Malala's Nobel: Don't believe the fanatics
The Nobel Peace prize to Pakistani teenager Malala Yusufzai is an opportunity for the Muslims of the world to sit and introspect as to how violent and regressive their world has become. A teen who defied terrorists to continue with her educational pursuit has wowed us all by her courage. It says a lot about us.
Alas! Rather than hailing her, the fanatics and the so-called fundamentalists see a Western conspiracy behind the award being given to Malala. In their eyes, young Malala is an evil person who has defied the Quran and Hadith, and the anti-Islamic West has rewarded her for this defiance. They would like to believe that women do not have any right to step out of their homes, to seek knowledge. They propagate this nonsense using Quranic verses and the Hadith selectively as per their convenience. This fanaticism is dominating the rational thinking, which is perhaps why we're seeing the rise of groups such as Taliban, ISIS or al-Qaeda (in one form or the other).
Leave aside Pakistan for a moment, several of my friends in India, too, feel that a Nobel to Malala is a reward for rebelling against Islam.
Fanatics invoke Quran and Hadith selectively to justify their act, so I would also like to invoke the holy text to ask a fundamental question: How did Malala defy Islam by not shunning school despite terror threats?
On education, the last Prophet of Islam Mohammad (PBUH) has been quoted as saying by many scholars, "Seek knowledge even if you have to go to China." Though this Hadith is contested by some scholars, one cannot deny that the Prophet had said something to this effect. He didn't differentiate between a man and a woman. Had there been any objection with female education, the Prophet would have made it clear. Read more on this here.
Prophet Muhammad's life is described as Hayat-e-Tayyaba, which means a noble life and it is obligatory for all Muslims to emulate him. His first marriage took place at the age of 25 with a prosperous and successful Arab businesswoman Khadija bint Khuwaylid, who is regarded as the "mother of Islam". She is also referred to as Ameerat Quraish, princess of Quraish and at-Tahira, the "Pure One", for her impeccable personality.
Khadija was an independent trader and needed someone honest to assist her in her business dealings. She employed Mohammad and was impressed with his honesty and proposed for marriage.
A reputed Islamic scholar Dr Ahmed El-Kadi describes this marriage in these many words: "The fact is Khadijah was the one who approached the Prophet regarding the marriage through her friend, Nafeesah. Many of the Muslims feel that it is not appropriate for a girl or her guardian to approach a man regarding marriage, and that the man is the one who should ask for the girl's hand. The example of the Prophet's marriage to Khadijah shows that such a tradition is just a matter of false pride. It is quite appropriate for a female seeking marriage, or for her guardian, to approach a qualified candidate regarding marriage." Read in detail here.
So, the big takeaways from the Prophet's marriage with Khadija is one that a woman can work and not necessarily be dependent and two she is very well within her rights to choose who to marry. These two points are pertinent because it's a misplaced notion that Islam discourages women to work and they don't have the right to choose who they want to marry.
My point is this, Islam is not against women's education, and in the light of Hadith and Quran, one can say Malala did nothing wrong by fighting for girls' education in her neighbourhood and the treatment she was meted out by the so-called jihadist was anti-Islamic.
Let the peace prize be an opportunity for fanatics to come out of this cave of ignorance. Pakistan must openly cheer for her as their own victory.
Cheers to Malala and an average Muslim who believes Islam stands for peace.