I Am Malala (Prologue-Part 2): People, Places, and Islamic Terms

Atal

the younger of Malala's two brothers

Ziauddin

Malala's father

Toor Pekai

Malala's mother

Safina

Malala's childhood friend and next-door neighbor

Moniba

Malala's best friend

Khushal

the older of Malala's two brothers

Malka-e-Noor

Malala's school rival in Pakistan

Benazir Bhutto

Pakistan's former Prime Minister who was killed by the Taliban

Madam Maryam

Malala's teacher in Pakistan

Afghanistan

the Taliban-controlled country that shares a border with Pakistan

Birmingham

the city in England where Malala's family moved after she was shot by the Taliban

Mingora

the Pakistani city where Malala lived and went to school

Shangla

the poor, rural village in the mountains where Malala's parents grew up and where her extended family now lives

Islamabad

the capital city of Pakistan

badal

a Pashtunwali term that means revenge

burqa

a restrictive garment worn by some Muslim women to cover their faces and bodies in public

haram

forbidden by Islam

madrasa

a school for Islamic instruction

mullah

an Islamic religious leader (similar to a priest, rabbi, or minister)

purdah

the seclusion of women from men, which includes the practice of women covering themselves

sharia

Islamic religious law

Maulana Fazlullah

the "Radio Mullah" and leader of the TNSM in Swat Valley

Swat Valley

the region of Pakistan that includes Malala's hometown