Living in a free nation, we sometimes lose sight of how important our basic freedoms are. To Malala Yousafzai, this lack of freedom has inspired the 14-year-old Pakistani girl, and has ultimately lead to her fighting for her own life. On Tuesday, Oct. 9, Malala was shot in the head and neck while boarding a school bus to go home from school. Two of Malala’s friends were also injured. After the attack, the Pakistani Taliban took full responsibility for the attack claiming that Malala was a target because she began voicing her opposition against the Taliban in regards to violence and the lack of education for women in her country. In a statement released by a Taliban spokesperson, Malala was the main target because she represented “the symbol of infidels and obscenity” because of her liberal ideals about girls’ education.
Malala started writing about this inequality at age 11, using an anonymous blog on BBC.com, describing a dream she had (more like a nightmare) about the Taliban taking over her school and community. She continued to write about this fear and the affect the Taliban has had on her school life. She eventually became brave enough to start writing openly using her own name and was nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize along with being the first to win the Pakistani National Youth Peace Prize.
In Pakistan, education is a growing concern. According to new statistics that were released by the Federal Education Ministry of Pakistan, 74 percent of girls in the country are illiterate. The report also showed that out of 163,000 primary schools, only 40,000 are for girls. While many of these statistics are arguably incorrect, especially considering they are the official statistics released by the Pakistani government, more independent statistics show higher numbers of illiteracy and school involvement for girls.
When I heard the news of this attack, I was greatly saddened and personally affected. I was forced to think about how lucky we are, as a country, to have the freedom to express our concerns against the government without living in fear of our own lives. I cannot count how many things I have written or said that I, too, would be considered obscene if we did not have the freedoms we do here in America. It deeply upsets me that in the modern world we live in, young girls in other countries are still denied access to school and then punished for striving for something better. Education is arguably the most important resource for anyone’s future. Denying the right to an education on any grounds is a decision that ultimately hinders any youth from a promising future. Malala is an inspiration to me because I don’t know who I would be if I were not given the opportunity to write my opinions, especially about our government.
Malala’s surgery was a success and doctors were able to remove the bullet from her brain. She has been transferred to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, U.K. She has been making much progress and doctors are hopeful about her recovery.
