MALALA: A FEMINIST STUDY
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
DIAN WINDRIANI Student Number: 134214025
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
vii
BELIEVE YOU CAN,
THEN YOU WILL
viii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my thesis advisor Maria Ananta Tri Suryandari, S.S., M.Ed. for the guidance and encouragement throughout the whole process of writing my thesis. Thank you for reminding me that I am going to be okay! My sincere thank also goes to my co-advisor Elisabeth Arti Wulandari, S.S., M.A. for the valuable suggestion for the betterment of this thesis. Furthermore, I would like to thank all of the faculty members of Sanata Dharma University for their support during my study.
I would extend my gratitude to my college friends, whose names could not be mentioned one by one. Thank you for your presence in giving me a chance to have bittersweet memories about a college life. However, my college life would not be shining without GLP batch 8 Sanata Dharma University. Thank you for becoming my second beloved family who has taught me the valuable lessons about hard work, commitment, and trust.
For my parent, thank you for your everlasting supports and motivations. In favor of my gratitude, I dedicate this thesis for them.
ix
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH ... vi
MOTTO PAGE ... vii
3. Setting of Social Circumstances ... 28
a. Tradition ... 29
b. Religion ... 32
x
B. The Influence of Setting Social Circumstances in Malala’s Resistance
against Taliban’s Rules on Ideal Muslim Women ... 36
1. Tradition ... 40
2. Religion ... 42
3. Family ... 47
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ... 54
BIBLIOGRAPHY ... 57
xi ABSTRACT
WINDRIANI, DIAN. The Influence of Setting on Malala’s Resistance Against Taliban’s Rules on Ideal Muslim Women I Am Malala: A Feminist Study. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2017.
Murphy said that setting is not only about a place or time but also a factor that can influence the character’s ways of thinking and action, like in the case of Malala. By facing the fact that she and other women in Swat, Pakistan, are oppressed under Taliban’s rules on ideal Muslim women, Malala does a resistance against it. Her resistance against Taliban’s rules on ideal Muslim women is written in her autobiography I Am Malala.
The study focuses on Malala’s reasons and actions in resisting Taliban’s rules on ideal Muslim women. In this study, there are two questions related to the topic. The first question is how setting of place, time, and social circumstances are described in I Am Malala. The second question is how setting of social circumstances influences Malala’s reasons and actions in resisting Taliban’s rules on ideal Muslim women in I Am Malala.
In analyzing the study, the writer conducts library research method. The primary source of this study is I Am Malala. Other sources are taken from printed or electronic books and journals discussing similar topic to the study. The use of feminist approach, specifically radical feminism is to show Malala’s struggles to opt out from the oppression by resisting patriarchal system which is represented by Taliban.
xii ABSTRAK
WINDRIANI, DIAN. The Influence of Setting on Malala’s Resistance Against Taliban’s Rules on Ideal Muslim Women I Am Malala: A Feminist Study. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2017.
Latar tidak hanya tentang tempat atau waktu tetapi juga faktor yang dapat mempengaruhi jalan pikiran dan tindakan si karakter, seperti kasusnya Malala. Malala melakukan perlawan terhadap peraturan yang dibuat oleh Taliban karena dia dan wanita lainnya di Swat merasa terdindas oleh peraturan tersebut. Perlawanannya terhadap Taliban diceritakan dalam sebuah autobiografi yang berjudul I Am Malala.
Penelitian ini bertujuan utuk mengungkap alasan dan perjuangan Malala dalam melawan peraturan Taliban tentang idealnya wanita Muslim. Pada penelitian ini terdapat dua pertanyaan yang berkenaan pada topik. Pertama, bagaimana latar tempat, waktu, dan kondisi social di deskripsikan dalam autobiografi I Am Malala. Kedua, bagaimana kondisi sosial dapat mempengaruhi Malala untuk melakukan perlawanan terhadap peraturan-peraturan Taliban.
Dalam menganalisa penelitian ini, penulis melakukan studi pustaka. Sumber utama adalah autobiografi I Am Malala sedangkan sumber pendukungnya adalah buku cetak atau elektronik dan jurnal-jurnal yang berkaitan dengan topik. Pendekatan yang digunakan adalah pendekatan feminis, tepatnya radikal feminis. Pendekatan ini digunakan untuk menunjukkan perjuangan Malala untuk terbebas dari penindasan yang dia alaminya dengan cara melawan sistem patriarki, dalam hal ini adalah Taliban.
1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
A.Background of the Study
Most religions teach about equality between men and women. In Islam for example, men and women should respect each other because they are equal in the sight of Allah. When someone does the right thing, whether male or female, and she or he is a believer, she or he shall enter Paradise, nor shall she or he be wronged the skin of a date stone (Rodwell and Jones, 2001: 62). Ironically, cases of gender inequality and oppression mostly happen in Islamic countries because of an extreme interpretation on Sharia.
According to Jan Michiel Otto, Professor of Law and Governance in Developing Countries at Leiden University, “Sharia is generally defined as God’s eternal and immutable will for humanity and is expressed in the Quran and Muhammad’s example and developed by jurisprudence” (Otto, 2008: 7). However, some parties interpret it based on their version for their benefit. Let’s
say in the case of Taliban, an Islamic extremist group, they interpret Sharia law to justify their power in oppressing others.
In the Taliban’s interpretation on ideal Muslim women, for example,
men who are forbidden for her to marry because of having blood relatives, like father, brother, son). If there are women who disobey the rules, they will be given harsh punishments, like being hit, shot, and even killed. As stated in CNN Online News, “on October 9, 2012, Taliban singled out and shot Malala Yousafzai” (Saifi
and Botelho, 2014). The action of shooting was done because Malala tried to oppose Taliban’s rules on ideal Muslim women, especially on education.
The establishment of Taliban’s rules on ideal Muslim not only limits women’s right and freedom but also oppress women because Taliban use violence
in maintaining their rules in a society. If we see further, this case reflects patriarchal behavior in which men, as the superior, use power and violence in order to control, oppress, and maintain women’s position as inferior. This idea is
strengthened by Maggie Humm in Feminisms A Reader, “Patriarchy is thus the system of male oppression of women” (Humm, 1992: 103).
The question will be why women still believe in Taliban’s rules on ideal
Muslim women though they are oppressed under these rules. This is because first, they are forced by Taliban to follow it. Second, they think that Taliban’s rules are based on the interpretation of Allah’s command and Holy Quran, so it is the
2001: 15). For this case, Prophet Muhammad tried not to limit Khadija and let her use her high level of understanding and knowledge in managing her job. Therefore, it justifies for women not to believe in and follow Taliban’s rules
because Islam never limits women to pursue their rights and freedom.
Taliban’s oppression is also told by Malala in her autobiography I Am
Malala. It is an autobiography because it is a way of truth-telling story and categorized as nonfiction because it refers to the fact (Stone, 1981: 64). It can’t be
categorized as a fiction because it deals substantially with the fact what happen in real life of the writer no matter how artistic it is. Fiction, like novel, deals with something which does not happen, it is only imagination no matter how convincing the real is. Furthermore, fiction is never simply autobiography- not when it is written by a genuine novelist (Stone, 1981: 35).
This autobiography is interesting to be studied because it shows the resistance of a 14 years old girl in challenging and opposing Taliban power in order to opt out from Taliban oppression. “Resistance is an act done by someone subordinate, that is response to power, do challenge power, and contain at least a possibility, that power gets undermined by the act” (Vinthagen, 2007: 7). Malala’s
B.Problem Formulation
In order to analyze the topic, the writer has formulated two problems. They are:
1. How is the setting in I Am Malala described?
2. How does the setting of social circumstances influence Malala’s resistance against Taliban’s rules on ideal Muslim women in I Am Malala?
C.Objectives of the Study
In this analysis, the writer has two objectives of study. The first objective is to describe the setting of place, time, and social circumstance that is described in I Am Malala. The second objective is to show how the setting of social circumstances, like tradition, religion, and family influences Malala’s resistance against Taliban’s rules ideal Muslim women. In this part, the writer will show Malala’s reasons and actions which are contradicting to Taliban’s rules.
D.Definition of Terms 1. Resistance
According to Stellan Vinthagen in Understanding “Resistance”:
Exploring definitions, perspectives, forms and implications, “Resistance is an act
2. Taliban’s Ideal Muslim Women
6
CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
A.Review of Related Studies
Power sometimes used to oppress others. Therefore, a resistance is done in order to opt out from the oppression by questioning, challenging even undermining the power.
A research on resistance against Taliban had been conducted by Sudip Bhandari, Emma Keiski, Siri Ericson, Grace Freeman and Katie Studer in 2004. Their research is entitled ―Malala Youzafzai: One Girl‘s Fight for Women‘s Education in Pakistan‖. The research is about Malala‘s resistance against Taliban to voice out the right of girls‘ education in Pakistan. This research aims to explore
the context and network that motivate Malala to be a courageous resistor when most people prefer to keep silent.
...Malala is an active proponent of education as a fundamental social and economic right. The world needs more individuals like Malala with the audacity to confront institutionalized system of oppression (Bhandari, Keiski, Ericson, Freeman and Studer 2014: 2).
However, Malala‘s action in voicing women‘s education causes Taliban‘s
anger. Taliban think that Malala is spreading secularism through education, so Taliban shoot her. Eventough she is shot by Taliban, she does not give up. On the contrary, she resists it and breaks the cycle of silence in society, like she says, ―I
want to speak up for my rights and also I didn‘t want my future to be sitting in a
show that individual is capable of giving pressure to authorities to start respecting human rights. The researchers prove that Malala‘s resistance is motivated by two
things, context and network.
First, in the context of Pakistani education, Pakistan has despairingly fewer educational opportunities for women. The female literacy rate is low at 35% while male literacy rate is around 62%. This dismal education status for women is because the social and economic condition, namely poverty, religious fundamentalism, gender discrimination, and governmental mismanagement (Bhandari, Keiski, Ericson, Freeman and Studer 2014: 9). Second, Malala has an access to a network of political role model, Benazir Bhutto, as the first female Prime Minister in the Islamic world, which has inspired her to become a courageous resistor. Furthermore, she is always supported by her family that values education more, especially education for women.
Their research is helpful to this study because this study also analyzes Malala‘s resistance. Some data, especially on women‘s education is useful to support the writer‘s argument in this study. However, the different between this
research and the writer‘s study are first, their research only focuses on women‘s
In 2014 Agustina Kresia Agasi conducted a study on rebellion against Taliban oppression. Her study is entitled ―The Rebellion of an Afghan Woman against Taliban Oppression Revealed through Kamila‘s Struggles in Gayle
Temach Lemmon‘s The Dressmaker of Khair Khana‖. Agasi observes the
characteristics of Kamila. She argues that Kamila‘s characteristics are educated, open minded, determined (Agasi, 2014: 34). Actually, these characteristics contribute to her struggle to rebel against Taliban oppression. For example, Kamila is suffering when living under Taliban‘s regime. She is not allowed to
contact with outside world, work, and should wear burqa, but she has to struggle to get a financial support from her family. Therefore, with the characteristics that she has, she chooses to rebel against Taliban oppression. Agasi argues that Kamila rebels against Taliban by becoming androgynous and empowering woman (Agasi, 2014: 61). In this case, she becomes a tailor and opens tailoring business though in Taliban regime, a tailor should be for men, not women.
Agasi‘s study which is about how a woman wants to rebel against Taliban
B.Review of Related Theories 1. Theory of Setting
According to M. J. Murphy in An Introduction to English Poetry and the English Novel for Overseas Student, ―The setting can be concerned with the place in which the characters live and also the time in which they live. These have a great effect upon the personalities, actions, and ways of thinking of the characters‖ (Murphy, 1972:141). This theory is completed by M.H. Abrams in A
Glossary of Literary Terms Sixth Edition, he stated that setting is the overall setting of narrative or dramatic work, like the general locale, historical time, and social circumstances in which its action occurs (Abrams, 1993: 330). Based on his theory, there are three types of settings, setting of place, time, and social circumstances.
2. Theory of Patriarchy
According to Maggie Humm in Feminism A Reader, ―Patriarchy is thus the system of male oppression of women‖ (Humm, 1992: 103). This theory is in
line with Walby‘s theory cited by Jane and Imelda in 50 Key Concepts in Gender
Studies, ―Patriarchy is a system of social structures and practices in which men dominate, oppress, and exploit women‖ (Pilcher and Whelehan, 2004: 95). From
the theories, the writer understands that in the patriarchal system, men are categorized as superior because they have more power compared to women who are deemed inferior. Sometimes, men‘s power and superiority are used to dominate, oppress, and exploit women. Still based on Walby, he also identified that men tend to oppress women through the six structure of patriarchy which are household production, paid work, the state, male violence, sexuality, and culture. Therefore, this condition will only make women‘s right and freedom limited both in private or public sphere (Pilcher and Whelehan, 2004: 95).
Besides, Adrienne Rich as cited by Hester Eisenstein in Contemporary Feminist Thought said,
Patriarchy is the power of the fathers: a familial-social, ideological, political system in which men—by force, direct pressure, or through ritual, tradition, law, and language, customs. Etiquette, education, and the division of labor, determine what part women shall or shall not play, and in which the female is everywhere subsumed under the male (Eisenstein, 1983: 5).
From the theory above, the writer understands that when men realize their power, they use it to control women by dictating women‘s role in the society.
Hester Eisenstein stated that for the women what is mean by ―normal‖ is being
passive, while for men is being active. As men, they have characteristics, like tenacious, aggressive, curious, and ambitious, while women have characteristics, like affectionate, obedient, kind, and friendly (Eisenstein, 1983: 5).
The patriarchal ideology is even greater in Islamic world. This ideology is always shown through the story of prophet‘s life and Sharia. According to Al Hibri cited by Mehrdad Darvishpour in Islamic Feminism: Compromise or Challenge to Feminism?, there is an assumption that woman is a source of temptation and sin in Islamic world, like in the story of Adam and Eve. He argues that Eve is symbol of temptation and sin.
God was declared male, and man was declared to be created in His likeness. Eve became the symbol of temptation and sin. The woman was consequently judged as a less likely candidate for salvation and everlasting life in heaven than man (Darvishpour, 2003: 1).
Since Islam perceives woman has a power, it makes men try to restrict women‘s power. How? First, they are isolating men and women in different
world, men in public while women in private. Second, women who are the source of temptation and sin should cover their face when they are in public. Third, when they want to go outside, they should be guided with men‘s protection. Actually,
those rules are reflecting the patriarchy in Islamic world in which men want to keep their superiority and domination over women‘s power.
3. Theory of Radical Feminism
Feminism is the ideology of women‘s liberation since women always
provides the theory of radical feminism in order to justify women‘s oppression
which is caused by patriarchy and how to solve it.
According to Maggie Humm in The Dictionary of Feminist Theory, radical feminism focuses on the root of male domination and claims that all forms of oppression are the extension of male supremacy or patriarchy (Humm, 2012: 231). The extension of patriarchy in which male is perceived as superior to female justifies them to oppress women in society. The strategies that are used by men in maintaining women status as inferior are spreading intimidation, terrorism, and fear. Therefore, the only way to make the women opt out from the oppression is by breaking the patriarchy which is always glorified by radical feminist. Thus radical feminist aims to destroy this sex-class system by using women‘s power (Humm, 2012: 231).
This idea is strengthened by Rosemarie Tong in Feminist Thought: A More Comprehensive Introduction, she said that patriarchy which is characterized by power, dominance, and hierarchy that can‘t be reformed but only ripped out
the root of it. ―It is not just patriarchy‘s legal and political structures that must be
overturned on the way women‘s liberation. Its social and cultural institutions (especially the family and organized religion) must also be uprooted‖ (Tong,
4. Theory of Resistance
According to Stellan Vinthagen in Understanding “Resistance”:
Exploring definitions, perspectives, forms and implications, “Resistance is an act
done by someone subordinate, that is response to power, do challenge power, and contain at least a possibility, that power gets undermined by the act‖ (Vinthagen,
2007: 7). Power here is a matter of subordinate and super-ordinate or a hierarchy. ―Thus resistance is the kinds of actions which dissolves, undermines, questions or
challenges such subordination and ultimately, produce non-subordinate relation‖ (Vinthagen, 2007: 7).
C.Review of Related Backgrounds 1. Pashtunwali
Society in Swat valley, Pakistan, is dominated by Pashtun tribe and every member of the tribe should follow their tribe‘s norm and custom, in this case it is
Pashtunwali. According to Ghulam Shams-ur-Rechman in Pashtunwali and Islam: The Conflict of Authority in the Traditional Pashtun Society, Pashtunwali is a set of unwritten codes about the individual and communal conduct for Pashtun tribes who live in the mountain territory of Hindukush and Sulaiman mountain along the Durand line or around Afghanistan and Pakistan (Rechman, 2015: 298). It can be an identity of Pashtun people because the codes are based on their way of life.
Pashtunwali consists of the concepts of honor (nang), revenge (badal), chivalry and bravery (gayrat), hospitality (melmastia), and gender boundaries (purdah and namus) (Rechman, 2015: 299). By doing these codes of conduct, Pashtun people can maintain a good relationship with the member of the society. He added, ―Pashtunwali is not limited only to the legal sanctions, but also has
2. The History of Swat Valley, Pakistan
Swat valley is an administrative district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan. According to Noor Elahi in Militancy Conflicts Displacement in Swat Valley of Pakistan: Analysis of Transformation of Social and Cultural Network, majority people who live in Swat valley are Pashtun people (an ethnic group who live in Afghanistan and North-Western Pakistan). As Pashtun people, they should use Pashtuwali as their life principle (Elahi, 2015: 226). However, the use of Pashtunwali should go hand in hand with the use of Islamic and western law.
When Swat valley was not part of Pakistan and ruled by Maingul Abdul Wadood as the first king of Swat valley in 1918, Swat‘s people were introduced to
modern life by their first king. For example, they should use Sharia besides Pashtunwali as their life principles. Then they were also introduced to a modern political system (Democracy). The king also had developed some systems, like system of road, communication, education, and health for both men and women in Swat valley. However, the first king handed over his rule to his son in 1947, Mian Jehanzeb, known as Wali Sahib. In his era, he still continued his father‘s policies
tenant, craftsmen, and traders that the profit would be given to khan. However, Wali Sahib was still being benevolent leader and ruled Swat valley well.
Overall, the people still remember the old period with nostalgia that despite many difficulties, there was a steadfast and low cost justice system, clear authority, peace and security, development in health and education services, and people were more prosperous in the form of socio-economic conditions (Elahi, 2015: 229).
In 1969, Swat state merged with Pakistan. However, the lack of democratic representation in a local level created economic and political inequality, khanism, weak government judicial system locally. Experiencing this condition made society sad and decided to join Taliban, Islamic extremist group. 3. The History of Taliban
Taliban is an Islamic extremist group that is closely linked to Afghan Taliban and Al-Qaeda. This is because they share the same ideology in defending Islam and fighting against western, especially US.
national intelligence). However, this training seemed like an action of brainwashing to make talib or religious students went to Afghanistan to fight against the Soviet Union as a form of their jihad.
Children in the refugee camps were even given school textbooks produced by an American university which taught basic arithmetic through fighting. They had examples like, ‗If out of 10 Russian infidels, 5 are killed by one Muslim, 5 would be left‘ or 15 bullets –10 bullets = 5 bullets‘. Some boys from my father district went off to fight in Afghanistan (Yousafzai, 2013: 15).
Finally, this war was won by Afghanistan and its allies. However, the condition of Afghanistan was very severe. After the Soviet Union withdrew their troops from Afghanistan, Afghanistan fell into the civil war between mujahedeen groups. They fought each other because they wanted to be the most powerful group that could control Afghanistan. In order to stabilize Afghanistan, Mullah Omar and friends that had already studied in madrassa built a group named Afghan Taliban in 1994. At first, they had small followers but later on, many talib and Swat people around 12.000 young men went to Afghanistan to help Afghan Taliban to fight against mujahedeen groups (Yousafzai, 2013: 40). Most Afghan Taliban‘s missions were equipped, financed, and guided by Pakistan. However,
the United States, NATO, and other international coalitions had a mandate coming from the United Nation to reconstruct Afghanistan, Afghan Taliban disagreed with this mandate. Therefore, they declared a war against NATO and since that day the United States became Afghan Taliban‘s enemy.
States attacked Afghanistan and demolished Afghan Taliban. Afghan Taliban and al-Qaeda hid and created their headquarter in the mountain that was located in the border area of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Because of this condition, Mullah Fazlullah as the veteran who also fought in Afghanistan created a group which was led by him. It was well-known as Pakistani Taliban. This group was similar to Afghan Taliban because it was the offspring of the Afghan Taliban and they also had the same ideology which was defending Islam by fighting the western. The thing that made this two Taliban different was how they were formed. Afghan Taliban was formed by America and ISI while Pakistani Taliban was not.
The question would be how did Mullah Fazlullah get their followers in Swat? He got them by gaining society‘s trust. For example, the policy of land‘s distribution in Swat was very problematic so it made the khan or land owner became powerful and rich but common society lived under poverty. In this case, they fought against the khan by making a slogan ―equal distribution authority‖ and they would pay PKR 10,000-15,000 (US$ 100-150) for a young man who wanted to join their group. Another example, because the society in Swat was still under patriarchal mindset, so Pakistani Taliban utilized that mindset to gain society‘s trust. How? They said that women should live in the four walls of home
However, after Pakistani Taliban got society‘s trust, they created rules that were extremely harsh and discriminatory toward women (Akhtar, 2008: 60). One of the examples was the rules on ideal Muslim women. According to Zoya as cited by Juan R. I. Cole in The Taliban, Women, and the Hegelian Private Sphere, women were banned from appearing on the balconies of their houses. They should not go outside only if they are accompanied by a mahram all the time. They were banned from working. They should not go to school. They are not allowed to laugh or speak loudly because it risked sexually exciting males. Women who failed to respect the rules will be beaten, whipped, or stone to death (Cole, 2003: 797). Not to mention, this report was added by Latifa if women under Pakistani Taliban should wear burqa (Cole, 2003: 799). Besides imposing the strict rules, they also attacked and killed the member of security office, civil society members, the local leaders, the elected representatives of district government, and destroyed government buildings, like schools and hospitals (Elahi, 2015: 226). Later on in the analysis, the writer will use the term ―Taliban‖ instead of ―Pakistani Taliban‖.
D. Theoretical Framework
There are four theories that are provided to analyze the topic. They are theory of setting, patriarchy, radical feminism, and resistance.
and Jane and Imelda (2004) to shows that patriarchy is a system of male oppression. This theory is useful to see that Taliban‘s rules on ideal Muslim women are reflecting the patriarchal mindset to oppress women in society.
Third, the theory of radical feminism used is based on Maggie Humm (2012) and Rosemarie Tong (2009) which shows that women oppression is caused by patriarchy. Thus radical feminist wants to destroy all forms of oppression by destroying the patriarchy itself. This theory is useful to justify Malala‘s action in breaking Taliban‘s rules on ideal Muslim women. Fourth, the theory of resistance used is based on Stellan Vinthagen (2007) which gives two forms of resistance, nonviolent and constructive resistance. This theory is useful to analyze on why and how the main character resists against Taliban‘s oppressions.
The historical background of Pashtunwali, Swat and Taliban in Pakistan help the writer to compare the social condition before and after the establishment of Taliban‘s regime. In the end, it is useful for the writer to relate the setting and
21 CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
A.Object of the Study
The object of this study is I Am Malala, which was written by Malala Yousafzai and co-writer Christina Lamb and published in Great Britain in 2013. Malala Yousafzai is Pakistani activist for female education and the winner of Nobel Peace Prize in 2014. I Am Malala had been translated into over 40 languages and sold well over a million copies since its publication. Surprisingly, this autobiography became an international bestseller and won some awards, like Goodreads Choice Awards Best Memoir and Autobiography 2013 and the Specsavers National Books Award 2013.
I Am Malala is an autobiography that shows the struggle of a 14 years old girl who stands against Taliban to fight for women’s rights. This is because Taliban’s rules have already limited women in some aspects, like they should
men in her way home by bus after taking exams in her school and rushed to Combined Military Hospital in Peshawar.
After she does an operation in the Combined Military Hospital, she flied to UK to get a better treatment for her health in Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. After she recovers, her family decides to stay in Birmingham for her safety. This is because Taliban has already made an announcement if they want to kill Malala once she goes back to Swat valley, Pakistan. Although, she stays in Birmingham, she always misses and hopes to have a chance to go back to Swat. Eventhough she has already faced many obstacles in campaigning women’s right, she chooses to continue it and she finally gets the Nobel Peace Prize from United Nation.
B. Approach of the Study
In this study, the writer uses feminism approach to analyze Malala’s resistance against Taliban’s rules on ideal Muslim women in I Am Malala.
According to Maggie Humm in The Dictionary of Feminist Theory, feminist approach is to understand women’s oppression in terms of race, gender, class, and
sexual preference and how to change it (Humm, 2012: xii). In this case, feminist approach analyzes not only women’s experience but also women’s struggle in
resisting the oppression in order to liberate them. The main source of women’s oppression is patriarchy, “Patriarchy is a system of social structures and practices in which men dominate, oppress, and exploit women” (Pilcher and Whelehan,
patriarchy. “Radical feminism focuses on the roots of male domination and claims that all forms of oppression are extensions of male supremacy” (Humm, 2012:
231). Rosemarie Tong strengthened this idea by saying that radical feminism claims that patriarchy characterized by power, dominance, and hierarchy. In order to get women’s liberation, radical feminist should be uprooting or breaking its
root, not only patriarchy’s legal and political structures but also its social and
cultural institution (especially family and organized religion) (Tong, 2009: 2).
C. Method of the Study
In this study, the writer used library research method. The primary source of this study was I Am Malala, which was written by Malala Yousafzai and co-writer Christina Lamb. Other sources were taken from printed and electronic books, previous undergraduate theses, and journals discussing the similar topic to the study.
In order to analyze the study, the writer used some steps. First, the writer read the autobiography I Am Malala to get more understanding about the plot of the story. Second, the writer re-read the autobiography carefully, gave the highlights even took some notes to some important information. Third, the writer read some theories in order to strengthen the analysis. For example, when the writer wanted to prove that setting could influence Malala’s resistance toward
Taliban’s rules. The writer read the theory of setting in Glossary of Literary
circumstances, like religious, mental, moral, social, and emotional condition could influence the character’s thought and action in a story. However, in this study, the
writer would only focus on the tradition, religion, and family. Therefore, when the writer re-read the autobiography I Am Malala, the writer only focused on those three aspects. Another example, when the writer wanted to analyze Malala’s reasons and actions that could be categorized as her resistance against Taliban’s rules, the writer read the theory of resistance by Stellan Vinthagen in Understanding “Resistance”: Exploring definitions, perspectives, forms and
implications. From this theory, the writer understood that resistance is an act done by someone subordinate that is response to power like by challenging or opposing the power. Therefore, the writer re-read the autobiography to find Taliban’s rules that contradicted Pashtun’s tradition (Pashtunwali), religion (Sharia), and Malala’s family. Then, the writer also re-read the autobiography to find Malala’s actions that contradicted Taliban’s rules.
Fourth, to support the writer’s knowledge about historical background of
25 CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
In this chapter, the analysis is divided into two parts. The first part focuses on describing the setting of place, time, and social circumstance in I Am Malala. The second part focuses on how the setting of social circumstances influences Malala‟s reasons and actions to resist against Taliban‟s rules on ideal Muslim
women.
A.The Description of setting in I Am Malala
According to M.H. Abrams in A Glossary of Literary Terms, setting consists of the general locale, historical time, and social circumstances in which its action occurs (Abrams, 2003: 330). In this part, the writer analyzes the setting in I Am Malala. The analysis of setting is divided into three parts. They are setting of place, time, and social circumstances in which the story occurs.
1. Setting of Place
According to Hugh Holman and William Harmon, setting of place is the actual geographical location, its topography, scenery, and physical arrangements (Holman and Harmon, 1986: 468).
Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, “Today Swat is Part of the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, or KPK as many Pakistanis call it” (Yousafzai, 2013: 7).
Based on geographical condition, Swat valley is located in the territory of Hindu Kush Mountain. It is a mountain that stretches along the Afghan-Pakistan border, central Afghanistan and northern Pakistan. By seeing the geographical condition, Afghanistan and Pakistan are neighboring country. Therefore, when there is a problem between them, they often help each other. For example, thousand men from Pakistan go to Afghanistan in order to help Afghanistan in fighting against NATO.
The governor of our province issued a statement that anyone who wanted to fight in Afghanistan against NATO forces was free to do se. Some 12,000 young men from Swat went to help the Taliban. Many never came back (Yousafza, 2013: 40).
Because Swat is in the territory of Hindu Kush Mountain, the scenery is very beautiful even it used to be well-known as Uddyana or garden for people who lived in it. There were fields of beautiful flowers, delicious fruits, and river. Besides, there were many beautiful places to visit, like waterfalls, lakes, ski resort, the wali‟s palace, and the Buddha statues. Therefore, many people came on
holiday in Swat valley to enjoy the clean air and scenery.
We lived in the most beautiful place in all the world. My valley, the Swat Valley, is a heavenly kingdom of mountains, gushing waterfalls and crystal-clear lakes. WELCOME TO PARADISE, it says on a sign as you enter the valley. In olden times Swat was called Uddayana, which means „garden‟. We have fields of wild flowers, orchards of delicious fruit, emerald mines and rivers full of trout (Yousafzai, 2013: 7).
biggest town in Swat. In fact, there are 175,000 people who live there (Yousafzai, 2013: 39). Because many people live there, Mingora is not as fresh as before. The fresh air is polluted by vehicles and rubbish. Then beautiful trees on the hills and mountains are being chopped down for timber.
We lived in Mingora, the biggest town in the valley, in fact the only city. It used to be small but many people had moved in from surrounding villages, making it dirty and crowded. It has hotels, colleges, a golf course and a famous bazaar for buying traditional embroidery, gemstones and anything you can think of. The Marghazar stream loops through it, milky brown from the plastic bags and rubbish thrown into it (Yousafzai, 2013: 7). 2. Setting of Time
According to Hugh Holman and William Harmon, setting of time is the time or period in which the action takes place (Holman and Harmon, 1986: 468). The setting of time in I Am Malala is around 20th and 21st centuries when Taliban officially establish their group in Swat. This establishment creates severe condition in Swat because Taliban destroy everything that they think haram or forbidden. For example, in the beginning of Taliban‟s regime, around 2007,
Taliban raid houses that they claim are being used as massage centre. They close down DVD‟s shops and make bonfires of CDs and DVDs. On July, 2007, Swat
becomes a bloody district because Taliban use their power to kill the innocent people.
By nightfall on 10 July, when the siege was finally over, around a hundred people had been killed including several soldiers and a number of children. The news showed shocking pictures of the wreckage, everywhere blood and broken glass, and dead bodies. We all watched in horror (Yousafzai, 2013: 60).
It took them two goes to destroy it. The first time they drilled holes in the 2008 until 2013, they destroy the important thing for society‟s development which
is school. Taliban think that education is a western culture and infidel.
By the end of 2008, around 400 schools had been destroyed by the Taliban (Yousafzai, 2013: 68).
In March there was an attack on a girls‟ school in Karachi that we had visited. A bomb and grenade were tossed into the school playground just as a prize-giving ceremony about to start. The headmaster, Abdul Rasheed, was killed and eight children hurt between the ages of five and ten (Yousafzai, 2013: 147).
the people in the narrative move (Holman and Harmon, 1986: 465). However, setting of social circumstances in I Am Malala that are analyzed are tradition, religion, and family.
a. Tradition in I Am Malala
The Swat people call themselves as Pashtun, an ethnic group who lives in Afghanistan and North-Western Pakistan. As Pashtun, they are obliged to use Pashtunwali or a set of unwritten Pashtun‟s traditional code of conduct. They are honor (nang), revenge (badal), chivalry and bravery (gayrat), hospitality (melmastia), and gender boundaries (purdah and namus) (Rechman, 2015: 299). If they violate it, they will get a punishment based on Jirga or council of elders. However, this study will only deal with three codes of Pashtunwali that are founded in the autobiography I Am Malala, they are nang, badal, and melmastia.
First is nang or honor. This code obliges Pashtun people to defend their honor as a group or individual when someone offends it, “We fight and feud
ourselves so much. But we always come together against outsiders who try to conquer our lands” (Yousafzai, 2013: 3). Besides, they should protect their honor
because their biggest fear is losing their face in society. For example, as Pashtun women, they should protect their honor by hiding their face whenever they leave their house. If they are not, it will bring a shame to the family. Therefore, when Malala does not cover her face, her male cousin is angry with her because Malala‟s action will bring a shame to her family.
The sentences above show that each member of family in Swat should keep their honor. When they break this code, they will be easily given a warning or punishment from their family member. The worst thing is that their family chooses to kill them rather than let them free to live with a shame in society, like in the case of Seema. Seema is a 15 years old girl who has been poisoned by her family after she is in love and flirts with a boy. Her family thinks that Seema‟s action of falling in love and flirting with a boy creates a shame to her family.
There was a beautiful fifteen-year-old girl called Seema. Everyone knew she was in love with a boy, and sometimes he would pass by and she would look at him from under her long dark lashes, which all the girls envied. In our society for a girl to flirt with any man brings shame on the family, though it‟s all right for the man. We were told she had committed suicide, but we later discovered her own family had poisoned her (Yousafzai, 2013: 31).
From the example above, it shows that as a daughter who lives in Swat, like Seema, she cannot be an individual who is independent, but she must be an honor for her family. Therefore, it is an obligation for her to protect her family‟s
honor by having a behavior that is based on the tradition or Pashtunwali. If she breaks the tradition, she is justified to be punished in order to restore her family‟s
honor in society. In this case, her family prefers to kill her rather than let her live with a shame in society, “In our society for a girl to flirt any man brings shame in the family, though it‟s all right for the man (Yousazfai, 2013: 31).
Second is badal or revenge. This code is done to pay back what their enemy do to them, “If a man in one family killed or hurt by another man, revenge
She kept eyeing up the pink plastic pretend mobile phone my father had bought me, which was one of the toys I had... one day it disappeared. A few days later I saw Safina playing with a phone exactly the same as mine. „Where did you get it? I asked. „I bought it in the bazaar,‟ she said. I realize now she could have been telling the truth but back then I thought, She is doing this to me and I will do the same to her (Yousafzai, 2013: 32). Another example, when Sher Zaman‟s family becomes embroiled in a
dispute with their cousins over a small plot of forest, he and his two brothers are killed by his uncle. This is because Zaman‟s family has already stolen a small
plot of forest from them (Yousafzai, 2013: 34). Therefore, they kill them as form of revenge. Although some Pashtun people do not believe in badal because it will create violence, some others still believe in it. They believe that if they do something bad to other people, the offended people will take their badal. Therefore, as a form of their preventive action, they prefer not to do something bad to others. In the end, this code becomes a good system to decrease the number of crimes in their areas, “Our people say it is a good system, and our crime rate is much lower than in non-Pashtun areas” (Yousafzai, 2013: 34).
Third is Melmastia or hospitality. This code obliges Pashtun people to provide their best hospitality to the guests. For Pashtun people, a guest is considered as blessing, “We live as we have for centuries by a code called
Pashtunwali, which obliges us to give hospitality to all guests” (Yousafzai, 2013: 6). Therefore, when there is a guest in Malala‟s house, her family serves him with
their best hospitality though at that time her family‟s condition is very poor.
Sometimes people will take advantages from the Pashtunwali hospitality code for their own benefit, for example in the case of Osama bin Laden. After he does 9/11 bombing in World Trade Center in 2001 that makes many innocent people die, he comes to Swat and stays in a remote village for a year to save himself (Yousafzai, 2013: 40).
Another example is when Taliban establish their group in Swat, they force women to wear burqa. Taliban said that wearing burqa can help women to protect their honor (Yousafzai, 2013: 57). Then it prevents men from commiting a sin because women are perceived as the source of temptation. For Pashtun people who have already been blinded with their tradition, they directly accept this rule without any question. Under their paradigm, wearing burqa is Allah‟ command, like what Taliban said and it will also help them to protect their honor.
b. Religion in I Am Malala
About 96 percent of populations in Pakistan are Muslim, and the other are Hindu, Christians, and Ahmadis (Yousafzai, 2013: 42). Sadly, those minority communities are often attacked by Islamic extremist group, like Taliban. For example, Taliban murder Shabana just because she is a dancer and not a Muslim.
So people loved to see Shabana dance but didn‟t respect her, and when she was murdered they said nothing. Some even agreed with her killing, out of fear of the Taliban or because they were in favor of them. „Shabana was not a Muslim,‟ they said. „She was bad, and it was right that she was killed‟. (Yousafzai, 2013: 70).
Malala‟s mother is very pious, she always prays five times a day though not in the mosque (Yousafzai, 2013: 10).
Malala always learns and reads Quran until Khatam ul-Quran or recitation of completing Quran (Yousafzai, 2013: 63).
Not to mention, as Muslim, they also use Sharia as their law of conduct. According to Jan Michiel Otto, Professor of Law and Governance in Developing Countries at Leiden University, “Sharia is generally defined as God‟s eternal and immutable will for humanity and is expressed in the Quran and Muhammad‟s
example and developed by jurisprudence” (Otto, 2008: 7). By seeing this
condition, Fazlullah as Taliban‟s leader takes advantages from it by introducing himself as an Islamic reformer and interpreter of Quran. In gaining followers, he exploits society‟s ignorance by giving them preaching about Islam through the
radio, solving society‟s problem and establishing rules based on Sharia. For
example is in the case of land dispute, Taliban try to win the heart of society in order to get their support by solving the land dispute using Sharia.
People thought that he was a good interpreter of Holy Quran and charisma. They liked his talk of bringing back Islamic law as everyone was frustrated with the Pakistani justice system, which had replaced ours when we were merged into the country. Cases of land disputes, common in our area, which used to be resolved quickly now took ten years to come to court (Yousafzai, 2013: 53).
Because most societies are uneducated and have been already blinded with their religion, they directly believe in Taliban even they give them everything, like gold and money (Youzafzai, 2013: 54).
c. Family in I Am Malala
Under Swat‟s family system that has been influenced by patriarchal
daughter in their life are simply to prepare food and give birth in the future. This condition makes a daughter live under inequality in their life even since she is in a womb. For example, when Malala‟s brother, Khusnal, is still in his mother‟s
womb, Malala‟s family wants to make a celebration for him. Even if they don‟t
have enough money for it, her grandfather will pay everything for it, but not for Malala.
In our tradition on the seventh day of a child‟s life we have a celebration called Woma for family, friends, and neighbors to come and admired the newborn. My parents had not held one for me because they could not afford the goat and rice needed to feed the guests, and my grandfather would not help because I was not a boy. When my brother came along and Baba wanted to pay, my father refused as he hadn‟t done this for me (Yousafzai, 2013: 27).
When a daughter was born, there is no celebration for her because she is not welcomed by the family, but she will be hidden away behind curtain. This is because her role in the future will only prepare food for the family. This case is different when a son was born. A son is perceived as blessing for the family, so family members should make a celebration for him.
When a daughter becomes a teenager, she should live under inequality again. She does not have a freedom because she is not a free individual but honor for their family. That is why to keep the family honor, a daughter should be passive and obedient to their family, the characteristic of patriarchy. The one who can actively control their life is their parent, especially their father as the leader of family, “her dream was to be a fashion designer although she knew her family
would never agree to it, so she told everyone she wanted to be a doctor”
Moniba, does not have the right to make a decision for herself. Even if she has, she cannot. She thinks that the one who can make a decision for her is her parent. Therefore, when her parent does not allow her to be a fashion designer, she always says to everyone that she wants to be a doctor though she wants to be a fashion designer. A daughter will not dare to refuse their parent‟s decision because she will be categorized as a disobedient daughter. Therefore, she accepts her parent‟s decision even if it is against her will. Under her paradigm, her parent can control her life because they are more rational and know their daughter or tradition well.
Another example, as a daughter, it is very hard for her to get an easy access on education, while it will be easy for a son. This is because a daughter should stay at home and wait to be married by her family (Yousafzai, 2013: 13). Most family thinks that even if a daughter wants to pursue education, it will be useless. In the end, she just to end up cooking, cleaning, and taking care of children.
looking after the children and preparing food to serve men in their hujra upstairs” (Yousafzai, 2013: 28).
B. The Influence of Setting of Social Circumstances on Malala’s Resistance
against Taliban’s Rules on Ideal Muslim Women in I Am Malala
In 2007, Taliban officially establish their group in Swat valley, Pakistan. This establishment creates severe condition there. Firstly, Taliban destroy everything that they think haram or forbidden. Secondly, they make an interpretation on Sharia and teach Muslim about the right ways of Muslim‟s life. For this one, they create rules on ideal Muslim men and women to make sure if the Muslim will avoid the action that can create a sin.
Their rules for men include they should keep their beards and abandon the habits that Taliban perceive as bad actions, like smoking, using heroin, and chars or hashish. For women, they should go outside only if they are accompanied by a mahram all the time. They are banned from working. They should not go to school. Women are not allowed to laugh or even speak loudly because it attracts men‟s sexual desire. Then they should wear burqa (Yousafzai, 2013: pp. 55-57). Taliban‟s rules create inequality between men and women. Under these rules, men
Actually, these inequality and oppression are conditions that feminist tries to challenge. According to Maggie Humm in The Dictionary of Feminist Theory, feminist approach is to understand women‟s inequality in terms of race, gender,
class, and sexual preference and how to change it (Humm, 2012: xii). It shows that feminism analyzes not only women‟s experience under the oppression but
also their struggles in resisting the oppression in order to get their right and freedom.
The existence of patriarchy that perceives men as superior rather than women justifies men to oppress women. According to Jane and Imelda in 50 Key Concepts in Gender Studies, “Patriarchy is a system of social structures and practices in which men dominate, oppress, and exploit women” (Pilcher and
Whelehan, 2004: 95). As superior, men can have bigger power to dictate women in any circumstances, like in the case of Taliban. They use their power to oppress women by imposing the strict rules for women. They believe that women are powerful; in fact they can be the source of temptation and sin for men (Darvishpour, 2003: 1). Therefore, under the name of Islam, Taliban imposes the rules in order to restrict women‟s power.
The intention on imposing Taliban‟s rules on ideal Muslim women is that
They believe that besides practicing their commitment and obligation as Muslim, their jobs are only cooking food, cleaning the house, taking care their children and husband. For example, Malala‟s mother is a very pious Muslim. Besides, she
prays five times a day, her jobs are only cooking, cleaning, and taking care of house, children, and husband (Yousafzai, 2013: 28). In the end, they subconsciously believe that being ideal Muslim women mean that they should be passive, silence, and obedient because Islam never lets them be active women.
These strict rules should be imposed because Taliban are afraid if they let women pursue their right and freedom, there is possibility for the women are not under Taliban‟s control. “I want to learn and be trained well with the weapon of
knowledge. Then I will be able to fight more effectively for my cause”
(Yousafzai, 2013: 147). Therefore, in maintaining their power over the women, they are spreading intimidation, terrorism, and fear. In the end, it is hard for women to hold the power. For example, Taliban assassinate Benazi Bhutto, the first woman prime minister in Pakistan, on December 27th, 2007. They cannot tolerate Bhutto‟s behavior that is actively against their rules by empowering women and campaigning western culture, like education for girls.
On 27 December Benazir Bhutto addressed an election rally in Liaquat Bagh, the park in Rawalpindhi where our first prime minister, Liquat Ali, was assassinated.... She was in a special bulletproof Toyota Land Cruiser, and as it left the park she stood up on the seat and popped her head through the sunroof to wave to supporters. Suddenly there was the crack of gunfire and an explosion as a suicide bomber blew himself up by the side of her vehicle. Benazir slid back down (Yousafzai, 2013: 62).
inferior. Taliban think that Benazir Bhutto does not place herself as an inferior, not being passive, obedient, and silence because she actively does campaign on women‟s education. Therefore, it justifies for Taliban to use their power to shoot
her as a form of punishment in order to make her realize about her position as an inferior.
Most women in Swat know that career and education can give them option about their future, “Going to school, readingand doing our homework wasn‟t just
a way of passing time, it was our future” (Yousafzai, 2013: 69). However, as
women who live under Taliban regime, they must sacrifice their bright future. This is because they do not have any accesses at all to pursue their education and career in public. Even if they have a chance to pursue it, the result will be the same. They will be stuck in their home, like marrying with someone that they does not know or taking care of house and letting their bright future goes away. “There seemed no point in going to school just to end up cooking, cleaning and
bringing up children” (Yousafzai, 2013: 19). This oppression makes most women
are angry but they do not have bravery to fight Taliban back because they are afraid with Taliban‟s punishment. Therefore, they prefer to do nothing even police, the one who should protect society, prefers to do nothing and lets Taliban does everything that they want.
administrations. Policemen were so scared of being killed that they took out adverts in the newspapers to announce they had left the force. All this happened and nobody did a thing (Yousafzai, 2013: 59).
On the contrary, Malala is voluntarily and endangering her life in order to opt out from Taliban‟s oppression and her actions can be categorized as
resistance. According to Stellan Vinthagen in Understanding “Resistance”: Exploring definitions, perspectives, forms and implications, “Resistance is an act
done by someone subordinate, that is response to power, do challenge power, and contain at least a possibility, that power gets undermined by the act” (Vinthagen,
2007: 7).
As a woman who lives in a man‟s world, Malala is treated as an inferior or
subordinate by men. Meaning to say, she should be passive, silence, and obedient when men, in this case Taliban, use their power to oppress and take her right and freedom. However, she does not keep silence, she wants to end the death cycle of Taliban by resisting their rules. Actually, Malala‟s actions in resisting against Taliban‟s rules on ideal Muslim women are influenced by setting of social
circumstances in which Malala lives. According to M. J. Murphy in An Introduction to English Poetry and the English Novel for Overseas Student, “setting have a great effect upon the personalities, actions, and ways of thinking of the characters” (Murphy, 1972:141). The setting of social circumstances that
will be analyzed in this study are tradition, religion, and family. 1. Tradition
advantages from this Pashtunwali for their benefit. For example, Taliban said that women should protect their nang or honor by not showing their face in a public, so they should wear burqa. As a form of her resistance, Malala opposes the rule on wearing burqa because it contradicts Pashtunwali, “I was the only girl with my face not covered” (Yousafzai, 2013: 3). It is true that Pashtunwali obliges them to
cover their head but using veil, not burqa, “My mother always covers her head but the burqa is not part of our tradition” (Youzafzai, 2013: 80). Though Malala has already warned by Taliban, she is still not wearing it even when she goes outside, “It doesn‟t matter; I‟m looking at them” (Yousafzai, 2013: 55).
Malala thinks that Taliban‟s rules are used to control and oppress women. In fact, women get difficulty in doing their activity in public by wearing burqa, “Wearing burqa is like walking inside big fabric shuttlecock with only a grille to see through and on hot days it‟s like an oven” (Youzafzai, 2013: 31). Let‟s say it is Taliban‟s way to help Pashtun to keep their honor, but it still creates a question,
Taliban restrict women‟s freedom because when women pursue their freedom, there is possibility for them to rebel and not under Taliban‟s control. Therefore, the best way to control them is by restricting them in pursuing their freedom. Let‟s say it is true. It is Taliban‟s way to help women to protect their
honor, but the question is why does Taliban still give punishment to the women who do not wear burqa? If they want to help women, they should let them decide, not force them to wear burqa. Furthermore, when women wear burqa, there is no guarantee for them to protect their honor. For example, in the case of Seema, 15 years old girl who has been poisoned by her family because she is in love and flirting with a boy. From this case, it shows that protecting an honor is not about how loose the clothes that should be worn. However, it is about how they can control themselves not to do something that is prohibited by their tradition, like flirting. Although Seema wears long dark loose garment or burqa but she still cannot keep her honor by flirting with a man she loves.
2. Religion
About 96 percent of populations in Pakistan are Muslim. As Muslim, they should believe in Allah and use Prophet‟s life as an example or parameter in their
life or it can be found in Sharia. Based on Taliban‟s interpretation on Sharia, women are prohibited to pursue education and go outside without their mahram. Under those rules, Malala chooses to resist it.
Taliban want to build Islamic state with pure Islamic law. That is why they never let western intervention and ideology to be injected in Pakistani society, especially for women. Taliban think that when women read a book and learn English or study science, they become westernized and everything about Western is haram. Not to mention, women are prohibited to go to school because there is no lady in Quran. It shows that by nature, women cannot pursue education.
I representing good Muslims and we all think your girls‟ school is haram and blasphemy. You should close it. Girls should not be going to school... A girl is so sacred she should be in purdah, and so private that there is no lady‟s name in the Quran as God doesn‟t want her to be named (Yousafzai, 2013: 43).
After Taliban ban women in pursuing education, some women drop out from the schools. They are who have already been blinded with their religion accept these rules without any further question or they are afraid with Taliban punishments (Yousafzai, 2013: 65). However, before the establishment of Taliban in Swat, women could pursue education though they could not be anything other than teachers or doctors.
The first Wali came to power in 1915 and, although uneducated, he laid foundations for network of schools in the valley- the first boys‟ primary school was built in 1922, followed within a few years by the first girls‟ school in the Swat (Bhandari, Keiski, Ericson, Freeman and Studer 2014: 4).
Aisyah was a great scholar and had a great love for learning and became known for her intelligence and sharp sense of judgment (Onaid, 2014). It shows that even Prophet Muhammad let his wife to seek and spread knowledge to other.
Let‟s say education is infidel because it is western culture so Taliban give
an alternative for students to study in madrassa or Islamic school. However, it still creates a question on why only men who can pursue education, not women. Actually, this rule is not based on Sharia but patriarchy. In this case, Taliban show the spirit of patriarchy in which always limits women‟s right in pursuing
education. They want to let women be unable and uneducated so they can easily oppress them. If they give them right to pursue education, there is possibility for them to opt out and fight against Taliban‟s oppression.
Malala resists this rule by always going to school though it needs a big effort in doing it. For example, she should hide her school bags and books in her shawls. Then she always does a campaign for women‟s education. For example, on December 20th, 2011, she speaks at an education gala in Lahore about how she fights against Taliban and goes to school secretly. However, in responding Malala‟s actions, Taliban makes propaganda to Malala and her father about their
school on April 2012. They say that Khusnal School is a center of vulgarity and obscenity because they take girls go out to picnic.
Dear Muslim brothers
am telling you what Islam says. This school is a centre of vulgarity and obscenity and they take girls for picnics to different resorts. If you don‟t stop it you will have to answer to God on Doomsday. Go and ask manager of the White Palace Hotel and he will tell you what these girls did (Yousafzai, 2013: 108).
Malala still believes that there is nothing wrong with the school because it is their right to enjoy greenery, waterfalls, and landscape just as boys do (Yousafzai, 2013: 108). This propaganda won‟t stop Malala, she is still going to
school and sometimes doing a campaign on girls education. Unfortunately, on October 9th, 2012, she is shot by Taliban.
The man was wearing a peaked cap and had a handkerchief over his nose and mouth as if he had flu. He looked like a college student. Then he swung himself onto the tailboard at the back and leaned in right over us. „Who is Malala?‟ he demanded.
No one said anything, but several of girls looked at me. I was the only girl with my face not covered.
That‟s when he lifted up a black pistol. I later learned it was a Colt 45. Some of the girls screamed. Moniba tells me I squeezed her hand.
My friends say he fired three shots, one after another. The first went through my left eye socket and out under my left shoulder. I slumped forward onto Moniba, blood coming from my left ear (Yousafzai, 2013: 3).
There are three reasons why Taliban shoot Malala. Firstly, Taliban accuse Malala that she has already spread secularism or western ideology by doing campaigns on women‟s education. “Malala has been targeted because her pioneer
role in preaching secularism (Yousafzai, 2013: 120). Taliban believe that everything about western is infidel. Secondly, Taliban believe that Malala‟s father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, is trying to break the tradition and religion in which placing both men and women in the same room “Ziauddin is running a haram
