Pakistan’s Malala and the ‘White Man’s Burden’

Robert Bridge has worked as a journalist in Russia since 1998. Formerly the editor-in-chief of The Moscow News, Bridge is the author of the book, “Midnight in the American Empire.”

Russia Today - November 11, 2013

The autobiography of Malala Yousafazi, the young Pakistani girl who survived an assassination attempt by the Taliban, is banned from schools in Pakistan. She's become a symbol of hypocrisy and double-standards in the backyard of America’s ‘war on terror.’

On the surface, Malala’s story seems to fit perfectly with the Western narrative on the Middle East in general and Pakistan in particular: a 15-year-old girl working tirelessly on behalf of female educational reform is gunned down on a school bus by members of the Taliban.
Yousafazi not only survives gunshot wounds to the head and neck, but goes on to be a nominee for the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize, and publishes her youthful memoirs in a just-released book, entitled, I Am Malala.
Although hyped in the West, Malala’s book, which was co-written with the British journalist Christina Lamb, has been banned by Pakistani officials and bemoaned by the Pakistani public, who see more than just a story of a young girl espousing the benefits of universal education.
Adeeb Javedani, president of the All Pakistan Private Schools Management Association, said Malala's book won’t be appearing on the library shelves of its 40,000 affiliated schools. He also petitioned the government to bar the book from school curriculums.

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