Episode #1

Maria grew up in Taliban headquarter. That’s how she calls the tribal area of Waziristan where she was raised. Today she is a squash player in the international arena and has a foundation to encourage Pakistani girls to also be brave.

The Taliban threatened to kill her and her family. So she put herself under a voluntary quarantine for three years. She just hardly ever left the house. The first time she sensed that something was wrong with the way girls were treated in Waziristan was when she was four years old. That’s why she burned all her dresses and cut off her hair.

We talk about freedom, extremism and education. About Islam and Islamism. Maria is telling the story of her childhood and what made her burn her dresses as a kid. Also how she made it through such a long time in quarantine and what she thinks about the majority of schools today: nothing.

Maria’s Utopia is a world where everybody is free. Also from the inside. No prejudices, no extremism.

Maria Toorpakai’s Foundation: https://www.mariatoorpakai.org/