I Am Malala: Part Two

by Malala Yousafzai
An ordinary Pakistani girl is shot by the Taliban while fighting for her right to an education. Co-written with Patricia McCormick, in this memoir, Malala Yousafzai, the youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, tells her story.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Prologue–Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four–Epilogue
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. imam
    the person who leads prayers in a mosque
    At first, it sounded like just another imam giving advice about how to live a virtuous life.
  2. charisma
    personal attractiveness that enables you to influence others
    People thought he was a good interpreter of the Holy Quran and admired his charisma.
    In Greek mythology, Charis was one of the three Graces, who represented charm, beauty, kindness, nature, human creativity, and fertility. Thus, the power of a charismatic person was often seen as a divine gift. Many people in Swat Valley, frightened by the earthquake, wanted to believe that the Radio Mullah was sent by God to teach them how to save themselves from further disasters.
  3. credentials
    a document attesting to the truth of certain stated facts
    This ‘mullah’ is a high school dropout! He doesn’t even have religious credentials!
  4. instill
    teach and impress by frequent repetitions or admonitions
    His followers had helped so many people after the earthquake, but he was taking advantage of the trauma to instill fear in them, too.
  5. sanctuary
    a shelter from danger or hardship
    The night before, Fazlullah had announced that schools for girls were haram. This man had just declared our peaceful sanctuary forbidden by the Holy Quran.
    Compare the example sentence to this similar one: "The Khushal School, which had always been our refuge, had fallen under the shadow of the Radio Mullah." Here, "sanctuary" is used as a synonym for "refuge" or "haven." But it can also mean "a consecrated place where sacred objects are kept." This religious overtone shows Malala's love for school, while also questioning the Radio Mullah's use of the Quran to forbid it.
  6. campaign
    a series of actions tending toward a particular end
    The Radio Mullah continued his campaign against anything he deemed un-Islamic and Western.
  7. cower
    crouch or curl up
    After school, my brothers and I cowered in front of our beloved TV — the volume turned down to a whisper.
  8. fanatic
    a person motivated by irrational enthusiasm
    How did an unschooled fanatic turn himself into a kind of radio god?
    The Latin noun "fanum" meant "temple, shrine" and a fanatic used to be seen as someone who was inspired by a god. The Latin adjective "fanaticus" originally meant "mad" in an angry, passionate way, but later included the sense of insanity. This negative tone can be seen in the example sentence.
  9. defy
    resist or confront with resistance
    And why was no one prepared to defy him?
  10. edict
    a formal or authoritative proclamation
    Fazlullah had set up a public court to enforce his edicts, and his men were now flogging or killing policemen, government officials, and other men and women who disobeyed him.
  11. infidel
    a person who does not acknowledge your god
    Often a note was pinned to the body: This is what happens to spies and infidels.
  12. petty
    small and of little importance
    No one was safe in Pakistan. Not the women who were forbidden to walk the streets of their own towns. Not the men who were being flogged to death for petty reasons.
    Flogging involves the use of a whip or rod. To kill a person this way would take a lot more time and violence than using a gun. To do this for a petty reason makes the act even worse. But this helps Fazlullah to keep the people frightened and under his control.
  13. din
    a loud, harsh, or strident noise
    We cupped our hands over our ears and tried to yell at one another, but our voices were drowned in the din.
  14. haven
    a shelter serving as a place of safety or sanctuary
    School remained a haven from the insanity of a city in the middle of a war.
  15. terrorism
    the use of violence against civilians for ideological goals
    I had grown up hearing the word terrorism, but I never really understood what it meant. Until now. Terrorism is different from war — where soldiers face one another in battle. Terrorism is fear all around you. It is going to sleep at night and not knowing what horrors the next day will bring.
Created on 七月 23, 2015 (updated 六月 13, 2025)

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