Malala Yousafzai's book banned in Pakistani private schools

[hue]

Source: The Guardian

Education officials say memoir does not show enough respect for Islam and accuse teenager of being a tool of the west.

Pakistani education officials say they have banned teenage activist Malala Yousafzai's book from private schools across the country, claiming it does not show enough respect for Islam and calling her a tool of the west.

Malala attracted global attention last year when the Taliban shot her in the head in north-west Pakistan for criticising the group's interpretation of Islam, which limits girls' access to education. Her profile has risen since then, and she released a memoir in October, I Am Malala, co-written with British journalist Christina Lamb.

While Malala has become a hero to many for opposing the Taliban and standing up for girls' education, conspiracy theories have flourished in Pakistan that her shooting was staged to create an icon for the west to embrace.

Adeeb Javedani, president of the All Pakistan Private Schools Management Association, said his organisation had banned Malala's book from the libraries of its 40,000 affiliated schools and called on the government to bar it from school curriculums.

"Everything about Malala is now becoming clear," Javedani said. "To me, she is representing the west, not us."

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/10/malala-yousafzai-book-banned-pakistan-schools

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Looks like Malala is becoming a threat to the Mullahs!! I was wondering when the backlash would come.

[Deep13]

1. assholes. idiots. Assholiots.

she's not representing anyone. she is being herself.

[samsingh]

2. the government of pakistan supports the militants clearly.

isn't Pakistan by accepting western money a tool of the west

[DFW]

4. Not in their eyes

They are doing Allah's work by accepting our money and using it for projects like this one: using rules they made up out of thin air from a God they have never seen, and never will, to suppress their own people. They think they're in Kansas or something.

[Ash_F]

8. I know reading can be difficult

But this organization has no affiliation with with the government of Pakistan.

In fact, it has been at odds with the government for some time. They lobbied against proposed oversight legislation a while back.

http://tribune.com.pk/story/338548/private-schools-worried-by-proposed-oversight-body/

...and have accused the government of mismanagement of public education

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Private+Educational+Institutes+management+refuses+to+close+down+early...-a0228143594

If anything, this story should serve as a warning to America against the privatization of education and religion in schools.

[Enrique]

14. thank you

the story sort of suggests this is a government ban, when it says "education officials".

But later it says the group "...called on the government to bar it from school curriculums." so it clearly is not a government ban.

[cosmicone]

18. Every terrorist organization in Pakistan

starting from Al Q'aeda to Tehrik-e-Taliban to Jaish-e-Mohammad to Lashkar-e-Taiba is founded, funded, trained, armed and supported by Pakistani military and ISI -- the real rulers of the country.

Pakistani military is no good for fighting a conventional war -- which is how they lost East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) in less than 2 weeks. They are only good for creating terror in Afghanistan, India, Xin Jiang and Mindanao.

[samsingh]

19. agreed

[samsingh]

20. what's the government doing about this?

except letting it continue?

[Ash_F]

23. Probably not supporting them with tax dollars, like in the US.

Criticism of inaction is not what you posted. But it is a fair criticism.

Still I wonder what you think about the fact that the US government has yet to do anything about schools that teach myth as fact, such as humans living with dinosaurs, or the coming of the rapture and the end of days. In some cases, the government is funding these 'charter' schools. And you can believe that feminist literature is not welcome at these institutions either.

I am not saying it is an equivalent situation, I just wonder what your opinion is on allowing private schools so much freedom and then supporting them with tax dollars. To my knowledge, at least the Pakistani government isn't funding private schools over there with their tax dollars.

Religion has no place in schools, but if even the US can't get rid of it, I am not sure why you would expect Pakistan to do it sooner.

[Ash_F]

24. And also they did try to pass a law to regulate private schools.

I can't think of the last time congress had the guts to try to even suggest passing a bill to regulate private schools. Can you imagine? Fox and the rest of the right wing media would tear the congressmen a new one. It would be 100X worse than trying to pass the healthcare law.

[Stainless]

3. Radical Islam does not deserve respect

How can anyone "respect" a fanatic belief system that sends assassins to murder a child who dares to speak the truth to power? They are some very sick bastards.

[iandhr]

7. +1

Couldn't have said it better myself.

[Jack Rabbit]

5. The young lady took a bullet in the head. Right.

It's a conspiracy. The shooting was staged. Right.

Maybe they can get Darrell Issa to investigate. That's about as good a theory as most of his.

The Pakistani Taliban should be made in to lamp post ornaments using nooses fashioned from discarded burqas.

[Archae]

13. It's no better here in the US.

Alex Jones sees conspiracies in anything.

"I stubbed my toe! The Illuminati are in on it!"

[Jack Rabbit]

21. Yes, but he didn't say that after trying to assassinate a Free Mason

[LeftishBrit]

6. Sick!

[Quantess]

9. Someone needs to grant her asylum and get her out of there. (no text)

[LeftishBrit]

10. She is currently living in the UK

[dipsydoodle]

11. Thats on an extended tourist visa.

There may be the tecnicality that she has nothing to fear from the Pakistan government and as such has no grounds for asylum.

[bemildred]

12. Fools. Welcome to the dustbin of history. nt

[obama2terms]

15. The way I interpret this is

That by banning her book, the education officials are condoning the actions of the Taliban against this girl. I guess when it comes to defending a girl or terrorists, they would rather choose terrorists.

[tabasco]

16. Bunch of fucking kooks

Uncivilized barbarian cowards, afraid of a little girl.

[hue]

17. They are afraid of the TRUTH! Yet they will blame Malala for it & once again try to kill Her!

[davidpdx]

22. I've read her book and highly recommend it

She talks openly about the struggle against extremist, mostly the Taliban, and their imposing of hard-line rule. Examples include women are not allowed to go out in public without a male relative, men must have beards, and girls not being allowed to go to school.

At the same time she says how much she loves the area she grew up in and wants to return someday.

I think if she did the Taliban would kill her. On the other hand, she'd make a wonderful president of her country someday.

[Ash_F]

25. Here is a touching interview with her by Jon Stewart

I highly recommend it.

[truthisfreedom]

26. Does Pakistan have public schools?

[truthisfreedom]

27. And if so, and if there are more public schools than private...

Then Pakistani private schools are obviously hotbeds for terrorism.