Learning from Malala

“When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful.” What an evocative statement by the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner in history. I am conflicted about the range of views about Malala — and her historic win yesterday. There are those who celebrate her as a courageous, adolescent, Pakistani girl, who did what grown men could not: stand up to the forces of evil, darkness and repression.

Then there are those, who both shun and denigrate her as a Western stooge — a carefully-managed puppet in the hands of an ambitious father and agenda-driven imperialists.

There are also those in between, who admire the girl, but cannot place her contribution to world peace on the same scales as those who have bravely and successfully battled their entire lives for a cause, against tremendous odds, and who are not marred by controversy or spurred on by celebrity. Of course, there are also some who are sickened by the politics of Barack Obama winning the Peace Prize, too.

With so many opinions to chose from, what is one more? This is what I think. Winning a Nobel Prize at 17 for a cause which, by either fortune or favour, has either been thrust upon or taken by force by you, is NO MEAN FEAT. At 17, if you can get the world to stand up and take notice that all children — whether black, white, brown or red, boys or girls — deserve a right to education, may God’s power be with you.

Yes, the Western media and empire-building imperialists have an agenda when they promote Malala. Her hijacked narrative — the appropriation of the tropes of Taliban savagery/terrorists — does help to legitimise failed American policies that belong on the scrap heap of history. The war on terror is sadly, an ideological project with numerous consequences, including an inhumane drone programme that kills indiscriminately (and which, ironically, makes the parents of children in the drop zone more fearful of sending any of their children to school).

Yes, those who work selflessly for similar causes deserve to be recognised for their nothing less than noble work, and it is only those who have the PR machinery and the powers that-be behind them who can hope to be celebrated. And yes, there are many such people even within Pakistan — so many, many, many — who are engaged in amazingly selfless work. Yes, it is a very valid reaction to be weary of the sorts of narratives Malala’s winning of the prize will provoke.

But how about, for a change, instead of focusing on the NEGATIVE (which ALWAYS exists, in every situation and every person), we use the limelight of a historic win, for all that is NOBLE and GOOD? What if we all work to petition Malala, and each other, to situate the politics of girls’ right to education in Pakistan in a much more nuanced light; to move away from viewing the context of this global education movement as enshrined in a reductionist war against a repressive ideology and entrenched patriarchal cultural norms, which have been reinvented and retold by a colonial narrative?

Because, as we all know, a girl’s battle for education in Pakistan isn’t exclusively a matter of fighting religious extremism. Or culture. Or Imperialism and its devastating policies. It is a fight against the evils of our greed, our apathy, our ignorance, class/sect/ethnic divisions, income inequality, agenda-driven policies, foreign meddling and our own complacency, among so many others.

It is also about fighting our own egotism, selfishness and envy. Many of us begrudge Malala for her success. We excel at tearing down those more successful than us. And who would be a better target than Malala — the inspiration to the world?

What we don’t realise is that, although courageous, although remarkable, Malala is in no way exceptional. Yes, we love and admire her for her passion, her intellect, her determination, her cause. She is amazing and beautiful, and courageous and inspirational. And so much more.

But you know what, so are we. Why be jealous of one person’s achievements, when we can shine a light on our own? The way for Malala is the same way for all of us: to stand against brutality anywhere and everywhere, whether it is state-sponsored violence or terrorism or VIP culture or corruption or poverty or intolerance.

If just one voice can be powerful, what can happen with the voice of many? So, let’s take a page from her book. She has won world prestige. But all of us, and Pakistan, can win true honour — the real prize.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 12^th, 2014.

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