This month, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, however the nominee that truly stole the show was sixteen-year-old Malala Yousafzai. On October 9, 2012, Malala appeared on the international stage when the Taliban attempted to assassinate her on her way home from school. After blogging for the BBC, participating in a documentary, and speaking out for girls’ right to education, Malala received enough notoriety for the Taliban to regard her as a serious threat. In their attempted assassination, the Taliban proved the notion that they set out to squander, that girls can be powerful.
Since the attempt, Malala recovered and continues to use her voice to promote education. Her most important ally in this fight has been her father, who defies most gender stereotypes in order to secure for his daughter the education he believes rightfully deserves. The story is heartwarming, and appears to be a step in the right direction to eliminating female oppression. However, in my research into Malala’s story, I discovered something that just didn’t sit right: Malala’s mother is illiterate.
Now this fact in itself is not overly alarming. Unfortunately, 40.2% of women in Arabic culture over the age of 15 are illiterate. This is due not only to the higher levels of poverty but also strong cultural norms forcing women into a submissive role. Oppressive social norms argue that women don’t need a strong education because their true purpose is to bear children and run the home. Therefore, women in Arabic countries remain largely uneducated.
It struck me that a man like Malala’s father, who recognized the immense power education has brought to his daughter, did not want the same for his wife. Even more heartbreaking, when asked of her mother’s thoughts on activism, Malala herself responded that her mother did not care about those things. The hypocrisy of their promotion of girl’s education left me feeling slightly disillusioned.
Many Arabic countries suffer from poverty, civil unrest, and under development. Think of the things that could be accomplished if the countries had an ability to roughly double their amount of human capital. The impact would be nothing short of earth shattering. The fact that these two great promoters of girls’ education are unable to realize the value of educating women in general highlights that it is the cultural norms more than the poverty that cause problems when it comes to educating women. That even within people who believe in the education of girls, that this cultural oppression still exists. Not until we over come this mindset will girls and women alike be able to attain an education they deserve.
Please don’t misinterpret me here – I believe what Malala does for the promotion of education is nothing short of extraordinary. She raises her voice when others are afraid to whisper. It’s because of girls like Malala that the value of educating girls is becoming understood as undeniable. The good and change they can create in the world is incalculable.
My point is this, when you hear her story both rejoice in her triumphs, but also remember her mother. Remember the thousands of women who live life without a voice in society, and think of all the things Malala’s mother could have offered her if she simply knew how to read. Think of not just promoting girl’s education, but also promoting women’s education. It’s never too late to make a difference.