Not everyone has resonated with Davis Guggenheim's documentary that brings to life Pakistani teenager Malala Yousafzai's memoir He named me Malala.
The documentary, airing this week, has been shortlisted for an Oscar and is centred on the 18-year-old, who is the youngest-ever Nobel Peace prize winner for her work as an activist for female education.
Malala was shot in the head by Taliban on her way home from school in 2012 but survived.
Ayesha Siddiqi, editor-in-chief of online non-profit magazine The New Inquiry, has recently written an essay in response titled 'Does America deserve Malala?'
In the essay, Ms Siddiqi gives an insight into Pakistani history and American foreign policy and intervention in South Asia and the Middle East.
She criticises the documentary for portraying a war hero, without the war which backs up the myth of an "enlightened, forward-thinking West and a violent, perpetually stunted East".
Mr Guggenheim tells Ms Siddiqi sometimes telling the political story dehumanises what is happening to everyday people. She says Mr Guggenheim uses the term 'humanise' to mean relatable and that "reliability as a requisite for empathy is only a very slight improvement on dehumanization."
Ms Siddiqi perfectly explains how the documentary boils down Malala's story to become accessible.
The essay is over 5000 words but well worth the read.
Ms Siddiqi still recommends watching the documentary.
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