DefinePK

Abstract

<jats:p>By admitting Islamophobia as an urgent issue, recent Western scholarship attends to theidentification of causes responsible for the continuous surge in anti-Muslim sentiment since 9/11.Yet these discourses tend to be less attentive to the damaging effects of the wild proliferation of ‘“oppressedMuslim women narratives” –which is a recognizable subgenre of first-person narratives within Western readingcircles. The dominant tendency of considering these narratives as authentic ethnographic representations of theMuslim world is required to be acknowledged as a significant contributoryfactor to the spread of Islamophobia. As a justification, this paper pointsout ethnographic generalizations as testimonials to the propagation ofIslamophobic myths in I am Malala. Utilizing Kumar’s idea of Islamophobicmyths as the selective narration of traditional, incorrect and selectivehistorical and cultural happenings of the Muslim world, this paperconcludes that Malala’s narrative justifies imperial intervention inAfghanistan –Pakistan. Orientalized recounting of women’s oppressionand acceptance of liberal ideals of Western modernity and femininityprojected by this narrative causes Pakophobia- a new variant ofIslamophobia.</jats:p>