Malala the powerful

Malala, The Powerful

October 9, 2012, was an ordinary afternoon in the Seat Valley, and area of rugged mountains and sweeping green valleys in the north Pakistan. Malala Yousafzai, 15, was sitting on a school  bus with her classmates waiting to go home when two bearded gunmen appeared.

"Who is Malala?" One of the men demanded.

A feeling of terror filled the bus and the unthinkable happened: The gunmen opened Fire. One bullet pierced Malala' s head near her left eye. Two of Malala' s friends were struck in their arms. Then the gunmen fled, leaving Malala to die.

It might be difficult to understand why anyone would try to murder an innocent girl on her  way home from school, but some people in Pakistan do not view Malala for what she is : a bright and generous teenager. They see her as a deadly threat to their way of life, a person who deserves to be killed. These people mainly young men from rural Pakistan and neighbouring Afghanistan-are members of a group called the Taliban. They believe in an extreme interpretation of Islam that most Muslim people do not agree with. For years,the Taliban had been plotting to kill Malala. Why? Because she was not only a 15 year old girl; she was also a crusader for girls' right to go to school. This work had made her famous throughout Pakistan and around the world.  It had also made her a target of the Taliban.

Life is Brutal 

Malala is from Mingora, a city in the Seat Valley. It's a gorgeous place, known for its majestic green mountains, thick forest, and mighty rivers. It was once a popular  vacation spot, attracting tourists from all over the world. In the past few years, though, it has become a war zone. Starting in 2007, the Taliban began seizing control of Seat. When the Pakistan army Tried to stop them, the Taliban responded with tremendous violence. They blew up government buildings and murdered police officers.  At night,Malala was often awakened by the terrifying sounds of gunfire.  During the day, she frequently walked by corpses of men and women executed by the Taliban and left on the street as a warning to those who would date defy them.

The Taliban are not part of Pakistan's government, but their forces are powerful. They operate  mostly in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Those who live in areas under Taliban control are forced to follow oppressive religious rules. All Music is banned. So are television and movies. Democracy is seen as an offense against Islam. For women and girls, life is particularly brutal : They are not allowed to go to school, have careers, or wear makeup or bright clothing. They are not allowed to go anywhere without a male relative,Breaking  these rules brights severe punishment, which may include public whipping or even execution.

Like most Pakistanis, Malala and her family do not support the Taliban's version of Islam. Malala' s family is, in fact, deeply religious, but the Taliban do not tolerate any from of Islam that differs from its own.

School Ban

In January 2009, the Taliban  ordered all girls 's schools to close. That included Malala' s school, which her father had owned for more than a decade. It was devastating  news. School was one of the most important parts of Malala's life-and a luxury she never took for granted. After all, fewer then half the girls in rural Pakistan had the opportunity  to receive any education at all. Despite the Taliban's order, Malala's father decided to keep his school open.  This was incredibly dangerous, especially because the Taliban were gaining popularity in Seat. Some residents saw them as a welcome alternative to Pakistan's government and military, which have been plagued by corruption. From them on , Malala and her family lived under constant threat. Across the region, hundreds of schools  were being bombed. Teachers were being murdered.  Malala and her classmates stopped wearing their school uniforms and began hiding their books under their clothing. Staying alive meant going to school has to be top secret. Even with these precautions, many parents felt the risk was too great. Attendance at Malala's school decreased by more then 60 percent. 

But what could Malala do?

What could one girl do but watch helplessly as her freedoms were taken away?

A  Powerful Weapon :

It turns out , there was something she could do. Malala possessed a weapon of her own: her voice. And she would risk everything to use it. In 2009, she began blogging for the British Broadcasting Company's (BBC) Urdu site about what her life was like under the Taliban.  (Urdu is an official language of Pakistan. ) To protect her identity, she used a pseudonym. She wrote about her dream of becoming a doctor one day, her fears of the terrorists, and her fierce determination to get the education she needed, no matter what the Taliban did or how afraid she was.

And indeed, fear was her constant companion. " On my way from school to home I heard a man saying, 'I will kill you'. She wrote in one blog entry."I hastened my pace and after a while I looked back (to see) if the man was still coming behind me. But to my utter relief he was talking on his mobile and must have been threatening someone else over the phone.

The blog was an instant hit; soon people all over the world were reading it. Malala was helping to focus attention on what was happening in Seat. Outrage grew, and many in Pakistan and around the world criticized  the Pakistani government for allowing the Taliban to become so powerful. 

Continue in next blog...............

                                          -Sonia chhikara