Malala, through the eyes of her dad: They're afraid of a girl with a book

Nearly four years ago, a young girl was shot brutally and left for dead; all because she fought for the basic right to education.

Malala Yousafzai’s harrowing journey became a global struggle, and her survival story, one that inspired a generation to follow in her footsteps.

But for her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, the struggle is far from over.

Speaking at the International Government Communication Forum in Sharjah, the UN Special Advisor on Global Education, the proud father says the patriarchal mindset is still very much prevalent in societies today.

He said: “In patriarchal societies such as ours, fathers are known by their sons. I am one of the few who is known by his daughter and I am proud of it.”

Yousafzai says he rediscovered himself through education.

“We had a small school where I grew up. I had five sisters, and one brother,” he recalled. “But even at that young age, I noticed that my parents sent me and my brother to school, but could not send my sisters.

“I was sensitive to this discrimination. And even then, I knew that as a father, I would educate my daughters.”

Yousafzai reveals that had he not been an educated person, his appeals would not have been heard.

“Education made a responsible citizen of my country. And that’s what molded Malala.”

Malala’s struggle

Yousafzai revealed that the root of the problem remained in the lack of education, fueled further by the patriarchal mentality that was passed down generations.

He recalled: “When Malala was born, perhaps two weeks later, my cousin gifted me a family tree. Yet on that tree were just the names of all the male heirs of the family.

“Looking at that picture, I quietly took a pen a wrote ‘Malala’; and my cousin simply stood there with a grim face.”

He continued: “In 2008, the Taliban came to Swat Valley. And in 2009, they announced on the radio that no girl child will go to school. The government back then was a pro Taliban one.

“The Taliban said, if any girls were sent to school then the parents would be responsible.”

The father of young Malala confessed that he spoke out against this on every forum, adding: “When Malala was 10 years old, she too lent her voice to the struggle by writing a blog for the BBC. It changed people's perspective.”

However, even as the young Pakistani girl became an advocate for girls’ education, her growing popularity resulted in the Taliban issuing a death threat against her.

Finally, that fateful day on October 9, 2012, a gunman shot Malala when she was traveling home from school.

‘Malala wants every girl and boy in school’

Yousafzai admits the struggle in Swat and other parts of the world is far from over.

“The journey is a long when you have to fight against a mindset that has radicalized a country’s next generation, where their curriculum states ‘2 Kalashnikovs +2 Kalashnikovs = 4 Kalashnikovs’.

“In that kind of society, you will find people who stand against Malala. Her symbolism is a threat to their values. Especially when you see parents have named daughters after her. And people are now sending their daughters to school because of her.”

The Pakistani national says he believes his country is fighting the good fight to eradicate terrorism and he is ‘hopeful’.

“Malala wants every girl and boy in school,” he says. “But they are afraid of a girl with a book.

“Basic education is very important, yes, but to empower girls we need to give them more avenues. In this world of information and social media, children don’t have time to listen to parents.

“That leaves schools. We need quality education. And true education is one that prepares the generation of today for the challenges of tomorrow.”

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.