Malala’s father plays an important role in her life. Discuss their relationship. Although
they both claim that she has chosen the life she lives on her own, in what ways has he
directed her? Would Malala be where she is today if her father had taken a more
passive role in her upbringing?
Malala's father always held education in the highest regard. He felt that education was the only way Afghanistan can move out of the seemingly perpetual cycle of war and oppression. He especially saw the education of girls as a key to the future. In a country where acquiring an education was a luxury, girls were often excluded. Malala's father knew the keen intelligence and drive for education that girls possessed was being a wasted opportunity for the country. He saw in Malala, his daughter, and the chance for girls to change the status quo. Education could bring Afghanistan out of bickering patriarchal factions into a more unified and enlightened country. Malal took advantage of her father's progressive attitude and hungered for education. Malala loved her mother and she liked her independent and kind spirit. Malala, however, was influenced more by her father.
