Malala Yousafzai celebrates 18th birthday by opening a school for refugees

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > Malala Yousafzai celebrates 18th birthday by opening a school for refugees

Mandy Thompson: Dec 26, 2014; by zen death robot

quote:

On 18th Birthday, Nobel Winner Malala Yousafzai Opens School for Syrian Refugees

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/18th-birthday-nobel-winner-malala-yousafzai-opens-school-syrian-refugees-n390751

BEKAA VALLEY, Lebanon � Malala Yousafzai, the youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, celebrated her 18th birthday in Lebanon on Sunday by opening a school for Syrian refugee girls and called on world leaders to invest in "books not bullets."

Malala became a symbol of defiance after she was shot on a school bus in Pakistan 2012 by the Taliban for advocating girls' rights to education. She continued campaigning and won the Nobel in 2014.

"I decided to be in Lebanon because I believe that the voices of the Syrian refugees need to be heard and they have been ignored for so long," Malala told Reuters in a schoolroom decorated with drawings of butterflies.

The Malala Fund, a non-profit organization that supports local education projects, paid for the school in the Bekaa Valley, close to the Syrian border. It can welcome up to 200 girls aged 14 to 18.

"Today on my first day as an adult, on behalf of the world's children, I demand of leaders we must invest in books instead of bullets," Malala said in a speech.

Lebanon is home to 1.2 million of the 4 million refugees that have fled Syria's war to neighboring countries. There are about 500,000 Syrian school-age children in Lebanon, but only a fifth are in formal education.

Lebanon, which allows informal settlements on land rented by refugees, says it can no longer cope with the influx from Syria's four-year conflict. One in four living in Lebanon is a refugee.

The U.N. says the number of Syrian refugees in neighboring countries is expected to reach 4.27 million by the end of the year.

"In Lebanon as well as in Jordan, an increasing number of refugees are being turned back at the border," Malala said. "This is inhuman and this is shameful."

Her father Ziauddin said he was proud she was carrying on her activism into adulthood.

"This is the mission we have taken for the last 8-9 years. A small moment for the education of girls in Swat Valley: it is spreading now all over the world," he said.

Malala was feted with songs and a birthday cake. Moved to tears by the girls, she was modest when asked for advice.

"They are amazing, I don't think they need any message, I don't think they need any other advice because they know that education is very important for them."

Pretty awesome of her. I am continually impressed by this woman. Sadly some of her issues with poo poo the west also does like the drone warfare seems to get cut off and drowned out. As she says here its about dropping books and not bombs. She is also sticking up for refugees who are seen as a burden, right up until you find yourself as a refugee.

# ? Jul 13, 2015 01:20

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# ? Apr 19, 2024 02:49

ass cobra: May 28, 2004; by Azathoth

She is also a tiny little bit annoying

# ? Jul 13, 2015 12:15

Mandy Thompson: Dec 26, 2014; by zen death robot

Oh? In what way?

Here is something from another report

# ? Jul 13, 2015 18:42

Nonsense: Jan 26, 2007

There's too many crazy people in her part of the world. She should realize this, disavow Islam, and live in Greenwich Village for the rest of her life doing Fox News interviews.

# ? Jul 13, 2015 18:45

Mandy Thompson: Dec 26, 2014; by zen death robot

Nonsense posted:

There's too many crazy people in her part of the world. She should realize this, disavow Islam, and live in Greenwich Village for the rest of her life doing Fox News interviews.

I wouldn't equate their behaviors with mental illness. It is an extreme ideology fueled by frustration, isolation, lack of other prospects, and also the occasional western power giving them money and guns. I don't believe she has disavowed Islam.

# ? Jul 13, 2015 23:06

Mandy Thompson: Dec 26, 2014; by zen death robot

actually now that I looked it up I really really want to read her book

http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/10/14/malala-yousafzaiislamfeminism.html

quote:

Malala, the Muslim feminist
Commentary: Yousafzai's story demonstrates that the demand for equality does not belong to any one culture or faith
October 14, 2013 6:00AM ET
by Rafia Zakaria @rafiazakaria
Malala Yousafzai
Malala YousafzaiAdrees Latif/Reuters
In 2007, Somali-born Dutch author Ayaan Hirsi Ali published "Infidel," an autobiography that documented her journey from repression in Muslim East Africa to the freedom of the Netherlands. To be free, Hirsi Ali claimed, Muslim women must renounce their faith and their cultures. Rife with awestruck veneration of the empowered West, Hirsi Ali's recipe for liberation for Muslim women was eagerly consumed. The book became a New York Times best-seller and its author a celebrity. Not long after, Hirsi Ali collaborated on a film that further pushed her point and featured her naked silhouette in the rituals of Muslim prayer. Extremist clerics in various parts of the Muslim world denounced her as a heretic, bolstering Hirsi Ali's royalties.

In 2013, the world is getting to know Malala Yousafzai, a schoolgirl from Pakistan who has become a champion for girls' education and was a favorite in betting parlors to win the Nobel Peace Prize. On Oct. 8, 2012, Malala, then 15, was a student at one of the few girls' schools in the Swat Valley, in the country's north. On an otherwise uneventful afternoon, Malala, whose family had received threats from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) for continuing her education, got into the Toyota van that transported the girls to and from school. Minutes later, it was accosted by Taliban gunmen; they asked for Yousafzai by name and shot her. Her skull was fractured, and she nearly died. Her book, "I Am Malala," is the story of that grim afternoon and all that came before and has come after.

For Muslim girls and women around the world, however, the story is more than just a tale of survival. In Malala's frank prose is proof that feminism, or the desire for equality through education and empowerment, is not the terrain of any one culture or faith. In the first few pages of the book, we are introduced to Malalai of Maiwand, a Pashtun heroine of old for whom Yousafzai was named. Malalai rallied Pashtun men to fight the invading British, venturing bravely onto the battlefield and dying under fire. Her namesake has done the same and survived. In later pages, we meet Gul Makai, another Pashtun heroine, who used the Quran to teach her elders that war is bad. It was under her name that Yousafzai wrote her first published work, the diary of a schoolgirl banned from school in a Swat controlled by the Taliban. In the legend, Gul Makai is able to convince her elders of the evils of conflict; she marries her love, a schoolmate. The legend of Malala, who no longer uses a pseudonym, has just begun.

In the renunciation narrative of ex-Muslim women like Hirsi Ali, persecution is a justification for abandoning culture and homeland, deeming those contexts too stubbornly patriarchal to be the venue of empowerment. Malala's story exposes the error of these assumptions; with confidence, she not only embraces faith and culture but also critiques them. When telling the story of a girl married at 10 years of age to an old man, she says, "I am very proud to be Pashtun, but sometimes our code of conduct has a lot to answer for, especially in its treatment of women." In the fear-filled nights of the summer of 2012, as she gathers up the courage to go to school the next day in the face of Taliban threats, Yousafzai recounts turning to prayer, asking for protection for herself, her family, her street, her town and ultimately for all human beings. "The Taliban think we are not Muslims, but we are," she says. "We believe in God more than they do, and we trust him to protect us."

Yousafzai's story reveals the everyday details of a battle that millions of Muslim girls around the world are fighting every day. It is a in which the threats of violent extremists must be borne with courage, even when they do not yield fame or notoriety; in which there are fathers, brothers and husbands who support women's struggle; in which faith strengthens resistance and culture undergirds identity. Their battles for emancipation have authentic vocabularies all their own that communicate paths for empowerment that at some times intersect and at others veer from the paths of their traditions. Their victories lie not in renunciation but in resistance and reclamation of faith, culture and public space.

Yousafzai is but one example of this ongoing fight. It is a contest that transcends Pakistan and the Muslim world and challenges Western ideas of feminism and its stereotypes and blind spots. The tradition of narratives that hold up the medieval backwardness of abandoned countries and pivot invasions on liberating their hapless women is a strong one, but it is built on the historical edifice of colonial subjugation. A Western feminism that asks Muslim women to leave their traditions at the door is fundamentally disempowering.

In Yousafzai, we have a teenage Pakistani girl who looked straight in the face of terror and came back to tell her story. Her book bears the message that the desire for empowerment is universal but amenable to many paths. The day before Yousafzai's book was released, the TTP vowed to bomb every bookstore in Pakistan that dares to sell it. Again and again, the Taliban have vowed to kill her if she dares to return to her beloved Swat. Yet at the end of her book and in almost every interview she has given, Yousafzai repeats this message: "I know I will return" � and she certainly will.

# ? Jul 13, 2015 23:10

Conch Shell Corp: Feb 24, 2009

Dreadfully awaiting the ISIS execution video where she is forced to read supermarket checkout Clancyesque fiction until she bleeds out of her eyes and ears to death.

# ? Jul 13, 2015 23:44

My Imaginary GF: Jul 17, 2005; by R. Guyovich

Malala Yousafzai contributed tens of thousands to construct sites of the sort which Hamas has used to launch terrorist attacks against Israel. I'd call that a bit of a problematic deficit with her character.

(USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)

# ? Jul 14, 2015 01:30

Narciss: Nov 29, 2004; by Cowcaster

My Imaginary GF posted:

Malala Yousafzai contributed tens of thousands to construct sites of the sort which Hamas has used to launch terrorist attacks against Israel. I'd call that a bit of a problematic deficit with her character.

The fact that she wears a Hijab is itself extremely problematic. What sort of message does that send to the vast swathes of oppressed women she claims to represent?

(USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)

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# ? Jul 14, 2015 01:34

V. Illych L.: Apr 11, 2008; ASK ME ABOUT LUMBER

Narciss posted:

The fact that she wears a Hijab is itself extremely problematic. What sort of message does that send to the vast swathes of oppressed women she claims to represent?

is this a serious post

# ? Jul 14, 2015 01:35

Mandy Thompson: Dec 26, 2014; by zen death robot

Narciss posted:

The fact that she wears a Hijab is itself extremely problematic. What sort of message does that send to the vast swathes of oppressed women she claims to represent?

Its a head covering. You are not liberating women by dictating what they can and cannot wear. If anything it is an attack on her cultural identity, not oppression. She is attacking oppression, you're just profiling.

My Imaginary GF posted:

Malala Yousafzai contributed tens of thousands to construct sites of the sort which Hamas has used to launch terrorist attacks against Israel. I'd call that a bit of a problematic deficit with her character.

They are schools, you are suggesting that Muslims shouldn't be able to have anything because some of them are terrorists. Maybe if Israel takes issue with terrorist attacks they could stop bombing the poo poo out Muslims as collective punishment

# ? Jul 14, 2015 01:45

Cugel the Clever: Apr 5, 2009; I LOVE AMERICA AND CAPITALISM DESPITE BEING POOR AS FUCK. I WILL NEVER RETIRE BUT HERE'S ANOTHER 200$ FOR UKRAINE, SLAVA

My Imaginary GF posted:

Malala Yousafzai contributed tens of thousands to construct sites of the sort which Hamas has used to launch terrorist attacks against Israel. I'd call that a bit of a problematic deficit with her character.

You're just making us love her more.

# ? Jul 14, 2015 04:38

My Imaginary GF: Jul 17, 2005; by R. Guyovich

Mandy Thompson posted:

They are schools, you are suggesting that Muslims shouldn't be able to have anything because some of them are terrorists. Maybe if Israel takes issue with terrorist attacks they could stop bombing the poo poo out Muslims as collective punishment

I am suggesting that nobel peace prize winners should not be funding sites from which Hamas launches terrorist attacks on Israel, and that if they insist otherwise, that their peace prize should be revoked for their irreputable conduct.

# ? Jul 14, 2015 04:41

i say swears online: Mar 4, 2005

My Imaginary GF posted:

Malala Yousafzai contributed tens of thousands to construct sites of the sort which Hamas has used to launch terrorist attacks against Israel. I'd call that a bit of a problematic deficit with her character.

See? Schools can be multipurpose buildings for the whole community.

# ? Jul 14, 2015 04:43

FilthyImp: Sep 30, 2002; Anime Deviant

My Imaginary GF posted:

I am suggesting that nobel peace prize winners should not be funding sites from which Hamas launches terrorist attacks on Israel, and that if they insist otherwise, that their peace prize should be revoked for their irreputable conduct.

What's wrong with launching freedom strikes against a genocidal nation?

Asking for a friend.

As an added bonus, the young men and women that attend those sites get valuable on-the-job training opportunities.

# ? Jul 14, 2015 05:04

Mandy Thompson: Dec 26, 2014; by zen death robot

My Imaginary GF posted:

I am suggesting that nobel peace prize winners should not be funding sites from which Hamas launches terrorist attacks on Israel, and that if they insist otherwise, that their peace prize should be revoked for their irreputable conduct.

These "sites" are schools. For girls. And she calls for investment in books, rather than bullets. Any building could theoretically be used to launch a terrorist attack. It sounds as though you would prefer them to live in squalid tents just so a colonial power can feel a little bit more safe.

# ? Jul 14, 2015 06:39

Nessus: Dec 22, 2003; After a Speaker vote, you may be entitled to a valuable coupon or voucher!

But what if that book... WAS THE BIBLE OF RADICAL ISLAM?

# ? Jul 14, 2015 06:59

Crowsbeak: Oct 9, 2012; by Azathoth; Lipstick Apathy

Nonsense posted:

There's too many crazy people in her part of the world. She should realize this, disavow Islam, and live in Greenwich Village for the rest of her life doing Fox News interviews.

What if she believes she has the authentic form of Islam?

My Imaginary GF posted:

Malala Yousafzai contributed tens of thousands to construct sites of the sort which Hamas has used to launch terrorist attacks against Israel. I'd call that a bit of a problematic deficit with her character.

Well that means she is universal in her support for liberating people.

Crowsbeak fucked around with this message at 07:03 on Jul 14, 2015

# ? Jul 14, 2015 07:01

Mandy Thompson: Dec 26, 2014; by zen death robot

Nessus posted:

But what if that book... WAS THE BIBLE OF RADICAL ISLAM?

I hardly think she intends to promote "radical Islam" given the Taliban shot her in the face but rather bona fide education for girls. She is a muslim and she is also a feminist. These are not contradictions. There is no religion of peace or religion of terror, its what you bring to it, religion is not merely a belief system but an important aspect of people's cultural heritage. Even western secular empiricism has been twisted to justify things like eugenics and massively unethical coercive human experimentation on top of the really great stuff like polio vaccines, smart phones, and toilet paper. Its what you bring to it.

# ? Jul 14, 2015 07:05

Rodatose: Jul 8, 2008; corn, corn, corn

Mandy Thompson posted:

actually now that I looked it up I really really want to read her book

http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/10/14/malala-yousafzaiislamfeminism.html

do it. it's very good.

and yes she hasn't disavowed islam; she's kind of conservative in some social views as a result of growing up in a less populated part of pakistan. When she was recovering in a british hospital after being shot, "Bend It Like Beckham" was showing and she asked that they turn it off because the characters taking their shirts off was deeply unsettling to her. She comes at her work in the same way christian reformers do, by citing specific parts of texts that oppose different parts that their opponents cite (for instance, she cites that god gave us the ability to learn so that we can use it to the best of our ability and make this world better).

It might be hard for some people to believe but she opposes both taliban/extremist jackasses and american intelligence/military hegemony as they both have a history of disposably using normal people and ruining places in pakistan without any benefit to the people who end up as collateral damage.

Rodatose fucked around with this message at 07:13 on Jul 14, 2015

# ? Jul 14, 2015 07:05

Nessus: Dec 22, 2003; After a Speaker vote, you may be entitled to a valuable coupon or voucher!

Mandy Thompson posted:

I hardly think she intends to promote "radical Islam" given the Taliban shot her in the face but rather bona fide education for girls. She is a muslim and she is also a feminist. These are not contradictions. There is no religion of peace or religion of terror, its what you bring to it, religion is not merely a belief system but an important aspect of people's cultural heritage. Even western secular empiricism has been twisted to justify things like eugenics and massively unethical coercive human experimentation on top of the really great stuff like polio vaccines, smart phones, and toilet paper. Its what you bring to it.

Well yes, I was making fun of MIGF

# ? Jul 14, 2015 07:13

forkboy84: Jun 13, 2012; Corgis love bread. And Puro

Mandy Thompson posted:

These "sites" are schools. For girls. And she calls for investment in books, rather than bullets. Any building could theoretically be used to launch a terrorist attack. It sounds as though you would prefer them to live in squalid tents just so a colonial power can feel a little bit more safe.

See, what you've done here is treat MIGF as having had a serious point and that's just encouraged him to ramp the gimmick up even more.

forkboy84 fucked around with this message at 15:21 on Jul 14, 2015

# ? Jul 14, 2015 11:44

V. Illych L.: Apr 11, 2008; ASK ME ABOUT LUMBER

i was worried that this thread was only going to be gushing about malala yousafzai

evidently i underestimated the sheer pig-headedness of certain posters

For real, though, does it seem as though she is a symbol of a trend, or is she as exceptional an individual as we're made to believe? I haven't been watching very closely

# ? Jul 14, 2015 12:05

Mandy Thompson: Dec 26, 2014; by zen death robot

forkboy84 posted:

See, what you've done here is treat MIGF as having bad a serious point and that's just encouraged him to ramp the gimmick up even more.

lesson learned, he's on ignore now.

# ? Jul 14, 2015 14:54

Rodatose: Jul 8, 2008; corn, corn, corn

V. Illych L. posted:

For real, though, does it seem as though she is a symbol of a trend, or is she as exceptional an individual as we're made to believe? I haven't been watching very closely

well, if you're asking if she's just one activist out of many in a movement who rose to prominence after being shot, no. she is pretty exceptional, and is in the situation she is in because her father wanted to open schools for girls and ended up getting involved in politics because they lived in the borderlands away from urban centers where the taliban ended up getting a stronghold. The strong sense of justice rubbed off on her. She ended up making waves against the local command because of blogging complaining about the injustices and hypocrisies of taliban rule, and ended up a specific target of an assassination attempt.

She hadn't feared direct reprisal too much at the time because before her, no specific assassination orders by the taliban had ever been made against teenage females so the thought they would specifically target one was a bit much to imagine. If anything, she and her father feared the school being burned down or bombed.

That's not to say others haven't stood up for or believed in female education and were killed for it (see the aforementioned school burnings and bombings) but she's pretty clearly using the pulpit in a way others haven't, and was the target of a direct political assassination attempt for it.

Rodatose fucked around with this message at 15:09 on Jul 14, 2015

# ? Jul 14, 2015 15:06

XMNN: Apr 26, 2008; I am incredibly stupid

My Imaginary GF posted:

I am suggesting that nobel peace prize winners should not be funding sites from which Hamas launches terrorist attacks on Israel, and that if they insist otherwise, that their peace prize should be revoked for their irreputable conduct.

I'd start by taking Obama's, Kissinger's and Shimon Peres' first, to be honest.

# ? Jul 14, 2015 18:39

PleasingFungus: Oct 10, 2012; idiot asshole bitch who should fuck off

Rodatose posted:

well, if you're asking if she's just one activist out of many in a movement who rose to prominence after being shot, no. she is pretty exceptional, and is in the situation she is in because her father wanted to open schools for girls and ended up getting involved in politics because they lived in the borderlands away from urban centers where the taliban ended up getting a stronghold. The strong sense of justice rubbed off on her. She ended up making waves against the local command because of blogging complaining about the injustices and hypocrisies of taliban rule, and ended up a specific target of an assassination attempt.

yeah, one of the interesting things about her book was that she was actually regionally known before she got shot; her blog was on the bbc website, though it was pseudoanonymous. I forget if she got a school named after her before or after the assassination attempt, but I want to say it was just before?

Mandy Thompson posted:

actually now that I looked it up I really really want to read her book

it's a good read, though the writing leaves something to be desired. the foreign correspondent who's co-credited with the writing really helped smother everything that makes her character stand out. it still shines through here and there, though.

# ? Jul 14, 2015 19:02

PleasingFungus: Oct 10, 2012; idiot asshole bitch who should fuck off

My Imaginary GF posted:

Malala Yousafzai contributed tens of thousands to construct sites of the sort which Hamas has used to launch terrorist attacks against Israel. I'd call that a bit of a problematic deficit with her character.

(USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)

anyway, goldmine.

# ? Jul 14, 2015 19:02

Helsing: Aug 23, 2003; DON'T POST IN THE ELECTION THREAD UNLESS YOU JOE BIDEN

The cool thing about MIGF is that while his posts are always stupid they're not actually that much dumber than the way Israel and the USA actually behave a lot of the time. In that sense his gimmick is rather educational.

# ? Jul 15, 2015 00:14

Miltank: Dec 27, 2009; by XyloJW

He is usually very good at speaking as a member of the DNC- albeit one that has a questionably strong allegiance to Israel.

# ? Jul 15, 2015 02:39

TheArmorOfContempt: Nov 29, 2012; Did I ever tell you my favorite color was blue?

Narciss posted:

The fact that she wears a Hijab is itself extremely problematic. What sort of message does that send to the vast swathes of oppressed women she claims to represent?

(USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)

I don't get why this deserved a probation, it was a perfect follow-up to what I assumed was a joke post.

I mean considering the way this forum runs on politics I am unsure what is worth debating. Malala is great human being and an inspiration to women across the Muslim world. Is there really anything controversial about her?

# ? Jul 15, 2015 02:51

FourLeaf: Dec 2, 2011

Uroboros posted:

I don't get why this deserved a probation, it was a perfect follow-up to what I assumed was a joke post.

I mean considering the way this forum runs on politics I am unsure what is worth debating. Malala is great human being and an inspiration to women across the Muslim world. Is there really anything controversial about her?

She's a socialist, which is very controversial to certain people.

# ? Jul 15, 2015 03:30

Dr. Killjoy: Oct 9, 2012

Not just any socialist, but a loving Trotskyist at that :ussr:

# ? Jul 15, 2015 03:34

TheImmigrant: Jan 18, 2011

18-year olds are known for being politically sophisticated.

# ? Jul 15, 2015 03:38

Kim Jong Il: Aug 16, 2003

Uroboros posted:

I don't get why this deserved a probation, it was a perfect follow-up to what I assumed was a joke post.

I mean considering the way this forum runs on politics I am unsure what is worth debating. Malala is great human being and an inspiration to women across the Muslim world. Is there really anything controversial about her?

In many parts of Pakistan she is seen as a tool of western imperialism so in theory that angle could come up.

# ? Jul 15, 2015 03:41

Rodatose: Jul 8, 2008; corn, corn, corn

TheImmigrant posted:

18-year olds are known for being politically sophisticated.

I trust you on this because you've probably had many conversations with people roughly around that age which've dragged on long that you start to reach for topics so that it doesn't become awkwardly silent and end up talking about half formed political views

# ? Jul 15, 2015 03:47

TheArmorOfContempt: Nov 29, 2012; Did I ever tell you my favorite color was blue?

FourLeaf posted:

She's a socialist, which is very controversial to certain people.

Kim Jong Il posted:

In many parts of Pakistan she is seen as a tool of western imperialism so in theory that angle could come up.

I get that other people find her controversial, otherwise they wouldn't of shot her. My point is more that here on this forum, being a socialist is par the course, and I can't see anyone really finding issue with trying to ensure Muslim women in the Middle East have access to education. Perhaps DnD is in need of a thread where we celebrate human beings doing good things in the world?

# ? Jul 15, 2015 04:07

Rodatose: Jul 8, 2008; corn, corn, corn

Yes that would be good

# ? Jul 15, 2015 04:32

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# ? Apr 19, 2024 02:49

Cugel the Clever: Apr 5, 2009; I LOVE AMERICA AND CAPITALISM DESPITE BEING POOR AS FUCK. I WILL NEVER RETIRE BUT HERE'S ANOTHER 200$ FOR UKRAINE, SLAVA

Crowsbeak posted:

What if she believes she has the authentic form of Islam?

The Mahdi is come. The End Times are truly upon us.

# ? Jul 15, 2015 05:35

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > Malala Yousafzai celebrates 18th birthday by opening a school for refugees