Chapter 9 of I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai is entitled “Radio Mullah,” and it describes the arrival of the Taliban to the Swat Valley where ten-year-old Malala lives:

It seemed to us that the Taliban arrived in the night just like vampires. They appeared in groups, armed with knives and Kalashnikovs.

At the outset, the militants maintain a semblance of discipline and calm that are closely connected to their interpretation of the Qur’an. Their leader, Maulana Fazlullah, is young but fanatical in his beliefs, and he begins to expound on his beliefs on radio since the majority of people is illiterate. His broadcasts are held nightly for two hours, and their purpose is to get the people to behave according to his beliefs. They call him Radio Mullah (a Muslim who interprets the religious laws), and he quickly becomes very popular.

Soon, however, his broadcasts become more openly intolerant of behaviors he perceives as sinful: women should not leave their houses or get an education, nobody should own TV sets or listen to trivial music. His army begins to patrol the neighborhoods and listen in on people to check whether they comply. They often force their way into people’s houses and smash their TV sets.

Next, Fazlullah begins to hold the shura, where he acts as the judge and jury for offenses people make. He denounces the leaders of Pakistan as traitors and infidels, and his army becomes more and more violent. At one point, they begin to murder political activists, military leaders and members of wealthy families in a very brutal manner.

As most militant groups, the Taliban army begins with fanatic dedication to certain aspects of religion or religion-based ideals which soon escalate into disorder, violence, revenge, and in the case of Taliban, suicide-bombings (at the time of Malala's story they were still rare in Pakistan).