Malala Yousufzai has achieved more than just a blow for education and the emancipation of women in the third world. What she has set in motion will have far-reaching repercussions that we must hope will resonate for years to come.
Not least among these is that it has demonstrated to most people in the developed world that Pakistan is not simply an unstable nuke state with a medieval national personality. Reports of a growing swell of revulsion within Pakistan at the Taleban’s actions sends a message that there are rational, civilized and compassionate people in Pakistan – be they Muslim or secular – who stand vigil outside the Peshawar hospital where the 14 year-old lies unconscious to offer prayers, support and even blood for transfusion. It seems obvious to point out that not all people form this culture are joyless, mean-spirited sociopaths, but an all-too-common intellectual laziness among people in the West often makes such value judgments commonplace.
In addition, the co-founder of Khudi (a Pakistan-based counter extremism movement http://www.khudipakistan.com/) Maajid Nawaz writes in The Times today that this episode might represent the best opportunity yet to help turn the tide against Taleban Sharia-enforcement in its very heartland. Think about it…
If the population of Bavaria had turned its back on the Bohemian Corporal in the 1920s, Hitler would never have achieved the credibility and power base that went on to precipitate World War 2.
This child is a true hero. We should all hope and pray for her recovery and long life.
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