Tag: malala

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Of Heroes & Anti-Heroes: Malala Yousafzai

She came to public attention in January 2009 when her blog appeared on the BBC Urdu website about life under Taliban in the war torn valley of Swat, using the pen name Gul Makai and it gained popularity.
Later she appeared in a documentary for The New York Times website. Malala Yousufzai, a teenaged school girl rose in the public eye as she appeared on TV channels and attended conferences and seminars where she spoke eloquently advocating peace and education especially for girls. Since then she has remained in the limelight to champion her cause.

In October 2012 Malala was again in all headlines when she suffered bullet injuries in a targeted attack on her by the Taliban. She was shot at point blank while returning from school in broad daylight. In her book she narrates “I come from a country which was created at midnight. When I almost died it was just after midday.” The attack left her with a brain injury, a broken skull, a damaged nerve and a permanently impaired hearing. She was not expected to survive but miraculously she did. Her world, however, has changed.

It was not just an attack on a young teenaged girl; it was an attack on a voice that refused to be muffled by the mindless atrocities of the Taliban and their terrorism.

Immediately after the attempted assassination, sympathies for her survival and condemnation against her perpetrators poured in, as did speculation. Malala was initially treated at the local hospital but given to her critical condition she was shifted to the military hospital in the garrison city of Pakistan. The doctors were putting in their best efforts but her brain injury was extremely serious and there was very little hope for recovery, whereas the Army Chief himself was taking keen interest in the matter. A decision was taken to shift Malala to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. Malala writes, “Nobody consulted my parents on what should happen to me. All decisions were made by the Army.”

It seems that not just all criticism against her has failed and she has risen to gain respect as a symbol of courage and determination globally, her resolve to fight against the tyranny of her oppressors has remained undeterred.

Gradually the news story of the attack on her was not a headline story anymore in Pakistan. The sympathy for her turned into apathy, Malala was flown out of the country in a critical condition as she fought for her life.
From the day she was attacked all types of conspiracy theories were being propagated but with the decision to air lift her to Birmingham for treatment, the pace at which these theories were coming forth almost doubled. Malala aptly writes in her book that “our people see conspiracies behind everything”.

There are theories like she is an agent planted by the West working against the interest of Pakistan and on anti-Pakistan agenda or that the attack on her never took place at all or that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) never orchestrated the attack, and that there are many more angles and perspectives to Malala.

In Pakistan, a country where news channels are more popular and have a large viewership as compared to the entertainment channels, the propaganda against Malala has never stopped. A large number of TV talk shows have elaborately discussed and debated Malala and many self-proclaimed scholars and analysts have been extremely vocal propagating baseless rhetoric against her and her family in an attempt to taint her image and declare her to be a dubious character with ulterior motives having an anti-Pakistan agenda. However, all these allegations have been levelled without any proof whatsoever.

The social media has been streaming with all types of theories and stories based more on fiction than facts and smear campaigns have been actively injected to influence the mindsets of the public. An overwhelming majority, indeed, has been filled with a negative image of Malala and hatred for her.

Malala who has strongly campaigned for the right to education, for peace in the region and against the TTP has been projected as an anti-Pakistan figure and a Western agent. It seems that people with strong anti-Malala sentiments would have been glad if she had died in the attack on her and her assassins would have been the real heroes who had silenced an alleged Western agent, regardless of the fact that this voice has been speaking only in the long term interest of Pakistan.

However, all this negative publicity in her own country and every attempt to taint her image has miserably failed and Malala has emerged as a global symbol of peace and the youngest ever nominee for the Nobel Peace prize as well as the youngest Nobel Laureate in the history of this most prestigious honor.

It seems that not just all criticism against her has failed and she has risen to gain respect as a symbol of courage and determination globally, her resolve to fight against the tyranny of her oppressors has remained undeterred. In her own words, “If you are afraid you can’t move forward”.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee’s decision to co-nominate Kailash Satyarthi, an Indian children’s rights activist, along with Malala has perhaps further offended her critics. They might have despised her less if Malala would have shared this honor with someone else. At the state level Malala has been referred as the pride if Pakistan, yet it is surprising to see how she is still mocked, despised, hated and disliked by certain segments of the society who appear to still dwell in the dark ages, centuries behind the world though hours ahead in time zone.
Malala’s efforts for education and peace are unmatched so more power and glory to Malala. For her achievements and heroic role in education empowerment, the hate, humiliation and spite towards her is understandable as a large number of Pakistanis do not treat their real heroes according to their worth. The first Pakistani Nobel laureate Dr. Abdus Salam was alienated by his own people and now its Malala’s turn.

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Who Listens to Malala

Lena Martinsson, Atiqa Shahid

Malala Yousafzai has become a global geopolitical figure. There are many differences in opinions about her not only in Pakistan but also in the rest of the world. Within Pakistan, a number of narratives against her struggle portray her being anti-Islam, anti-state on one hand, and being pro-America and pro-West on the other. This right wing approach or conservative ideal is more common among those who have not read her book. It’s a rather interesting fact that the book ‘I am Malala’ written by Malala and Co-author Chiristina Lamb has still not been published in Urdu and its English copy is extremely hard to find in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Most of the right wing media in Pakistan is in Urdu and of course not everyone can read the opposite to see the true picture. There was a negative hype in Pakistan after the book I am Malala came into the markets; many articles were published negating her book and the content in it. For instance a famous Urdu columnist Orya Maqbool Jan wrote in one of his columns that appeared in daily Dunya:
“After reading ‘I am Malala’, what came into my mind was the sentence used by the US when they caught Aimal Kansi, which is ‘Pakistanis can do anything for Money’… I am sure that Malala has written in favor of Salman Rushdie, who is an apple of the Western eye, because he wrote against the Prophet and His wives.”

“I love Malala. She is my strength. I want her to come back to Pakistan and continue her studies here. We’ll not let Taliban kill her”, said a girl from KPK.

Then he writes:
“Malala has depicted a funny picture of General Zia. She says that women’s live were limited under Zia’s regime, but that is not true. That was indeed the best time for the TV dramas in Pakistan and many women writers like Haseena Moeen, Fatima Suriya Bajiya, and Noor-ul-Huda Shah were writing dramas in that era.”

It is worth noting that he is not only distorting the history, but also discrediting her efforts through labelling and conspiracy mongering. All the negative coverage given to Malala especially by the Urdu media has been followed by threats from the Taliban against selling and reading of the book. Malala’s struggle for girls’ right to education is not only being slandered, it is also being silenced.

However, those who have read Malala’s book with open eyes will surely disagree with these conspiracy theories. Our region has witnessed a number of girls like Malala struggling for their right to education in their areas particularly in Khyber PakhtunKhwa. Therefore, it is very significant to ask them what do they think about Malala and her struggle. A small illustration of this was found in an exercise undertaken by the Bonded Labor Liberation Front Societies (BLLF) Pakistan. In this exercise, Malala’s UN speech was translated into Urdu and read before two separate groups of school girls in KPK and Balochistan. While discussing about Malala and her struggle with these young girls in BLLF’s schools, who are also struggling very hard for their education, some of the strong reflections noticed are being reproduced here.

She is continually referring to the Pakistani culture and the Islamic religion in her arguments for girls’ right to education. She does not understand herself as being rescued by the West. She is actually not talking about herself as a victim that needs to be rescued at all.

One of the participants, a teacher, said: “After hearing her speech our opinion has changed because we believed in rumors and conspiracies against her. After listening to her speech, we understand that she is not at all anti-Islam or anti-state.”

A very courageous 15 year old girl gave this message to the terrorists: “Leave us alone, don’t try to control us. It’s not easy to wear burka, gloves and long shirts, I hate Burka, I want to do make up and wear short shirts… please let us live in freedom.”

When asked about negotiation with Taliban, a young girl gave a very fearless reply: “First ask them not to do blasts, and if they don’t understand, then we should kill them.” Another one disagreed: “we should negotiate with them but not kill them because then the war will never end.”

“I love Malala. She is my strength. I want her to come back to Pakistan and continue her studies here. We’ll not let Taliban kill her”, said another girl from KPK.
“My message to Malala is to stay abroad and continue your studies. Your life is in danger here, don’t come back at this moment, but do come back after Taliban accept the importance of girls’ education and stop killing innocents”, a girl from KPK mentioned.

“People think Malala is wrong, but I don’t think so… She has done the same thing we are doing… So what is wrong about it? Is it wrong to get an education?”, one girl added.

One of the points of criticism used against Malala lies in framing the dichotomy of ‘Western and Eastern feminism’. The same argument was also used by the right wing to suppress women’s movement in Pakistan in the 1980’s. As the voices of these girls demonstrate, the movement for girls’ education is not being driven by the western world; it is our own struggle and raises in response to the oppression and extremism.

How people in the West think and talk about Malala is of huge importance if the struggle going on in Pakistan should avoid being called anti-Islam or pro-western. When the Westerners celebrate and honor Malala Yousafzai, it could also be taken as a critique of Pakistan as being evil towards women and children. Some may take Malala as a native child being rescued by the white man; emanating from the colonial era narrative of ‘the white man’s burden’. There also exists a strong critique against this narrative in Pakistan. Related to it is the question that why the West seems to love Malala and not take the responsibility for all the children killed by drones. Or why do people in the West seem so occupied with Malala while at the same time they have incarcerated Aafia Siddiqui in USA?

Malala Yousafzai not only challenges the terrorists who are a threat to the girls’ education as well as Pakistan as a whole, she also questions the colonial story, according to which the struggle for rights belongs only to the Western hemisphere.

The celebration of Malala in the West could look strange if these, still very performative narratives, are not taken into account and problematized. Malala Yousafzai can never be understood merely as the girl who struggles for girls’ rights; she is also, both in the West and the East, connected to these historical colonial narratives. It is therefore very important to learn from Malala, in the way she tries over and over again in her book and speeches, to challenge these narratives. She is continually referring to the Pakistani culture and the Islamic religion in her arguments for girls’ right to education. She does not understand herself as being rescued by the West. She is actually not talking about herself as a victim that needs to be rescued at all. Instead, she underlines her own locality. She is thereby offering an alternative story that the West needs to learn from and maybe be challenged by. People in the West need to recognize this alternative story as well as the opportunity that the struggle for girls’ right to education could develop from other contexts than the Western one. That is one reason why it is important to truly listen to Malala, both in the East and in the West, and to her political understanding.

Malala Yousafzai not only challenges the terrorists who are a threat to the girls’ education as well as Pakistan as a whole, she also questions the colonial story, according to which the struggle for rights belongs only to the Western hemisphere. She is also very critical of politicians who fair to perform. It is a critique she shares with a lot of people in Pakistan.

Malala Yousafzai is not alone in her struggle, there are thousands of Pakistanis like her working for change. People in the West need to stand in solidarity with the Pakistani struggle, without reproducing colonial narratives.

Interestingly, the discourse about terrorism is going on not only in the newspapers, TV channels, and among the people at large but also among the children in KPK. Though Malala’s book is not available in KPK but everyone knows about her and her struggle. We must admit, however, that there is a long way to go and we should not expect a sudden change merely through the movement for education.
[blockquote style=”3″]Lena
Dr. Lena Martinsson is a Professor of gender studies at the University of Gothenburg. One of her research areas is women´s movements in different parts of the world and the transnational issues these movements raise.
[/blockquote]

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The Censure of “I am Malala” Continues

Continuing the official policy of disowning and discrediting Malala Yousufzai, the PTI led government in Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa (KP) stopped the launching ceremony of Malala’s book “I am Malala”. The ceremony was scheduled in University of Peshawar’s area study center on January 28 with the collaboration of Bacha Khan Trust Education Foundation (BKTEF) and Strengthening Participatory Organization (SPO). The ceremony was cancelled when the law enforcement agencies refused to provide security and the organizers were pressurized by the government officials.
The area study center’s Director Sarfraz Khan told that he was pressurized by the Vice Chancellor and the government officials to withdraw. Khadim Hussain, the Director of BKTEF, condemned it by calling this incident against the spirit of freedom of expression and promotion of education.

“It was to get more US funding”
The Information Minister of KP government Shah Farman accused BKEF’s support for the launch of Malala’s book as a move to get “more funds from US”. He said that the venue was not suitable for the launch as the government is against the use of educational institutes for political gain. “Government is ready to support them but using educational institutions for political gains would disrupt the educational environment for the students.” He said.
Government’s plea of not using the campus for ‘political gains’ faced a backlash two days after the cancellation of the ceremony when many students protested against the visit of Shireen Mazari, the official spokesperson of the ruling party PTI. The protesters were incensed at the cancellation of the book launch and administration’s hypocritical role.

“They stopped us to please Taliban”
The Bacha Khan Foundation criticized the government and stated that KP government’s decision to stop the book launch was a move to please Taliban. “They stopped us to please Taliban, we will soon announce another date for the book launching.” Khadim Hussain, the Director of BKTEF told AFP.
The spokesperson of the teachers association at Peshawar University Dr. Jamil Chitrali has opposed the government’s actions saying “It has brought a bad name to the university.”

A student on the condition of anonymity told Laaltain that Malala’s book is an inspiration for all of us in this time of distress.

Students Divided on Malala’s book: “not suitable” versus “an inspiration for all”
The opinion of the student community about the book is divided. Many students at University of Peshawar favored the cancelation of the book launch as they thought that Malala was promoting the “Western agenda” in Pakistan. A student named Saifullah talking to The Laaltain said that Malala is not a hero and he thinks that her book contains “un-Islamic” content which is not suitable for us. When asked if he himself has read the book he said, “I have heard this from many people that it is not suitable for reading.”
A student on the condition of anonymity told Laaltain that Malala’s book is an inspiration for all of us in this time of distress. She stated that Malala’s story gives her the courage to stand and speak for her rights.
Feroz Khan, another student at the University was of the view that Malala should be the symbol of our struggle against extremism and terrorism instead she has been neglected and abandoned by the state and the people.

In November last year the All Pakistan Private Schools Management Association (APPSMA) had already banned Malala’s book from private schools of Pakistan. The decision was taken as the association thought the book was “inappropriate” for the students. The president of APPSMA, Mirza Kashif objected on Malala’s views about the status of women and freedom of expression calling them against the Islamic ideology.
Some of the renowned Urdu columnists such as Oriya Maqbool Jan and Ansar Abbasi have also labeled this book un-Islamic in their writings. Earlier the booksellers in KP have refused to put “I am Malala” on stalls feeling themselves under threat for selling the book.
On the other hand, rights activists and education experts have showed concern over the threats posed against the forums of education and public debate. They opine that people generally and the government in particular are not willing to oppose the growing radical extremism which is affecting the education sector the most.

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وقت نے رنگ بہت کچھ بدلے, کیا کیا سیلاب نہیں آئے

محمد فہداریبyouth-yell-inner1

دھواں چار سو پھیلا ہے۔ کچھ نہیں دکھتا کہ آگے کیا ہورہا ہے اور ہوگا؟ ہماری نگاہ یا بقول اقبال مردمومن والی قلندرانہ نگاہ زائل ہوچکی ہے اورسوچنے سمجھنے کی صلاحیت سلب ہوچکی ہے۔اس دھندلے منظر میں سکوت طاری ہے حالانکہ نوحہ گاہ میں یا تو شام غریباں منائی جاتی ہے یا پھر چٹانی حوصلہ اور عزم وہمت سے نئی تاریخ رقم کرنے کی تیاری کی جاتی ہے لیکن یہاں کون ہے جو کسی مرنے والے کا نوحہ پڑھے یا کسی کو بچانے کو علم برداری کرے۔ اب تک تو قرب و جوار میں کوئی حادثہ یا دھماکہ ہوتا تو پورا معاشرہ دکھاوے کو ہی سہی ہمدردی اور اظہار تعزیت کی رسم پوری کرتی مگر اب تو منظر بدل گیا ہے۔ اب جذبہ انسانیت بیمار پڑچکا اور ہمدردی و تعزیت کے سہارے کمزور پڑتے پڑتے معدوم ہو چکے۔ اب صبر کے پیمانے تب ہی لبریز ہوتے ہیں جب کوئی اپنا رشتہ دار یا دلدوز قومی سانحہ رونما ہوتا ہے۔

اول تو اس معاشرے میں کوئی صدائے حق بلند کرنے کی جرات نہیں کرتا اور اگر کوئی بہادر نڈر شخص آگے آتا بھی ہے تو یوں محسوس ہوتا ہے کہ خاموش تماشائی بجائے لب کشائی کے اس آواز کو دبانے اور فتوے لگانے کے لیے چوکس و تیار بیٹھے تھے۔غم منائے زمانے بیت گئے اور خوشی محسوس کیے مدت ہوئی۔ اب اگر کوئی کونے کھدرے سے کوئی خبر حاصل ہوبھی جائے تو اسےشرلاک ہومز کی شکی نگاہوں سےگھورا جاتا ہے۔ سنسان کھیل کے میدانوں سے لے کر اولمپکس کے خالی دستوں تک، کرپشن کی کہانیوں سے لے کر دھشت گردی کی کا رروائیوں تک ہم دنیا میں اپنی پہچان سے واقف ہیں، مگر حیرت ہے کہ کوئی شرمساری نہیں۔

ایک سولہ سالہ بچی جس نے معاشرے میں شدت پسندی کی بجائے امن و بھائی چارہ کی بات کی اور پہلی وحی کو مقصد حیات بنایا ۔ اقوام متحدہ میں کھڑے ہوکر، بے نظیر کی شال اوڑھ کر “تعلیم سب کے لیے” کا نعرہ لگایا اور فنڈ قائم کر کے کڑوروں روپے تعلیم کے لیے مختص کر دیے۔ ہم نے اسے ہی اپنا دشمن گردانا۔ اور اس پر سوالات و اعتراضات کی بوچھاڑ کر دی کیونکہ بقول ہمارے سازشی تھیوریوں کے وہ ایجنٹ ملک و مذہب کا امیج خراب کر رہی ہے۔

اس بے یقینی اور ناآسودگی میں سینکڑوں سوالات، جن کا جواب فقط اتنا ہے کہ “جو کرا رہا ہے امریکہ کر رہا ہے”تمام حقائق کا گلہ گھونٹ چکے ہیں۔ ہم جس شاہراہ پر گامزن ہیں اس پر “غیر ملکی ہاتھ” نے فریبی سائے ہیں جس سے آگے”راستہ عارضی طور پر بند ہے” کا عنوان پیوست ہے۔ جس دن ہم نے اصلیت جانی اور اپنی کمزوریوں کا ٹھندے دل و دماغ سے جائزہ لیا ہم اس زہریلے دھواں کو زائل کرنے میں کامیاب ہو جائیں گے وگر نہ کتے کی شہادت اور فتووں کے گورکھ دھندوں میں پھنس کر رہ جایئں گے، جہاں سے واپسی کا کوئی راستہ نہیں۔

انتباہ: مجلس ادارت کا میگزین میں شامل قلمی معاونین کی آراء سے متفق ہونا ضروری نہیں۔ مشمولات کی اسناد اور حوالوں میں کمی یا بیشی کا ادارہ ذمہ دار نہ ہو گا۔
یوتھ یلزایک نیا رنگا رنگ سلسلہ ہے، جس میں نوجوان قلمکار بلا جھجک اپنے ھر طرح کے خیالات کا دوٹوک اظہار کر سکتے ہیں۔۔ آپ کا اسلوب سنجیدہ ہے یا چٹخارے دار۔۔ آپ سماج پر تنقید کا جذبہ لیے ہوئے ہیں یا خود پر ہنسنے کا حوصلہ۔۔۔۔ “لالٹین” آپ کی ہر تحریر کو خوشآمدید کہتا ہے۔
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Pakistan and Heroes

 Abu Bakr Agha 

malala-pakistan-heroes

When I heard Malala Yousafzai was going to be a guest on The Daily Show I was nervous. I love The Daily Show, I’m a fan of Jon Stewart and I think he’s a genius, but I was afraid to watch this episode. I was afraid because I knew if Malala was going to be brilliant, I would be left frustrated out of my mind once again because of the on-going vilification campaign against her on Pakistani public forums.

That’s exactly what happened.

The very project that was initiated to counter terrorism has resulted in nothing but more violence. In my opinion a major reason for this counterproductively is the failure for policy makers to tackle the root causes of terror.

I watched this sixteen year-old, so eloquent, so mature, so calm and confident. I saw her laugh and it was beautiful, but even more so because of the slight bend in her smile caused by the damage to her skull from the bullet fired by the Talib. That simple gesture of laughter spoke a thousand words; escaping death, living again, such purity and bravery. But that’s not what makes Malala Yousafzai special. What makes her special is the way she speaks about her potential killers. On The Daily Show she spoke of the horrific things the Taliban were doing in Swat Valley: She spoke about how she heard they wanted to attack her and how she thought about it to herself and was coming up with ways to defend herself. She said she thought about hitting the Talib with a shoe if he came for her, but then she changed her mind. “What would be the difference between me and the Talib if I had done that?” she said to Jon Stewart, leaving him, the studio audience and me watching from home absolutely speechless.

Malala Yousafzai wants to educate the monsters that tried to kill her and have threatened her again. In her address at the United Nations a few months ago she said she wanted education for all; for girls and boys, even for the Talib that shot her.

Since the war on terror has commenced, terrorism has increased in the world-over exponentially. The very project that was initiated to counter terrorism has resulted in nothing but more violence. In my opinion a major reason for this counterproductively is the failure for policy makers to tackle the root causes of terror. Washington has always remained the land of the ‘quick fix’, and it is always easier and more stress-relieving to drop bombs than to study the psychology and motivation for terrorism.

For Malala Yousafzai violence was not the answer. The United States and NATO are no different from the terrorist organizations in the sense that they seldom thought twice about the use of force in situations where it could have been avoided. Civilians have died because of the use of might by both sides. Diplomacy and negotiation was never an option. It’s just like Malala said about hitting the Talib with the shoe. It turns into an endless cycle.

This teenager is adored all around the world except for the very country she hails from.

Of course direct comparisons can’t be made but the Taliban, The United States and the world can learn a valuable lesson from a 16-year old. Maybe retaliation isn’t always the answer. Maybe religion and self-proclaimed political ideals are not the reasons for the conflicts in the world; instead the conflicts arise because of a lack of education, a revengeful mentality, unfair foreign policies and the power politics. Instead of responding force with force, maybe there is another way. At least Malala gave peace a chance.

It’s not uncommon to hear that Pakistan is a country without genuine role-models. I’ve often been told that the public has no one to look up to. I disagree with this. I think that we rather have some great heroes. The problem is that we choose to demonize them. Any social media post about Malala Yousafzai I read anywhere is met with an abundance of love and praises except on those originating from Pakistan. This teenager is adored all around the world except for the very country she hails from.

I find it rather tragic. But I also think the trends are changing. As time went on I saw public opinion regarding Salman Taseer change from extremely negative to bearable, and the opposite for once much-loved Dr. Aamir Liaqat. There are other examples but the point is that the people need a little time for everything to sink in. Pakistan as a nation has been let down time and time again and many of our heroes seem to have disappointed the people. The public is let-down hence pessimistic. It has seen continuous deception, cover-ups and has heard blatant lies by its own government. Perhaps people feel that Malala situation is too good to be true.

Malala Yousafzai makes me proud to be Pakistani but her ‘haters’ make me feel embarrassed to be Pakistani.

Whatever the case, still in no way is abusing a 16-year old girl who was nearly killed and is campaigning for female empowerment acceptable. Malala Yousafzai makes me proud to be Pakistani but her ‘haters’ make me feel embarrassed to be Pakistani. Pakistanis do not need to search for heroes. They’re all right in front of our eyes, if only we could just give them a chance.

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عبدالسلام سے ملالہ: قومی ناقدری کا شرمناک تسلسل

جلد ہی اس سال کے امن کے نوبل انعام کا اعلان ہونے جارہا ہے۔ تاریخ میں پہلی دفعہ کوئی پاکستانی اس انعام کے اہم ترین حق داروں کی فہرست میں ہے۔ بلاشبہ یہ ایک ایسا موقع ہے جس پر تمام پاکستانیوں کو فخر ہونا چاہیے۔
تاہم اس تاریخی موقع پر قومی یک جہتی اور خوشی کا اظہار کرنے کی بجائے پاکستانیوں کی ایک بڑی تعداد ملالہ کو نوبل انعام کے لیے نامزد کرنے پر نالاں ہے۔ میڈیا اور رائے عامہ میں ایک واضع دراڑ ہے اور کئی عظیم ‘اصحاب رائے’ چپ سادھے ہوئے ہیں۔ دوسری طرف ملالہ کی مخالفت کرنے والوں میں کئی ایسے گروہ بھی ہیں جو اپنی تنقید میں اخلاقیات اور عقل سلیم کی پست ترین سطح پر اترے ہوئے ہیں۔ ملالہ کی مخالفت کرنے والے عمومی طور پر دو قسم کی وجوہ کو بنیاد بناتے ہیں۔
امن کے نوبل انعام کی سیاست اپنی جگہ، یہاں مسئلہ کچھ اور ہے۔
پہلی قسم میں ملالہ پر ہونے والے حملے اور اس میں طالبان کی شمولیت سے انکار کیا جاتا ہے۔ چونکہ اس پورے واقعے سے انکار کے لیے اس کی جملہ تفصیلات کو غلط ثابت کرنا پڑتا ہے لہذا سازشی مفروضوں کی کئی کڑیاں جوڑی جاتی ہیں جنہیں جھوٹے واقعات، بیانات اور تصویروں کی مدد سے ثابت کرنے کی کوشش کی جاتی ہے۔ اگر معروضی انداز میں اس سارے بیانیے کو شروع سے آخر تک دیکھا جائے تو فوراً اس کی صداقت کی قلعی کھل جاتی ہے۔ یہ بھی غور طلب ہے کہ دنیا بھر بشمول پاکستانی میڈیا کے کسی بھی معتبر ذریعے نے اتنی بڑی “سازش” کو بے نقاب کیوں نہ کیا۔ درحقیقت مکمل حقائق جانے بغیر ملالہ کے واقعے کو فراڈ ثابت کرنے کی کوشش کرنا جہالت اور اوہام پرستی کی ایک شرمناک مثال ہے۔
دوسری قسم کی مخالفت کی جڑیں پاکستان میں کئی دہائیوں سے پنپنے والے انتہا پرستانہ بیانیے میں ہیں۔ اس بیانیے کی کئی شکلیں ہیں جنہیں مختلف سیاسی جگادری اور رائے عامہ کے تخلیق کار اپنی اپنی سیاسی و مالی ضرورت کے مطابق استعمال کرتے ہیں۔ اس بیانیے کا جو حصہ ملالہ کو بدنام کرنے کے لیے استعمال ہوتا ہے اس کے مطابق دنیا کے تمام ممالک مذہبی طور پر کچھ یوں منقسم ہیں کہ ان کا کسی ایک مسئلے پر متفق ہو جانا ممکن نہیں۔ اگر کہیں ایسا اتفاق ہوتا نظر آئے تو یقیناً یہ یہود و نصاریٰ کی کوئی سازش ہے۔ اور اگر وہ ایک دفعہ سازش کی موجودگی کی بُو پالیں، تو پھر بعد کے تمام حقائق کی وضاحت اس پہلے سے فرض کر لیے گئے نتیجے کے مطابق ہوتی ہے۔
آج 34سال بعد پاکستان کو سائنسی تحقیق کے بعد فروغ امنِ عالم کے زریں ترین تمغے سے نوازے جانے کی امید نظر آ رہی ہے۔ دوسری طرف پاکستانی قوم ایک بار پھر اس عزت یابی پر شرمسار اور پریشان نظر آ رہی ہے۔
ملالہ کی جرات، قابلیت اور مساعی پر دنیا بھر سے اتنے انسانوں اور لیڈروں کا متفق ہونا نا تو محض اتفاق ہے، نہ ہی کسی سازش کا نتیجہ۔ یہ بات درست ہے کہ بڑے عسکری تنازعات میں کئی لوگ اپنی جان خطرے میں ڈالتے ہیں اور بہت سے جرات کا مظاہرہ کر کےبڑی طاقتوں کے سامنے سینہ سپر بھی ہوتے ہیں۔ لیکن اتنی کمسنی میں کسی ایسی جنگ میں شعوری طور پر واضح موقف لے کر ڈٹ جانے کی کتنی ایک مثالیں دی جا سکتی ہیں۔ اینےفرینک اور ریشل کوری کے علاوہ کوئی اور نام ڈھونڈ نکالنا مشکل ہے۔
امن کے نوبل انعام کی سیاست اپنی جگہ، یہاں مسئلہ کچھ اور ہے۔ کیونکہ یہی قوم جو کبھی تو وقت بے وقت ایدھی صاحب اور کبھی کسی اور کے لیے نوبل انعام کی مہم چلاتی رہی ہے، آج اس انعام کو اتنا قریب دیکھ کر خاموش کیوں ہے۔ کچھ لوگ تو یہاں تک کہہ گزرتے ہیں کہ ملالہ پاکستان کی بدنامی کا باعث ہے۔ لیکن ملالہ کے مسئلے میں ساری دنیا کے مخالف اپنی بدنامی کے ڈر سے اس معصوم بچی پر انگلیاں اٹھانا اصل بدنامی ہے۔
دنیا بھر میں لوگ انسانیت کی خدمت میں اپنی قومی حصہ داری کی داد پانے کے لیے اپنے ہم وطن نوبل انعام یافتگان کو قومی سرمایہ افتخار قرار دیتے ہیں۔ آج 34سال بعد پاکستان کو سائنسی تحقیق کے بعد فروغ امنِ عالم کے زریں ترین تمغے سے نوازے جانے کی امید نظر آ رہی ہے۔ دوسری طرف  پاکستانی قوم ایک بار پھر اس عزت یابی پر شرمسار اور پریشان نظر آ رہی ہے۔ ہمیں فیصلہ کرنا ہے کہ کیا ہم تاریخ  سے سبق سیکھیں گے یا پھر اپنے ہیروز کی ناقدری کی تاریخ دہراتے رہیں گے؟

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اداریہ

Trending: Malala

Annam Lodhi

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As the final announcement of Nobel Peace Prize comes near, Malala Yousafzai is once again among the top trends in Pakistan. Despite all the attempts to discredit her, she still retains global acceptance and following. Having already received some of the most prestigious awards in the world, she will remain in the news for days to come.
On her 16th birthday she got the honour to talk in front of the UN, She is the Harvard Humanitarian of the Year 2013.

Ambassador of Conscience Award

Malala as a Global Citizen

An inspiration for worldwide education for girls

Malala’s Autobiography: You will soon get to read her journey in her own words

So now she is a girl to reckon with, while the world takes every moment to praise her, Pakistan is (like always) following the opposite route.

Her future plans aren’t a treat for many

There are others standing with her more sensibly

The conspiracies never rest

We are always surrounded by our shadows

Happiness does not come easy to us – does it?

It is quite apparent now; she is more than a symbol. She is actively working to promote the cause of education and have abundant resolve and support to continue. Pakistanis have to live with this fact. It would be better if they start taking pride in her. After all she is Pakistani and she risked her life for fellow Pakistanis.
We shall keep track of the latest top trends and report them to you – keep retweeting the top most trends so that we can catch your tweet!

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نقطۂ نظر

Malala – How Can You Still Ignore Her

youth-yell-inner

 

annam1Annam Lodhi

So after I saw Malala’s speech – I was so inspired, I felt this rush of pride for someone I didn’t even really know. When I thought of translating my emotions into writing, I could not gather what to write down for someone whom the world already knows.

Before I could pick up my pen, I was reminded by a friend that back then I had a totally different reaction to the whole Malala episode. Like many, I had doubts about the veracity of the incident and I was reluctant to extend my support for her. I thought it was yet another trick to further defame Pakistan. But I never remained too much strict in this belief. So meanwhile I have been paying visit to many of the educational initiatives sparked as a result of her shooting. I sat among the audience listening to people speaking for women rights and education. But the doubts remained. I seldom felt that all these speeches for women rights come truly from the heart. I also conjectured that these people might have some personal benefit out of it, otherwise who does all this for others in today’s world? Nothing was convincing until I, with an impartial mind, watched Malala speak.

malala-day

As I watched her speaking at the UN, receiving a standing ovation, her ethnic dress, Benazir’s shawl, her father’s ear to ear smile filled with true pride, her mother’s tears filled face, and her brother’s perplexity; it’s rather hard not to be moved.

It must be a dream for any striving person to stand in front of such a prestigious global audience and speak one’s mind out. When most of the girls of her age are busy on their mobile phones or surfing the internet, she, at such a tender age, paid such a heavy price for her passion, for the simple wish of being educated without any coercion and fear of violence.

Many of us still have many presuppositions against her, like since no one gains so much attention and worth at such an age, this must be someone behind her orchestrating and whole issue. As a later open letter by a Taliban leader shows, she did confront the terrorists. Though I still have my own share of doubts about the objectives and tactics of terrorists but the way she spoke so clearly about what Islam truly means and how these terrorist were just a bad stamp on it, is truly enlightening.

Malala’s confidence struck me like a lightening; her words were well constructed and full of passion. If this spirit for education, women empowerment and freedom from violence survives in our society, then our country has a future. And if most of the girls in our society start thinking the way she does, then there is no stopping of growth.
Like it or not, today she is a global symbol of education for girls. Her effort and resulting suffering did open many hearts and minds within Pakistan. Our government has faced unprecedented pressure for bringing better education policies into effect. After decades of misleading priorities, people seem to be concerned about education more than ever before.

Education is truly the mightiest pen. Let’s make each day Malala Day by striving for something better. In our luxurious lives, we tend to ignore the importance of things taken for granted like education. We study each day but do we truly understand what is at stake? Like she said, “I stand one for all”, we should all stand together for times to come. Let’s become Malala at least for ourselves for pushing ourselves for a better tomorrow.

In case if you still have doubts about Malala, just watch her speech with an open heart.

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جی ہاں۔۔!! ملالہ یوسفزئی ایک سازش کا نام ہے۔۔!!۔

مان لیا کہ ملالہ کی تقریر لکھی ہوئی تھی، کسی گورے کی لکھی ہوئی تھی۔۔ مان لیا کہ ملالہ کو خوامخواہ شہرت دی گئی۔۔ مان لیا کہ ملالہ کا یوں منظر عام پر آنا “عالم اسلام” کے خلاف ایک بھیانک سازش ہے۔۔ چلیے یہ بھی درست کہ اسے برطانوی شہریت اسی وجہ سے دی گئی کیونکہ یہ کسی بڑے منصوبے کا حصہ ہے،، میں یہ بھی مان لیتا ہوں کہ وہ “ڈائری” جو بی بی سی اردو میں ملالہ کہ نام سے شائع ہوئی وہ بھی من گھڑت ہے۔۔ ہاں۔۔!! امریکی سفیر یا دیگر غیر ملکی نمائندوں سے اپنے ماں باپ کے ساتھ ملاقاتیں بھی ایک سنگین “پاپ” ہے۔۔ مزید یہ کہ ملالہ کا باپ جو سکول چلاتا تھا وہ بھی ایک “صیہونی” ادارے کی مالی مدد سے چلتا تھا، اور ملالہ کا حصول تعلیم کا شوق بھی “تہتر” کے آئین کی رو سے گناہ کبیرہ تھا۔
یہ بھی درست کہ ملالہ کو کبھی کوئی گولی لگی ہی نہیں اور اسکا ثبوت وہ چند تصویریں ہیں جن میں ایک جگہ سٹریچر پر ملالہ نے نیلے رنگ کے کپڑے پہن رکھے ہیں اور پھر جب اسے فوجی ہیلی کاپٹر کے ذریعے ملٹری اسپتال منتقل کیا جا رہا تھا تو اس کے کپڑوں کا رنگ گلابی تھا۔۔
اور یہ بھی کہ کوئین الزبتھ اسپتال برمنگھم سے روزانہ کی بنیاد پر ملالہ کی صحت کے بارے جو پیغامات اور ویڈیوز نشر ہوتی تھیں وہ بھی ایک ڈرامہ تھا۔۔ مزید کچھ؟؟ چلیں یہ سب مان لیا۔۔ ان اعتراضات پر من و عن ایمان لایا جانا چاہیے۔۔ کیونکہ اس کے بغیر ایمان ادھورا رہ جانے کا قوی خدشہ ہے۔۔
اب ذرا آئیں بارہ جولائی دوہزار تیرہ کی جانب ۔۔۔ اقوامِ متحدہ نے بارہ جولائی کو جو کہ ملالہ کا یومِ پیدائش ہے، ’ورلڈ ملالہ ڈے‘ یا عالمی یومِ ملالہ قرار دیا ہے اور اس دن کا مقصد دنیا میں ہر بچے کے لیے تعلیم کے حصول کو ممکن بنانے کے لیے جدوجہد کرنا ہے۔۔ اس دن ملالہ نے تقریبا ایک سو ممالک سے آئے ہوئے ایک ہزارے سے زائد مندوبین سے اقوام متحدہ میں خطاب کیا۔۔ اس موقع پر برطانیہ کے سابق وزیر اعظم اور دنیا بھر میں تعلیم کے سفیر گورڈن براون اور اقوام متحدہ کے جنرل سیکڑی بان کی مون بھی موجود تھے۔
مذہب اور پاکستان کے ٹھیکے داروں کے اعتراضات کی روشنی میں ملاحظہ کیجیے کہ سولہ سالہ ملالہ نے دنیا بھر کے سامنے کیا کہا۔۔

“In the name of God, The Most Beneficent, The Most Merciful.
Honourable UN Secretary General Mr Ban Ki-moon,
Respected President General Assembly Vuk Jeremic
Honourable UN envoy for Global education Mr Gordon Brown,
Respected elders and my dear brothers and sisters; Aslam o aleekum ”

اور پھر یہ بچی پوری دنیا سے کچھ یوں مخاطب ہوئی۔۔

“I don’t know where to begin my speech. I don’t know what people would be expecting me to say. But first of all, thank you to God for whom we all are equal and thank you to every person who has prayed for my fast recovery and a new life. I cannot believe how much love people have shown me. I have received thousands of good wish cards and gifts from all over the world. Thank you to all of them. Thank you to the children whose innocent words encouraged me. Thank you to my elders whose prayers strengthened me”.

لہجے کا اعتماد، ذہن کی پختگی اور عمدہ تربیت کیسے ملالہ کے الفاظ سے ٹپکی۔۔ ذرا دیکھیے۔۔

“Dear brothers and sisters do remember one thing. Malala day is not my day. Today is the day of every woman, every boy and every girl who have raised their voice for their rights. There are hundreds of Human rights activists and social workers who are not only speaking for human rights, but who are struggling to achieve their goals of education, peace and equality. Thousands of people have been killed by the terrorists and millions have been injured. I am just one of them”.

اور مندرجہ ذیل سطروں کو عقل کی عینک لگا کہ پڑھییے ۔۔

“Dear sisters and brothers, I am not against anyone. Neither am I here to speak in terms of personal revenge against the Taliban or any other terrorists group. I am here to speak up for the right of education of every child. I want education for the sons and the daughters of all the extremists especially the Taliban. I do not even hate the Talib who shot me. Even if there is a gun in my hand and he stands in front of me. I would not shoot him. This is the compassion that I have learnt from Muhammad-the prophet of mercy, Jesus Christ and Lord Buddha. This is the legacy of change that I have inherited from Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Muhammad Ali Jinnah.”

وہ بولی “میں تو طالبان اور دنیا بھر کے دیگر ایسے عناصر کے بیٹوں اور بیٹیوں کے لیے بھی تعلیم چاہتی ہوں، مجھے ان سے کسی قسم کی نفرت نہیں۔۔ اگر میرے ہاتھ میں بھی بندوق ہو تو میں اس طالب پر بھی کبھی گولی نہ چلاوں جس نے مجھے قتل کرنے کی کوشش کی”۔۔
اب یہاں میرا پہلا سوال ان تما م لوگوں سے جنہیں “ملالہ ” ایک سازش دکھتی ہے۔۔ جناب۔۔ دشمن کو معاف کرنا، اور تعلیم کا درس دینا کس ہستی نے ہمیں سکھایا۔۔؟؟ کونسا مذہب ایسے رویے کی تلقین کرتا ہے۔۔؟؟ آپ اس سوال کا جواب اپنے پنڈتوں سے پوچھیے۔۔ میں ذرا مزید سوال اٹھانا چاہوں گا۔۔
اور ذرا ذہنی پستی یا گراوٹ کا اندازہ کیجیے کہ عقل کے اندھوں نے اس بات پر بھی اعتراض کیا کہ ملالہ نے سرکار دو عالم کے ساتھ حضرت عیسی اور بدھا کا ذکر کیوں کیا۔۔ سبحان اللہ۔۔ یاللعجب۔۔
اور پھر ملالہ نے کہا۔۔

“Let us pick up our books and pens. They are our most powerful weapons”.
“One child, one teacher, one pen and one book can change the world”.

اقرہ۔۔ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَق۔
یہ آیت مبارکہ باقی خلاصہ مکمل بیان کر دینے کے لیے کافی ہے۔۔
لاسٹ بٹ ناٹ دی لیسٹ۔۔ ذرا یہ بتا دیجیے۔۔ کہ اس سولہ سالہ سازشی نے عالم اسلام کے خلاف کونسی گھناونی سازش رچا رکھی ہے۔۔؟؟ یہ بچی کونسے گناہ کبیرہ کی مرتکب ہو رہی ہے۔۔؟؟ نظریہ پاکستان کی کس شق پر آہنی وار کر رہی ہے۔۔؟؟ اور سچے پکے اور کھرے مسلمانوں کے بچوں کو کونسا غیر اخلاقی درس دے رہی ہے۔۔؟؟ آپ کو تو یہ بھی یاد ہو گا کہ وہ کونسے عالم فاضل حضرات تھے جنہوں نے قائد اعظم کو بھی ایک “ایجنٹ” اور پاکستان کو ایک “سازش” قرار دیتے ہوئے اس کے وجود کو ہی تسلیم کرنے سے انکار کر دیا تھا۔۔ آج انہی کے “سپوت” یہاں اسلام اور پاکستان کے ٹھیکے دار بنے بیٹھے ہیں۔۔ یعنی حد ہے۔۔ !!
نا چیز نے آغاز میں اعتراف کیا کہ تمام اعتراضات درست ہیں۔۔ لیکن۔۔!! اگر ملالہ ایک سازش کا نام ہے تو اس سازش سے کونسی آفت ٹوٹ پڑی ہے۔۔؟؟ یہ بچی ان حضرت سے تو لاکھ درجہ بہتر جو باجماعت پنجگانہ نماز پڑھتے ہیں لیکن واپس دکان پر آکر مہنگا اور ملاوٹی سامان بیچتے ہیں۔۔ ان عالم دین سے بہتیرا اعلی اور ارفع جن کی منافقت کے کارن گلی محلے ، دیہات اور شہروں میں مسلمان آپس میں دست و گریبان ہیں۔۔
ارے۔۔ وہ کونسا پلیٹ فارم رہ گیا تھا جہاں اسلامی جمہوریہ پاکستان کی تذلیل ہونا باقی ہے؟؟ پوری دنیا آ پ پر آپ کے اعمال کے باعث لعن طعن کرتی ہے۔۔ اگر ایسے میں ایک سولہ سالہ بچی نے چند دانشمندانہ باتیں پوری دنیا کے سامنے کہہ دیں تو یہ قابل ٖفخر ہے یا قابل ندامت۔۔ ؟؟
یعنی آپ کے دشمن بھارت اور امریکہ سمیت پوری دنیا کے مندوبین نے ملالہ کو خراج تحسین پیش کیا اور اسے پورے عالم کے لیے قابل فخر قرار دیا۔۔ شاید ہی کوئی ایسا ملک ہو جہاں اس بچی کا چرچا نہ ہو۔ یعنی دنیا بھر سے چار ملین بچوں نے دستخط کر کے ملالہ کے عزم اور اس کے مشن کو تقویت دی۔۔ لیکن یہ بچی خود جس ملک سے تعلق رکھتی ہے وہاں کا ملا “ذہن” اسے “سازش” قرار دے رہا ہے۔۔ دلیل اور منطق جب دم توڑ جائے تو بجا ہے کہ ہر شے “سازش” دکھتی ہے۔۔ ہیچ آرزو مندی۔۔۔ !!
مجھے یہ کہنے دیجیے کہ ملالہ کا لب و لہجہ اس کے اندر کی شخصیت کی خوب غماضی کر رہا تھا۔۔ بلا کا سا اعتماد اور ذہنی پختگی اس کے ہر لفظ سے عیاں تھی۔۔ جو باتیں بھی اس نے کہیں یقینا ایک عالم گیر “شخصیت” ہی ایسے خیالات کا اظہار کر سکتی ہے۔۔ پاکستان کی اس بیٹی کو پوری دنیا خراج عقیدت پیش کرتی ہے۔۔ ملالہ تمہیں سلام۔۔ تم جیو ہزاروں سال۔۔سو زخم شوق کو جلتا ہوا تو رکھنا ہے۔۔
نہ ٹوٹ جائے کہیں سلسلہ تمنا کا۔۔ (جون ایلیا)