American women do not have to worry about the arrival of a terrorist group that would take away their rights. They have a government that protects them from these groups and ensures that they have the same rights as others. In the Middle East, particularly in Afghanistan and Pakistan, women are afraid of speaking too loudly. These women live in fear every day of their lives because if they make one small mistake it could mean their lives. However, some people fight for women's rights, especially for women's education. Malala Yousafzai is a young girl who fought for women's education. At the age of eleven, Malala began writing a blog for BBC Urdu. The blog describes how upset she was that women's education under the Taliban was being forced to end. Malala also appeared on national television to speak about women's education. She has become a symbol of resistance against the Taliban. Even after Malala was blacklisted by the Taliban, she continues to speak out about what she feels needs to be said. Malala would give her life for this cause, and she almost did. On October 9, 2012, Malala was walking home from her morning classes when a man walked up to her bus and asked, "Who is Malala?" When she said it was her, he shot her. The bullets hit his head and leg. The Taliban ordered her shot because she was promoting Western culture in Pashtun areas. In another case, Mukhtar Mai defended women's rights and was sexually assaulted by several men on the orders of the tribal council. The tradition in Mukhtar's tribe was that a woman sexually assaulted by several men should commit suicide, but instead of killing herself, she fought for his cause (Samira 28-30). Although the Taliban restricts women's education for religious reasons... middle of paper ...... they do not have non-violent forms of limiting women's rights as this would lead to instability of their economy and their politics (Trofin 153-155). Works cited Vermette, Bergen. “The Taliban tightrope, an argument in favor of intolerance” Beams and spacers. (2011).Western, David. “Islamic 'Purse Strings': Key to Improving Women's Legal Rights in the Middle East” Law and Air Force Review Vol. 61. 0094-8381(2008): p79-147. Trofin, Liliana and Madalina Tomescu. “Women’s Rights in the Middle East”. Contemporary Readings in Law and Social Justice Vol. 2(1). 1948-9137 (2010): 152-157. Kavazanjian, Laura. “Addressing Gender Disparities” Harvard Women's Policy Journal. Flight. 7. (2009-2010): 39-50.Manila, Samira. “The girl who played with fire”. New statesman. (2012): 28-31. Innocent, Malou. “Why can't the United States provide education for women in Afghanistan? » CNN April 2 2013. 3.