When gun-toting men stopped their school wagon in Mingora last Tuesday around 12.45 p.m. asking for Malala Yousafzai, none of the three girls inside spoke. This, despite the terrorists threatening to shoot all of them if they did not identify Malala.
Today, stirred by the braveheart, who dared to stand up to the Taliban, and her friends, Shazia and Kainat, who refused to identify her even under threat, girls across Pakistan are saying ‘I am Malala.’
This is happening not just on the social media – which offers a degree of anonymity and security – but also on television and on the streets; some with their faces uncovered. ‘I-am-Malala’ has been trending not just in Pakistan but also in Afghanistan where girls’ education is equally at risk from the very same elements.
On Saturday, the Afghanistan Education Ministry organised a nationwide prayer for her at schools. She is being likened to ‘Malalai of Maiwand,’ the ‘Afghan Joan of Arc’ who rallied the Pashtun army against the British in 1880.
In an echo of the Pakistan People’s Party pet slogan kitne Bhutto maroge, har ghar se Bhutto niklega (how many Bhuttos will you kill, every house will produce one), the refrain across the country is “how many Malalas will you kill?’’ As daily vigils are being organised to pray for the speedy recovery of Malala and her friends, girls were coming forward; willing to stand up and be counted. Her classmate from the Khushal Public School in Mingora, asserted: “Every girl in Swat is Malala. We will educate ourselves. We will win. They can’t defeat us.’’
If anything, the fate of Malala – who came to represent the ‘voice of the girls of Swat’ because of her blog, written under the pseudonym Gul Makai, in which she advocated girls’ right to education during the Taliban reign of terror over Swat – has made the media a bit circumspect about exposing the girls too much for fear that the terrorists might target them, too.
Still, at vigils and demonstrations, children are turning up in considerable numbers; a rare sight in Pakistan where crowds are avoided given the impunity with which terrorists penetrate. Even in Peshawar – where there are indications of various terrorist outfits regrouping and mobilising after a brief lull – girls are coming out in support of Malala; fearing that silence is no longer an option.
Keywords: Malala Yousafzai attack, Taliban attack, North Waziristan, SWAT valley
I just happened to watch wonderful documentary about Malala which was
shot 4 yrs back by New york times.Its heartening to know that she's been afflicted with such horrible atrocity for speaking out the need for
education .
There is a difference between heroes of the novels and heroes of the real world. People like Malala demonstrate that in real life, heroes suffer a lot and rarely have a happy ending.
I pray that this is a turning point in Pakistan for education for girls.
Many looters thrive when women are not educated.
Kudos to those brave hearts.
Stop not till your goal is reached.
All the best from friends in India
May this become an impetus for people in power to do the needful to
ensure security.
It so heartening that Malala's courage has received support from muslim
women of India and Pakistan. I salute these women and urge all Indian
and Pakistani women of all religions to support these feelings there are
talibanis in India too.
Malala is great! Malala is everywhere! Taliban, your days are numbered!
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