Malala's Mission - Alessandra Potenza

     In many parts of the world, girls are uneducated. Here in the United States females have the luxury of education, but in places like Afghanistan and Pakistan, they don’t. Girls have to fight to go to school. In the article “Malala’s Mission”, Alessandra Potenza informs the reader about Malala Yousafzai, a young Pakistani girl who spoke up for women’s rights. The author demonstrates to the reader that Malala Yousafzai is a person to look up to.

     The message that Malala is a role model for many females is portrayed throughout the article. The article starts with, “Life changed forever for 15- year old Malala Yousafzai on Oct. 9, 2012. On her way home from school that day in Pakistan, two members of the Taliban flagged down her school bus, and one of them shot her in the head.” This paragraph introduces Malala’s character. It shows the reader her importance and strength. She is important because the Taliban bothered searching for her. She is strong because she survived a bullet through her head. These characteristics shaped her into a person to look up to. The author then says that Malala had been speaking out for women’s rights since 2008. This shows that she is persevering and further supports that Malala is a strong and important role model for many.

     To support her claim that Malala is a role model, Alessandra Potenza includes an interview with her. In the interview Potenza asks Malala what she would say to the Taliban who tried to kill her. Malala replies, “‘So I [would] tell them education is important, and the view they have that education is not allowed in Islam is totally wrong. In Islam, it is said that education is not only each child’s right, but it’s compulsory. So [the Taliban] should definitely study Islam because I think they don’t really know it yet.’”     This shows that Malala is not afraid to say what she thinks. The inclusion of Malala’s interview helps the reader understand how great of a role model she is. Her words show that it is important to speak up for your beliefs. Someone who can speak up is a true leader.  

     This article reminds me of Khaled Hosseini’s novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns. Both literary works demonstrate the Taliban’s view on women’s education. Khaled Hosseini and Malala Yousafzai both understand that the Taliban use Islam as a reason to detract as much power as they can from women. Being a Muslim myself, I agree with Malala in that the Islamic religion does not say that women should be deprived of education, but instead that every child’s education comes first. After reading this article, I understand that education is a gift that I should cherish.