My car broke down a few weeks ago, it was a Pakistani lorry driver who picked it up for me. When encountering people in Abu Dhabi it is common to exchange informations´ about your respective countries, so this was what the lorry driver and I did. When talking about my birthplace, Denmark, we came around the subject of our big milk and butter production. When mentioning his country Pakistan, his primary comment was on it´s state of security or the lack of it.
I was reminded of this conversation during the, heavily covered, final count down for The Nobel Peace Prize a few days ago. One of the most talked about candidates was Malala the Pakistani school girl who was shot by the Taliban one year ago, in a far away province of Pakistan. She was shot for raising her voice about the right to education for all children. Malala wrote a blog in an area where the Taliban stands strong and obviously is ready to use any mean possible to prevent , especially girls from going to school.
Not only did Malala survive the ordeal, her quest for education was repeated and broadcasted all over the world and today her voice as well as her mission stands much stronger than it did a year ago. It is a well know fact that empowering people and in especially women through education has proven to be one of the most important tools against poverty. Malala links the Taliban with ignorance and suppression as opposed to enlightenment and human rights. In essence if schooling was offered to everyone the developing countries would become more prosperous and the world more peaceful.
The message of education for all reaches much further than to the borders of Pakistan, but as this case shows it is a complicated affair. People like Malala can show the way and the courage and for that she was deservedly nominated for The Nobel Prize, but those of us who have already received education are part of the solution. It is our duty to spread the word and make things happen with the means we have at hand. Through the media we must never let the case rest or forget the courage shown. Then one day news from Pakistan will be other than just the most recent safety update – I might even get to know about their big milk production.
Related articles
- EU awards human rights award to Malala Yousafzai; is the Nobel next? (kansascity.com)
- I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai – review (theguardian.com)
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