LAHORE, Pakistan – Across the length and breadth of Pakistan at noon today, people prayed, whether they were at home, school, an office, a mosque or wherever they happened to be.
All of them prayed for the same thing: the recovery of 14-year-old Malala Yousafzai, who is lying unconscious in a military hospital after a Taliban gunman shot her three days ago on the way home from school.
Thinking of Gul Makai, the pen name that Malala used, gives me goose bumps. My heart mourns. What else can I do? I feel depressed and frustrated that women who stand up for change, who decide to face whatever may come, can suffer such a cruel assault.
What was Malala’s crime? That she wanted to study? That she spoke the truth? I don’t understand.
On one side are the vicious Taliban, loaded with heavy weapons, and on the other, there is the innocent Malala, who only has a pen and some pieces of paper.
The Pakistani nation has always stood against the Taliban in one way or another, but I have never seen such general outrage against its activities. I hope that it will lead to a good ending.
Malala Yousafzai
In the long run, Malala and her passion for education will win, not the fanatics and their disgusting agenda.
When I was very young, I visited the Swat Valley, where Malala lives. I have faint memories of a peaceful, beautiful valley.
Then the Taliban came, setting up military operations there, bringing hard times for many, including Malala, who couldn’t go to school freely.
Thousands of other girls in northwestern Pakistan continue to seek an education and remain united in their commitment to keep studying and never stop. We must support all of them.
Yet when I read parts from Malala’s diary, I am filled with shame because I don’t think that any of us would have been so brave if we were in her place. I can’t imagine how she found the courage to sneak to school in her pink dress, slipping past the Taliban soldiers so she could pursue her studies. Because of her commitment to education, her passions, ideas and words matter.
And yet she is only one girl. What about those numerous innocent Pakistanis who die every day in bomb blasts, targeted strikes and drone attacks?
In a drone attack yesterday, 18 children died. Didn’t they have the right to live, too? Don’t their lives have any value? Don’t they, too, have passions and dreams?
Of course, Malala was a brilliant student who wanted to promote education, but isn’t that what every student in the whole of Pakistan wants? Aren’t each of them important? Why are so many killed for no reason?
Who is going to answer these questions? Who is going to care for them?
The Taliban’s reasoning for shooting Malala is totally baseless. Westernism? Admiration for U.S. President Barack Obama? The desire to learn?
The gunman who shot her supposedly said Malala was “propagating against the soldiers of Allah. She must be punished.”
But Malala was merely promoting education, which is an important part of Islam. A well-known hadith says that getting an education is mandatory for every Muslim man and woman.” So how can they think that they are soldiers of Allah?
The Taliban does nothing to promote the rules of Islam. They have, in fact, always been against its tenets.
Malala did exactly what Islam calls on her to do by stressing the importance of education. How can the Taliban argue that education is a Western influence? It is not.
Moreover, even if she was promoting Westernism, so what? It’s not a crime and deserves no punishment.
Pakistan itself was only formed because its founders valued education. They were purely Eastern and fully educated, too. Without their formal schooling, Pakistan would never have gained its independence.
Besides, I don’t think there is anything to be scared of if the West mixes with East and vice versa. The world is now a “global village” and people, cultures and customs are coming closer to each other.
What harm can sharing one’s culture do? There should be no restriction to adopting something better, no matter where it comes from.
And if Malala admired Obama, why shouldn’t she have the right? He is a noted leader with good qualities. There is nothing wrong with admiring him.
Besides, everyone has an opinion and in Pakistan, everyone has a fundamental right to freedom of expression.
I cannot understand why Malala and so many others should be treated so badly.
The whole world is with Malala now and I don’t think the cruel men who shot her will escape the consequences of their actions.
Meantime, we must pray for Malala. We must stand united. And we must make her dreams come true.
Arooj Khalid is a Reporter in Pakistan for Youth Journalism International. Waleed Tariq, who illustrated the story with his picture, is a Correspondent in Pakistan for Youth Journalism International.
very beautiful article.
Obama has many good qualities… and also is the one who authorizes drone attacks that kill children.
Dear Arooj
You are a very talented tattoos girl and i would like to give you an internship in the new york times. I would love to incorporate you in our team
sincerely and many thanks
Tankyou, but i would like to know who you are. i mean to know your designation?