MALALA Yousafzai  is an extraordinary human being; a young girl

whose heroic battle, not only   for the right of  children to receive an education, but for girls to have the same right, pitted her against  the fundamentalist radical Islamic organisation, the Taliban, in her native Pakistan. It was an epic struggle that she commenced at the tender age of 11, when most young girls would be in the process of discovering their femininity.
It is well known that during the Taliban rule of Afghanistan, it instituted its austere version of Sharia Law that denied women all rights. For example, young girls and women were denied the right to receive an education; women could not venture from their homes, without  being accompanied, either  by their husbands, or  close male relatives; could not appear on the balconies of their apartments; were denied the right to ride a motor cycle, or travel unaccompanied in a vehicle; had to be covered in dress apparel from head to toe; were subjected to public lashes, should their ankles not be covered; could not wear perfumes;  could not speak in loud tones, and could not utter laughter in the hearing of males. Even their footsteps were forbidden to be heard by males. Other extremes of Sharia application included men having to grow compulsory beards and the banning of radio and television.
Though they were driven from power  by US forces in 2002, it is known that the Taliban has been re-emerging in many parts of Afghanistan, and these dreaded laws that had ceased may be in the process of being re-instituted, especially since the recent handing over of security responsibilities to the Hamid Karzai Government. Their rejection from Kabul resulted in finding sanctuary in next door Pakistan, particularly in the volatile North Western region, inclusive of the Swat Valley, the home of Malala, and  where they have established their dreaded presence and have sought to impose Sharia, among which laws  forbid young  girls to have an education.
It is this fundamentalist edict which this brave young girl has vocalised against, via her blog, and which brought her into deadly conflict with the Taliban extremists, who almost took her life. It was an incident which attracted full international condemnation, and which reverberated powerfully for the realities that it highlighted – the plight of children, and the dark and mediaeval prejudices still imposed on women, under the  guise of religion.
Malala’s  recent  address before the special international youth leaders assembly convened  at the United Nations, hailed a heroine whose  message content revealed a profound understanding of the  problems of children in conflict areas, and women whose advancement  are still threatened by chauvinist cultures. Her message that spoke of forgiveness for even her alleged assassin resonated powerfully with that of the revered Nelson Mandela who spoke similarly when he was released from Robben Island prison. Speaking further, she advocated the doctrine of non-violence, as she invoked the iconic Father of Indian Independence, Mahatma Gandhi.
But it was her call, “Let us pick up our books and our pens. They are our most powerful weapons. One teacher, one book, one pen, can change the world”. This message is not only urgent, but timely for the implications that it holds for children, more so young girls.
There is no denying the fact that education is a necessary foundation for all human beings for an understanding of themselves, their role in their respective societies, and for their eventual contribution to the development process. It is an indispensable quantum that removes irrationality, and ignorance, thereby enabling enlightenment to become the guide for betterment of one’s condition.
Therefore, it is an absolute that every society understand this critical necessity and invests heavily in such programmes so that its human resources are equipped for their role of nation-building. A nation that fails to do this is one that will remain in its sloth, with a debilitating socio-economic and cultural backwardness. But education must not be fettered by the chains of cultural discrimination that seeks to imprison the physical, and even the mental state, because of gender considerations. It is a dispensation that must be without such abysmal conditions. In this way, all will benefit; and all will contribute to the good of the whole.
Finally, no state that is in perpetual armed conflict will ever be able to promote any such critically important social development programme as education. Children cannot access schooling, much less learning, during such hostilities. It means that each state must strive to maintain a peaceful environment, and work together to eliminate “poverty, illiteracy and terrorism”. This is the wise call of Malala Yousafzai, which governments that are mired in conflict, are reminded to heed.