I am Malala - 3 Quarks Daily

Baroness Sayeeda Warsi in The Telegraph:

Malala22_2696060a Malala Yousafzai’s story begins with her parents being commiserated with after producing a baby girl. In their part of northern Pakistan, she says, rifle shots ring out in celebration of a baby boy’s arrival. But there is no such fanfare for females: their destiny is to cook and clean, to be neither seen nor heard. When Mr and Mrs Yousafzai were married, a small boy was placed on their laps to encourage the birth of a son. It didn’t work: their first-born was a girl who “popped out kicking and screaming”. Her father was mocked by relatives for bothering to add her name to the family tree, which only featured men. So how did Malala, who barely warranted a mention in her family’s genealogy, become destined for the history books as a powerful symbol for girls’ universal right to an education? Her memoir I am Malala tells us how. Almost a year ago, the world became aware of Malala when she was shot by the Taliban for what they deemed a crime: going to school, and fighting for that right.

…Malala and her family have an answer to some of the man-made problems: education. As she says, describing her father: “Education had been a great gift to him. He believed that lack of education was the root of all Pakistan’s problems. He believed schooling should be available for all, rich and poor, boys and girls.” That is why the UK government is working with the government of Pakistan to deliver better quality and more widely available education. This will put four million children in school by 2015, recruit and train new teachers, and construct or rebuild more than 20,000 classrooms. She may not have warranted an entry on her family tree, but today Malala is known across the world. “I’m one of the few fathers known by his daughter,” Mr Yousafzai is quoted as saying towards the end of the book. She has turned a potential tragedy into a positive – bringing to the world’s attention that crucial issue of a girl’s right to an education. This is certainly not the last we have heard from Malala.

More here.