Photo by World Bank Photo Collection
Only a few can dream of writing a book at age 12, addressing the United Nations and become a global voice for women’s right to education. Malala Yousufzai, a name that has become a symbol for girl’s education, freedom and equality, can lay claim to such international success.
Hailing from the Swat valley, Pakistan, Malala has become a global ambassador for the empowerment of women and their right to education. Deeply smitten by the thirst for knowledge, Malala stood up to the Taliban when it banned women from acquiring any form of “secular” education and blew up girls schools and threatened those who dared challenge their religious edicts. Ambitious and determined Malala chose to fight.
When the IDPs returned to war-ravaged Swat, Malala took it upon herself to advocate for girl’s education and equal opportunity. Soon, she won many hearts and took the whole country by storm as young and old alike were caught in her articulate, eloquent, lucid, communicative and intelligible demeanour. The world listened to her in awe as she prodded the world leaders to change their strategic policies in favour of peace and prosperity and to restore the dignity of women in Pakistan, and especially in Swat, where women were subjected to inhumane brutality.
While her message was being commended and her efforts lauded around the world for publicly criticizing the injunctions of Taliban and deeming them “non-Islmaic,” the Taliban had had enough. One day when she was returning to home in her school van, the 15-year-old was shot in the head. The incident, which won her a lot of sympathy on the one hand, also made many suspicious when she was flown to England and later nominated for the prestigious Nobel Peace prize.
But within the community, opinions on Malala and how she is seen in the West are mixed.
Furqan Umar, a resident of Surrey: “I have a lot of sympathy for her. I feel sorry for her for falling prey to the belligerence of those who fancy themselves as the saviours of Islam and advocate for Shariah Law at gun point. No sane person in his objective mind can vouch for the twisted version of Islam that the Taliban want to impose in Swat or in Pakistan in general. Their interpretation of Islam is far from what Prophet Mohammad has preached and what’s inscribed in the Quran. But having said all this, I despise Malala for being used by the West to smear Pakistan and being manipulated by the West for their vested interest.”
Jamie Jacques, a small business owner from Surrey: “I do not understand all the criticism hurled at Malala. She is a true champion for taking the fight to the Taliban. She stood up in the face of adversity as she urged women around Pakistan to fight for their right to education. She is the reason why women feel encouraged to take up education. She is an inspiration. She is a role model for my 12-year-old, who now wants to emulate what Malala is doing for the women in Pakistan.”
Zafar Hamza, political science student at SFU: “I do not understand the hype. What has Malala really done for those women or girls that she speaks for? What did she do to be even considered for a Nobel Peace Prize? I do not condone the dastardly attack on her, but why just pick Malala and make her the symbol for women’s rights?”
Controversial British politician George Galloway took a shot at the British government, calling them hypocrites for using Malala. He said that the British media only released her name because she did not die, like many others, in a drone strike and had she died in that attack, no one would have ever told her name.
Mosib Moiez, criminology student: “Does the West only see one Malala? What about the other Malalas dying every day in the illegal drone strikes carried out in Waziristan and parts of Afghanistan? Who will ever give those innocent girls their dignity back? It is so typical of the West to be double-faced. On the one hand they kill innocent girls in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan and call them collateral damage. And now when Malala miraculously survived an attack, they have turned her in to the voice of the oppressed.”
Akib Raza, criminology student: “Everyone in the media and the so-called liberals in Pakistan are all showering their praise on Malala for being nominated for a Nobel Prize? How pathetic and embarrassing. I am surprised how everyone, in their praise for Malala, has ignored to see the person advocating for the recognition of her efforts. How can people around the world, and especially in Pakistan, forget who Gordon Brown is and what he did when at the helm of affairs? It was the same Gordon Brown who not only made a thunderous speech in the parliament in support of Iraq war, but also voted for war with Iraq. The person responsible for the deaths of innocent Iraqis, and for putting many innocent girls out of school himself, is now pandering to terrorists for respecting the rights of women. While on the one hand, we have innocent girls dropping out of school fearing rape at the hands of Western forces, on the other hand we have the Westerners crowing this girl with a Nobel Prize for advocating education and equal opportunity. If she is not a figure of the West, she is no less.”
