Malala Yousafzai is known around the world for surviving against the bullet of a Taliban assassin. Her “crime,” was her vocal stance against the Taliban of her area who prevented children, particularly young girls, from getting an education. Among the Pakistani diaspora in particular, you would assume the global recognition of Malala would be a badge of honour. It may be for some. But, there is a significant portion who not only dislike her, but assume that the young woman is a part of some convoluted conspiracy theory. If you are one of these people, I’m sorry to say I cannot dignify that level of ignorance with a response. Sorry.
The most legitimate criticism of Malala is one of her circumstance and not of her character. Would Malala still have been as well known if she was injured by a U.S drone instead? It’s certainly not a farfetched scenario. According to Humans Rights Watch and Amnesty International U.S drones have so far killed 168 to 200 children. While this figure is upsetting, it doesn’t begin to describe the psychological turmoil that is caused by living in this environment. In fact, some parents have chosen to withdraw their children from school to avoid the possibility of injury or death. So, in some sense, the U.S drone program has managed to deter educational aspirations of children like Malala just as the Taliban has done and continues to do.
In that sense, you have to wonder what the reaction would be if Malala was injured by a U.S drone. Would she still have been nominated for a Peace Prize? It’s difficult to tell. The U.S, unlike the Taliban, is not explicitly ideologically opposed to the education of young girls. The narrative is less appealing. So, it is certainly possible that Malala could have been a, “possible terror suspect,” at worst or an unfortunate causality in the fight against terrorism at best. It is for this reason many Pakistanis feel that Malala is symbolically being used as a justification for drone strikes to get rid of the Taliban.
Presumably, there have been people who have spun her story in that direction. However, Malala is not a puppet. It was after all Malala who criticized the U.S drone program, face-to-face, to Barack Obama.
"I thanked President Obama for the United States' work in supporting education in Pakistan and Afghanistan and for Syrian refugees," she said in the statement. "I also expressed my concerns that drone attacks are fueling terrorism. Innocent victims are killed in these acts, and they lead to resentment among the Pakistani people. If we refocus efforts on education it will make a big impact."- truth-out.org
Malala did not ask for this to happen. Her fight for education predates her current notoriety. Before that bullet pierced her, she was fighting for the rights of children to have an education. After the bullet, she’s still doing the same thing. Now we just happen to know her name. That’s all that’s really changed.