It's been just over nine months since 14-year-old Malala Yousafzai was tragically shot by members of the Pakistani Taliban, and sadly it seems the reign of terror surrounding the case refuses to slow. While the outspoken education advocate made a near-miraculous recovery and even gave a moving speech to the United Nations recently, the Taliban continues to retaliate against her strength. Not only did the group bomb a bus full of female students traveling in Pakistan, but now senior member Adnan Rasheed has written Malala a terrifying open letter. And, the piece reads just like we were worried it would.
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In addition to making widely discredited claims that the Taliban does not actually have a problem with education (it's been proven that the group closed many schools for girls in the area), he actually attempts to justify the group's shooting of an unarmed girl. Rasheed argues that his comrades targeted her to punish her for "running a smear campaign," and warns that her continued activism is not appreciated by Taliban members. He also "advises" her to return to her hometown and adopt the practices of more traditional female Islamists.
While Rasheed makes it clear that he doesn't express the official views of the Taliban, this letter is extremely terrifying nonetheless — especially since it's directed towards a child who merely wants to have access to an education. Click through to read the letter in its disturbing entirety, and here's hoping this man's threats do nothing to defeat the spirit of Malala Yousafzai. (Jezebel)
Photo: Via Jezebel
