Pakistani Taliban Militant Writes an Open Letter to Malala · Global Voices
Sahar Habib Ghazi

Following teen activist Malala Yousafzai's speech at the UN demanding free education for all children, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan militant Adnan Rasheed, has written a letter to the 16-year-old Pakistani, urging her to return home and seek an education at a local madrassa.
In his letter, Rasheed says he wishes she had never been attacked and claims Malala was shot in the head by the Taliban because she is a propaganda tool used to malign the group, and not because she was pursuing an education. His letter was passed on from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan media cell to journalists and was published in its entirety by Newsweek Pakistan. Here is an excerpt:
I wish the compassion you learnt from Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) should be learnt by Pakistan Army so they could stop shedding of Muslim blood in FATA and Balochistan. I wish, the compassion you learnt from Prophet Jesus should be learnt by the U.S. and NATO so they should stop shedding blood of innocent Muslims across the world and I wish the same for followers of Buddha to stop killing of innocent unarmed Muslims in Burma, and Sri Lanka and wish the same for Indian Army to follow Gandhi jee and stop genocide in Kashmir.
[…]
At the end I advise you to come back home, adopt the Islamic and Pushtoon culture, join any female Islamic madrassah near your hometown, study and learn the book of Allah, use your pen for Islam and plight of Muslim ummah and reveal the conspiracy of tiny elite who want to enslave the whole humanity for their evil agendas in the name of new world order.
Rasheed tells Malala he feels compelled to write to her because they belong to the same Pushtoon tribe: “all my emotions were brotherly for you because we belong to same Yousafzai tribe. “
Rasheed was broken out of jail in 2012 by the Taliban, where he was awaiting his death sentence for attempting to assassinate former president Pervez Musharraf in 2003. He is a former member of the Pakistan Air Force.
More Global Voices stories from Pakistan on Malala:
14 July 2013 Teen Activist Malala Yousafzai Impresses UN, Polarizes Pakistan
12 November 2012 Thousands Celebrate Malala Day & Sign Nobel Peace Prize Petition
19 October 2012 Pakistan: Developing Viewpoints on Malala Yousufzai
17 October 2012 Pakistan: Malala Yousufzai And The Drone Attacks
11 October 2012 Pakistan: Religious Extremists Attack Malala Yousufzai