Centre Daily Times Logo

Their View | Pakistani teenager still disrespected in homeland | Centre Daily Times

×
  • E-edition
  • Home
    • Customer Service
    • Mobile & Apps
    • Archives
    • Contact Us
    • Plus
    • eEdition
    • Newsletters
    • Subscribe
    • About Us
    • Local
    • Penn State
    • Sandusky Scandal
    • Communities
    • Crime
    • Business
    • Education
    • Politics
    • Public Records
    • State
    • Nation/World
    • Weird News
    • Sports
    • College
    • Golf
    • High School
    • MLB
    • Motorsports
    • NFL
    • NHL
    • Outdoors
    • Penn State
    • State College Spikes
    • Politics
    • Elections
    • PSU Sports
    • PSU Football
    • PSU Basketball
    • PSU Baseball
    • PSU Hockey
    • PSU Soccer
    • PSU Volleyball
    • PSU Wrestling
    • Nittany Lines Blog
  • Penn State Football
    • Living
    • Announcements
    • Family Pages
    • Eat, Play, Live
    • Home & Garden
    • Entertainment
    • Weekender
    • Comics
    • Games & Puzzles
    • Celebrities
    • Horoscopes
    • Movie News & Reviews
    • Music
    • TV
    • Opinion
    • Editorial Cartoons
    • Submit a Letter
  • Obituaries

  • Classifieds
  • Jobs
  • Cars
  • Homes
  • Place An Ad
  • Mobile & Apps

Opinion

Their View | Pakistani teenager still disrespected in homeland

    ORDER REPRINT →

July 12, 2014 11:42 PM

Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani teenager deservedly named the 2014 recipient of the Liberty Medal by the National Constitution Center, should be an inspiration for girls and women worldwide, having survived a 2012 attack by a Taliban gunman to continue her advocacy for girls’ education rights.

Even as Malala accumulates accolades in the West, however, her endeavors remain controversial in Pakistan. Ironically, many of her own people have criticized her and called her an American agent.

Her popular book, “I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban,” published last year, has been banned in Pakistan’s private schools on the grounds that it’s disrespectful of Islam. Malala’s achievements at such a tender age — she won Pakistan’s National Youth Peace Prize in 2011 and the U.N. Human Rights Prize in 2013 — have also raised eyebrows in her homeland, where some question whether she deserves such honors. Because Malala is not the only victim of injustice toward women, some believe she has enjoyed disproportionate recognition for a little girl from the Swat valley, a frontier region beset by terrorism.

Terrorism thrives in Pakistan partly because of widespread hostility toward independent women. Malala was shot by the Taliban, but many of her harshest critics are regular Pakistanis.

SIGN UP

Sign Up and Save

Get six months of free digital access to the Centre Daily Times

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

#ReadLocal

  Comments  

Videos

Woman tells her story of DUI arrest to prevent others from drinking and driving

Blake Gillikin puts Thon experience into perspective

View More Video

Trending Stories

Penn State wrestler Jason Nolf still full of surprises in dominant win over Michigan State

February 15, 2019 10:59 PM

Jury returns verdict in child rape trial for Mifflin County man

February 15, 2019 01:36 PM

Penn State assistant coach Phil Galiano leaving to pursue NFL opportunity

February 15, 2019 09:20 AM

Downtown State College has lost some iconic restaurants. What do the replacements offer?

February 15, 2019 11:32 AM

Thon 2019 kicks off with surprise performance by Andy Grammer

February 15, 2019 10:20 PM

things to do

Read Next

Letters to the Editor

Letters: What’s the history of State High alma mater?; Sexist ad had no place at Penn State

By CDT readers

    ORDER REPRINT →

February 14, 2019 08:20 PM

Centre Daily Times readers express opinion about EPA, Penn State and more.

KEEP READING

Sign Up and Save

#ReadLocal

Get six months of free digital access to the Centre Daily Times

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

MORE OPINION

Letters to the Editor

Letters: Blame for offensive ad falls to Penn State; UConn has much to prove to fan base

February 13, 2019 08:54 PM

Letters to the Editor

Letters: Rule changes needed in Pa. legislature; carelessness shown over ad at Penn State

February 13, 2019 10:57 AM

Letters to the Editor

Letters: Paterno’s Saudi Arabia connection; state of emergency was warranted

February 09, 2019 07:22 PM

Letters to the Editor

Letters: Thankful after tragedy; Sunday hunting is a property rights issue

February 09, 2019 07:21 PM

Letters to the Editor

Letters: Get used to polar vortex effects; New York abortion law protects women’s health

February 08, 2019 09:02 AM

Letters to the Editor

Letters: Penn State saw something, said nothing; Thompson took the right action on horse legislation

February 07, 2019 08:49 AM
Take Us With You

Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand.

Icon for mobile apps

Centre Daily Times App

View Newsletters

Subscriptions
  • Start a Subscription
  • Customer Service
  • eEdition
  • Vacation Hold
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Rewards
Learn More
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletters
  • News in Education
  • Photo Store
  • Archives
Advertising
  • Information
  • Place a Classified
  • Local Deals
  • Place an Obituary
  • Today's Circulars
Copyright
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service


Back to Story