Do we want to do the same to Malala as we did to our first Nobel laureate, Dr Abdus Salam?
LAHORE: It is a proud moment for Pakistan as one of its bravest daughters has managed to prove to the international community that there is no dearth of passion and perseverance in this part of the world. We, Pakistanis, are passionate by nature; what we need is to channel that passion in the right direction as Malala Yousufzai did. Employing the passion of her youth, she became an advocate of women education, a lady who managed to silence the critics belonging to our patriarchal society and consequently, caused fame to knock at our doors.
However, it is sad to note that in Pakistan, her homeland, Malala has a divisive image. While the entire world applauds her determination and noble cause for education, in Pakistan, her efforts are subjected to criticism. Many of us are apathetic in not rejoicing in the glory brought about by our daughter and are instead labeling her as a tool used by foreign agents to further their interests. It is ridiculous to even think of her like this. She, a mere girl of 17, with a vision that not many of us have, has managed to do what we all can probably only talk about or think of.
Do we want to do the same to Malala as we did to our first Nobel laureate, Dr Abdus Salam? While the entire world showered him with praises and honorary degrees, the people in his homeland were waging a cold war against him for belonging to the Ahmadi community. The very fact that he was an Ahmadi caused us to mutely celebrate his achievement. He was not only revered by Switzerland, Korea, China, but also by India, when Indira Gandhi invited him to that country and served him tea with her own hands.
It seems that history is repeating itself although this time religion is not the point of criticism. Instead, it is the Nobel laureate’s gender and the fact that Malala is a young girl and is a product of a male chauvinist society. This has caused us to repeat the behaviour that we meted out to Dr Abdus Salam.
Marria Qibtia & Sikandar Nagra
Published in The Express Tribune, October 14th, 2014.
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