"Dear sisters and
brothers, the so-called world of adults may understand it, but we children
don't. Why is it that countries which we call strong" are so powerful in
creating wars but are so weak in bringing peace? Why is it that giving guns is
so easy but giving books is so hard? Why is it, why is it that making tanks is
so easy, but building schools is so hard?"
As Malala Yousafzai delivered
her Noble Lecture live on my TV Screen, I listened at all ears. As the youngest
noble laureate in all history, she gave a powerful speech arresting in its
utter straightforwardness. It was simple, yet so powerful. It moved my heart. I
am so glad me to see her accepting the Nobel Peace Prize with Kailash
Satyarthi, the Indian children’s rights advocate. But it also brings pain to
learn that many children especially girls could not enjoy education. It is even
sadder to know that they are deprived of such basic privilege mostly due to
social taboo and misguided religious interpretations.
Sadly, but truly, women and girls have been victims of
ruthless power struggles for centuries in all societies and cultures around the
world. Throughout history, many pious individuals have pondered their
relationship with God only to end up with a program of hatred, murder,
misogyny, bigotry or child abuse. The world seems to conspire in exercising
the patriarchy in different forms such as the denial to education, unequal
salaries compared to men in workplaces, forced marriages and prostitution,
among many others.
It is exasperating to
continue hearing news on how group of individuals or a bunch of the so called
'religious clerics' use religion to rob girls of education, saying it is
forbidden and deemed as seed of evils! Gee, I can’t help thinking what a stupid
shallow baseless argument they draw on. Are they playing God? Worse, are they
idiotically personifying themselves above God and the Prophet? It is so
maddening. Reasoning with them is just like hitting a concrete wall.
As if history repeated
all over again, just days after we rejoiced in Malala’s speech and tried to
work the dream alive, the world is shocked by the deliberate killing of
innocent people at an army-run school in Peshawar by Pakistani Taliban
militants, killing 141 people, 132 of them children. On that fateful day, many
Malala died when they were at school. In a place where knowledge should have
flourished, these kids were brutally exposed to violence, vengeance and horror.
The gory details as recalled by the survivors made our stomach to churn and our
core rocked with unspeakable rage. The grotesque massacre was a message to
discourage Malala and her supporters in advocating education for women or
children.
What madness drove
these beasts to unleash their senseless brutal attack to the innocents? Militants
have perpetrated extreme violent acts in the name of religion – whether it be
Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism or another faith throughout history.
This has emphasized that terrorism cannot and should not associated with any religion,
nationality or civilization. We must thus avoid the temptation to be simplistic
that all religions are the source of the problem.
So to speak, these are
not the act of group of religious people. This is an act of Godless people.
Violence is their faith. Dead and blood are their rituals. Hatred is their
burning fuel for existence. To spread fear and terror is their sole goal. And
they will not stop until their objective is achieved.
This abominable
slaughter could only have come from the hands of evil, deploying those who have
given themselves over to wickedness, to commit this dreadful thing. No logic
reason can justify what was done except that these militants have again shown
their lust for innocent blood and their disdain for a peaceful life. They
intimidate, terrorize and kill Muslims, Christians, and other faiths alike and
spread wanton destruction. They bow to nothing but their own ego.
Thus,
the people all around the world, regardless of race, color or religion must
stand arm in arm to tackle this terrorist onslaught. Only if we unite, will
this terrorist machine and those behind it be defeated. We have to stand firm
to acknowledge that no one has the right to deny a boy or a girl their
education. We have to uphold the justice that without education, one will face
limited prospects, have decreased family income and reduced health. Lack of
education will also put women and girls of trafficking and exploitation and
limits the economic advancement of the entire countries.
We
also have to unite to say NO to violence in resolving any conflict. We have to
promote peace and love as the antidote of war and hatred.
In
view of this, we must learn to be good to each other, be tolerant and
respectful to strive for a vision of harmony. Our race should outgrow the
barbarism of ignorant beasts in a world where growing intolerance carries a
forbidden fruit that might open the Pandora’s box.
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