DEAR DIARY: Malala, a symbol of courage
What you need to know:
- We might not be under the Taliban’s threat 24/7 but we have our own fights every day that we ought to tackle unfettered
If I remember correctly, I was in Form 3 at the age of 15. It was an interesting year. A year that I decided to take the science stream, hoping that later on I would take Physics, Chemistry and Biology (PCB) subjects in high school. I was in Form 3 Q.
We used to call ourselves Queens because of the Q. It was the year I fell in love, again; and perhaps had a breakup too. It was the year I made new friends who helped me focus on my studies. It was perhaps a normal year for a 15 year old.
The same cannot be said for Malala Yousafzai. When Malala was 15, she was already a public figure. She was so outspoken, condemning the Taliban for restricting girls from going to school.
She was being interviewed by the press and breaking every known taboo in her community. Mentored by her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, she was a new voice for the voiceless.
Malala first came to the limelight when she published her diary on BBC Urdu.
It was about her journey and desire to remain in school and for girls to have equal chances of education as boys. She began blogging in early 2009 under the name Gul Malai. However, she was revealed to be the blogger in December that year.
On October 9, 2012, a Taliban gunman shot Malala on the head when she was on her way home from school. The school was founded by her father.
Despite that vicious attack, Malala survived. She lived to be named one of TIME magazine’s most influential people in 2013. She won the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. Her autobiography ‘I am Malala’ was also released last year.
October shall be remembered for world-changing events and women are the ones making headlines. As if all that wasn’t enough, the brave Malala Yousafzai has won the Nobel Peace Prize 2014. Now, events shall be described as have happened ‘before’ and ‘after’ Malala. That is just how powerful her victory is.
What moves me about Malala’s story is her persistent spirit. She could have given up when she received threats at the age of 14. She could have given up after she survived the attempted murder. She continues to speak out.
We might not be under the Taliban’s threat 24/7 but we have our own fights every day. Be courageous to speak, to act.
