The Taliban attack on Malala Yousufzai

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Hour 2

The vicious Oct. 9 attack by Taliban fighters on 14-year old Malala Yousufzai as she was returning home from school in Pakistan’s Swat Valley has shocked the world.  Yousufzai and her father became outspoken advocates for the education of girls after the Taliban closed over hundreds of girls’ schools in the region over the past few years.  While she is recovering in a British hospital, relatively small rallies in her support have taken place throughout the country.  Many are hopeful that this recent show of brutality by the Taliban against a young girl who became a beloved symbol of women’s’ and children’s’ rights will be a turning point in Pakistan’s war against extremism.   In this hour of Radio Times, we’ll learn more about Malala Yousufzai from New York Times reporter and filmmaker ADAM B. ELLICK whose 2009 New York Times documentary, “Class Dismissed” told the story of her activism and the plight of Pakistani girls.  Then we’ll talk to ISOBEL COLEMAN of the Council on Foreign Relations and University of Oregon professor ANITA WEISS about what all this says about Pakistan, its government, and the future of its people.


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[audio: 101712_110630.mp3]

Photo Credit: AP Images / Shakil Adil

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