Malala Yousafzai Research Paper

Malala Yousafzai is a fifteen-year-old girl from Swat Valley in Pakistan. She was named after a Pashtun heroine, Malalai of Maiwand, who was fired down in battle after using her words and bravery to inspire her people to fight against the British in the Second Anglo-Afghan War. She and her family lived in Mingora, the largest and only city in Swat. When Malala was born, her family was poor, living off the small amount of money made from the school her father had started. Malala always liked learning, which wasn’t something everyone agreed on. The Taliban forbade girls from education, but Malala advocated for girls’ education rights. On October 9, 2012, she was on the way to school when two men stood in the middle of the road, stopping her school bus. One asked for Malala yet no one answered, only looking to her gave the man an answer. The man lifted the pistol and shot three times, one going through the left side of her head, and the other two going through two other girls. She survived major injuries and a coma, but her experience paved the way to realizing her duty

as a strong activist for education for girls. Today, she works hard to empower others towards getting an education and continues her work through the Malala Fund despite her still being in danger.
As she continued to receive all types of death threats, she still stood her ground and worked hard to get her message across for women’s education. However, she did get worried at times in fear that one day the Taliban might get to her. She always wondered how she’d react if one day they were to face her. On a day of important exams, the school bus was going through a shortcut to school until two men walked out onto the road and brought the bus to a halt. One of the men asked who Malala was, and at that moment, she didn’t get a chance to answer or to explain why they should stop opposing girl’s education. The man fired three shots, one into Malala’s left eye, another into a girl named Shazia’s left hand, and the third through her left shoulder and into a girl named Kainat Riaz’s right arm. Regaining their bearings after such an unexpected event, Malala was taken to Peshawar, where they would soon learn that “a bone had fractured and splinters had gone into her brain, creating a shock and causing it to swell” (Yousafzai with Lamb ch.21). Soon later, the Taliban took responsibility for the attack and claimed she was promoting Western ideas. A few hours after an operation on her skull, two British doctors that happened to be in Pakistan assisting the army, arrived in the afternoon and were not pleased to see how her aftercare was being handled. She developed disseminated intravascular coagulation, and was airlifted to an army hospital in Rawalpindi. Some time would pass as the people taking care of Malala discussed whether to send her abroad or not. They finally came to the conclusion to send her to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. She woke up a week after the shooting with a tube in her mouth and blurry vision. After a big operation on her facial nerve, she was told that after six months the nerve would start working, thought it would never be the same. In the end, it was 86 percent recovered. Mr.Irving, the surgeon who operated on her nerve, put a cochlear implant near her ear where in a month, they would fix the external part of her head. Transition from Swat to Birmingham was not easy as all their belongings and close ones were still at home. She began school there and has enjoyed how different it is to the education in Swat. As her story continues to spread across the world, it inspires so many to fight with her as she takes a stand for education for all.
Some Islamic cultures are so resistant to educating women because it can be seen as dishonoring their families by violating their cultural values and laws. Islamic women are oppressed by not being allowed to have an education, and being forced to do things certain ways. However, that is a point of view from a westerner, who doesn’t understand how growing up in countries like Pakistan is like. Western ideals and many Islamic cultural values differentiate because of how life is like in those certain areas. For example, in Bangladesh, 7.05 percent of women complete their educational careers, whereas 6.63 percent of men complete school. In the United States, 93 percent of women finish their educational careers, whereas 90 percent of men complete school. This difference is because of the individual countries’ advancements. In addition, westerners also have more freedom to express their feelings, whereas most Muslims do not have any way to speak out. According to To the Contrary, “Muslim women are the greatest resistors to change because they benefit from the patriarchy” (“Gender Equality in Islam”). For most Islamic women, they cannot see life without the values that they have grown to live out all their lives. They interpret no other messages from the Quran other than the ones they hear about, but that is because most of them are not allowed to read it. Fortunately for the women struggling to uphold their roles in society under these views, a group of women have reinterpreted the Quran, and have discovered that it does not necessarily say that men are superior to women. They call themselves Karamah, and work to educate women and stand with them to end inequality between both genders all over the world, especially in their respective countries.
According to James Rae, “The level of service to God and others reveals the condition of a person’s heart” (Rae). Service is an expression of love for others and is the practice of relentless self-denial even in the face of constant adversity or rejection. As Christians grow up, they are taught certain values to follow to lead a fulfilling life, which includes the value of service. They are called to help others, even if it does not benefit them, just like Jesus would have done. Non-Christians can serve others the same way Christians do because they don’t have to follow the religion, but can have a calling to serve others. Malala, a non-Christian, serves others all over the world by fighting for the education of women. Her fund “champions every girl’s right to 12 years of free, safe, quality education” (Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey). She has worked through the fund and reached out to countries like Pakistan, Boko Haram, Nigeria, and many refugee camps. A disciple of Christ “serves God and others, don’t complain when they go through hard times, and look forward to lessons they will learn through experience” (Rae). Malala took her experience with the Taliban and turned it into strength, as she serves her God and others. She shows compassion towards the unfortunate and helps bring up the spirits of those who are brought down.
Through her words and actions, Malala Yousafzai conveys her love and compassion through her service.

She has dedicated her to life to strive towards the improvement of gender equality all over the world, despite all struggles that she has faced. She believes “girls are the best investment in the future peace and prosperity of our world” (Yousafzai). Malala is very well spoken about what she believes needs improvement and how to get to that endpoint. Despite everything that has happened to her, she inspires many as she says, “I am Malala. My world has changed but I have not” (Yousafzai with Lamb Epilogue).

Works Cited

“Gender Equality in Islam.” To the Contrary, season 24, episode 7, PBS, is 27 Apr. 2015, PBS, www.pbs.org/to-the-contrary/watch/4378/gender-equality-in-islam.

Malala Fund. 2018, www.malala.org/.

Rae, Jamee. “What Is Christian Discipleship and What Does It Mean?: Why Christians Need

to
Serve Others.” ShareFaith, 2016, www.sharefaith.com/guide/christian-principles/christian-service/serve-god.html.
Yousafzai, Malala. “Nobel Lecture.” Nobel Prize, 10 Dec. 2014, Oslo, Norway. Lecture transcript. Nobelprize.org, Nobel Media AB, 4 Mar. 2017, www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2014/yousafzai-lecture_en.html.
Yousafzai, Malala, with Christina Lamb. I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban. Little, Brown iBook.