Malala – The Concordian

Dear Malala,

Courageous, inspiring, dedicated…these words, among others, are not strong enough to adequately describe your spirit.

I have never known what it feels like to be denied an education. Never known the feeling of fear caused by those who do not want me to succeed because I am a woman. I will admit that the value of education has sometimes been lost on me. The amount of times I have uttered the words “When am I ever going to use this?” or “This is pointless.”

After watching you actively fight for the rights of your fellow women to receive what I have always had, it is suffice to say that I am ashamed.

I woke up last Friday morning to a dark sky. I was exhausted, and the commute to school did not seem appeasing to me in the slightest. However, Friday was International Day of the Girl, and it was also the day that the Nobel Peace Prize winner was to be announced. The night before, I had watched your interview with Jon Stewart. Your passion, dedication and absolute resilience radiated through my computer screen. One thing was certain, I had absolutely no complaints about making it to my early morning university class the next day.

While I was rooting for you to win the Nobel Peace Prize, I am not as upset as I thought I would be that you did not win. People reading this will probably raise their eyebrows at that statement, but the reason I say this is because I believe you don’t need a prize to draw attention to your message. Your courage, intelligence and wisdom beyond your years has been heard and seen loud and clear. This will not be the only time you are nominated.

The sight of women and young girls being denied the most powerful weapon one could possess—an education—makes me furious. I find myself seething with anger. I’ve had conversations with people about the horrible thoughts we’ve had about how to punish those who rob these rights and freedoms, and I would expect you to be the angriest of them all. These men actively tried to silence you and deprive the world of your intelligence.

But then, I see that you are not angry. Your words on the Daily Show are stuck in my mind, and they have kept playing over and over for the past few days. When asked how you would react to an attack by the Taliban, you said you would explain your message to them, and would not fight. “You must not treat others with that much cruelty and that much harshly […] you must fight others, but through peace and through dialogue and through education.”

That left me speechless.

You are the kind of wise, forward thinking young woman the world needs right now. The amount of pressure you must feel is something I cannot even begin to imagine.

We stand with you Malala. Your work has just begun, and I am so excited to see what you have in store as you grow older, continue your activism, and continue to empower women. The most I can do right now is make sure to let everyone know of the work that you do, and most of all of the message you are fighting to share. You are a true inspiration, and I strongly believe your words and actions will spark change in our world.

As Jon Stewart said during your interview with him, “I don’t know where you came from, but I sure am glad you’re here.”

“In the world, girls are going to school freely. And there is no fear. But in Swat, when we go to our school, we are very afraid of Taliban. He will kill us. He will throw acid on our face. He can do anything.”

Malala Yousafzai pronounced these words when she was only 11 years old, when she was still able to attend her private school in Swat Valley, Pakistan. Now, at 15, Malala is an icon and encourages people to fight for girl’s education all around the world.

Last Tuesday, Malala was attacked on her way back from school. Why? Because she showed up for class. Because the Taliban wants girls in schools to wear the burka, a veil that covers the whole body and only leaves a grating for eyesight. Because she defied the Taliban by saying things like: “they cannot stop me,” and “I will get my education if it’s at home, school or anywhere else.”

People in Pakistan need to be inspired by this young girl. In a country where women are seriously oppressed, she stepped up and defied the Taliban. This 15-year-old girl has brought a country to its knees.

“This is a turning point. In Pakistan, for the first time, all political parties, Urdus, Christians, Sikhs, all religions prayed for my daughter,” said Ziauddin Yousafzai, Malala’s father.

“She is not just my daughter, she is everybody’s daughter.”

Countries like Pakistan, that are terrorized day after day by groups such as the Taliban, need to find their voice, just like Malala did. More importantly, it is imperative that the rest of the world take action as well.

I am deeply moved by this young girl, and feel ashamed for sometimes taking my education for granted. As educated and free university students, it is our duty to take a stand against this injustice.

“Why should we let a bunch of uneducated cowards and thugs be the press secretaries of Islam when the faith, much like Western secular values, is an illustrious enabler of women education? Please. Understand that we have a shared enemy here,” said Dr. Faheem Younus, clinical associate professor at the University of Maryland and the founder of the website www.muslimerican.com. He said he was shocked by the Taliban’s actions and argued that Islamic belief and values have nothing to do with these fearful men.

Fortunately, Yousafzai did not die, she is still being treated in the UK.

The state of things in Pakistan are seriously deteriorating. Children are woken up by the sound of gunfire at night. People receive daily Taliban threats via FM radio and the list of refugees in camps is growing. Worst of all, teachers and children (especially girls) don’t go to school because they are afraid of being beheaded, whipped, or publicly humiliated.

Populations living in fear is what drives organizations like the Taliban. People need to start defying fear mongerers; Yousafzai has done it, and despite threats from the Taliban that she will be killed if she returns, she’s insisting they return home and she’s already started preparing for her exams. Talk about inspiring.

I can only hope that Malala’s shooting will wake people up and expose the horror of what is happening, not only in Pakistan, but in other countries experiencing violent unrest as well.