Gokulananda Nandan

News Analysis - II
Why Malala shouldnt be hated
In the history of Nobel Prize this is the first time that the winner is a teenager a 17-year-old girl
and also the youngest ever to win this prize.
Sounds overwhelming, right?
But this mind-boggling achievement of this girl, Malala Yousafzai, has drawn a mixed reaction
among people.

Malala Yousafzai
The Guardian

Courtesy of

Journalist Tariq Khattack, editor of the Pakistan Observer, has condemned her celebratory
success in a BBC interview as It's a political decision and a conspiracy.
She is a normal, useless type of a girl. Nothing in her is special at all. She's selling what the
West will buy,
One editor of a newspaper in Mingora, Malalas home-town in north-western Pakistan, has
concluded that The Americans and Malala's father conspired to get her shot so she can become a
hero, according to BBC.

One housewife said to BBC, What has she done to deserve [the Nobel prize]? She may be
brave, but she's only a child. They should have waited 10 years and let her make a mark among
the deprived sections of the society.
Indeed, Cynthia, a law student from Bangladesh at the University of Wisconsin in Madison also
pointed out that Malala is only a 17-year-old girl.
What would she be able to do after this? said Cynthia. She added, Malala definitely has
potential, but it is too early to award someone with Nobel Peace Prize. Nobel committee has
spoiled her.
However, Malala had different response about what this prize meant to her.
It is an encouragement for me to work more hard to eradicate this problem [with respect to
education], said Malala in her first BBC press conference after the announcement of Nobel
Peace Prize.
In response to her achieving this feat, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and former President Asif
Zardari congratulated her and the people of Pakistan on this rare achievement, saying she had
done the nation proud.
Along the same line, many liberal Pakistanis on twitter have excoriated the view of belittling her
win.
Well, lets sidetrack a little bit and see what was the identity of Malala before Taliban shot her?
Malala was 11 when she began writing a diary for BBC Urdu.
Her blogs described life under Taliban rule from her hometown of Mingora, in the northwest
region of Pakistan that she affectionately called "My Swat".
She started writing this diary under pen name Gul Makai so that Taliban didnt get to know who
was raising voice against them.
From that diary written on Jan. 14, 2009: The principal
announced the vacations but did not mention the date the
school was to reopen. This was the first time this has
happened.
In the past the reopening date was always announced clearly.
The principal did not inform us about the reason behind not
announcing the school reopening, but my guess was that the
Taliban had announced a ban on girls' education from 15
January.
Malalas primary objection was to the Talibans prohibition of female education. They destroyed
over 150 schools in 2008 alone.

Though Malala has been criticized by a lot of Pakistanis, foreign correspondents at different
news agencies already had praised her for how she started addressing the issue of lack of
education.
Rob Crilly, The Daily Telegraphs Pakistan correspondent said, Malala was one of the few brave
voices who spoke out.
Halima Mansour in the Guardian called Malala as a young Pakistani Heroine.
Jayanta Chatterjee, a blogger on social issues and a scientist by profession, expressed his opinion
in favor of Malala.
I am glad that the Nobel committee has chosen two people who are not politicians and religious
leaders. These people are very close to the heart of the common mass. Said Chatterjee.
Asked about his opinion on the negative reaction of people to Malalas success, Chatterjee said,
The problem emerged when Pakistan was declared as an Islamist State and it was told
constitutionally that the ethos of the country would be based on Quran.
And the majority of Pakistanis interpretation of Quran is that the woman should be prohibited of
getting educated. That is what engendered indignation when Malala was awarded Nobel Peace
Prize, opined Chatterjee.
Sadanand Dhume, the columnist of Wall Street Journal, also expressed same opinion Chatterjee.
Dhume in his opinion article entitled Malala and Malaise in Pakistan has said, Ms. Yousafzais
fears reflect a deeper malaise in Pakistan. The country houses a deadly cocktail of terrorist and
sectarian outfits nurtured by a society that has grown steadily less relaxed in its interpretation of
Islam.
His argument has been corroborated by the data of Pew Research Center. According to this
Research Center, more than 80% of Pakistani Muslims want the Islamic republic to be governed
by Sharia law. Nearly 90% of those who advocate Sharia say they favor such medieval
punishments as amputation and flogging for thievery and stoning for adultery. And 76% approve
of the death penalty for leaving Islam.
However, advocating for those who have hated Malala, Cynthia has pointed out that by winning
Nobel Peace Prize Malala has defamed Pakistan. There are so many Pakistan liberals who
relentlessly are working for women empowerment, she said. Just because she was shot by
Taliban should not be got all credit, Cynthia added.
She also mentioned why the other two girls who were also shot by Talibans dont get any voice
to say.
Asked Chatterjee to comment on Cynthias opinion, he said, Malala started blogging unlike her
two friends long before she was shot. So, are they supposed to get any attention?

Cynthias other argument was why Malala is given a prize if she doesnt do anything for her own
country, Pakistan.
Though Malala is not able to do a lot for Pakistan as she is under death-threat by Taliban if she
goes back to Pakistan ever, she has provided funds for providing quality education for those girls
who were exploited as child labor.
Malala has donated $50,000 of her World Childrens Prize to be spent in buildings schools in
Gaza.
Why its more convenient to hate Malala has been summarized insightfully and beautifully in a
sarcastic piece on Saddahaq.com.
In this article entitled Why I hate Malala Yousafzai the author Khuldune Shahid concluded, I
hate Malala because then I dont have to look at myself in the mirror. I hate Malala because then
I can keep my head buried in the sand. I hate Malala because then marrying my daughter off
would be my sole responsibility towards her. I hate Malala because then I dont have to regret all
those times my mother fed me with her own hands while my sister was busy washing the dishes.
I hate Malala because it helps me sleep peacefully, with my sense of superiority very much
intact.

Word count: 1123

Audience: International audience