A copy of the memoirs of Pakistani child activist Malala Yousufzai is pictured in a bookstore in Islamabad on October 8, 2013. — Photo by AFP The decree appeared in the local newspapers. “The Taliban will not lose an opportunity to kill Malala Yousufzai and those who were found selling her book will be targeted.” It is censorship at its finest. The booksellers of Peshawar realize the imminent danger and have cancelled orders for the book. For not only are they putting themselves in harms way by carrying the book but also their customers. As one female customer remarked to...
Books Fight Back: Islamabad Bibliophiles Flock to Rare Book Fair Despite Taliban Violence
Islamabad at nightThe Taliban attack on Rawalpindi shied large crowds from a rare book exibition-fair at Islamabad’s Nomad Center and Gallery the weekend of October 10-11, 2009 but failed to dampen the spirits of the city’s bibliophiles, who relished the feast.This was, perhaps, a strong signal, prior to the Pakistani army's recent major offensive against the Taliban, that Pakistani society, in its own offensive action, is pushing back against the forces of regression and ignorance. The Nomad Center and Gallery is at the cultural forefront.Displaying a collection of rare and contemporary books on art, literature, culture, religion and social issues,...