Public Comment

A Personal Letter for Freedom Fighters for Education: Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi

Khalida Jamilah
Thursday October 16, 2014 - 10:33:00 PM

Dear Malala and Mr. Satyarthi,

I want to congratulate both of you as a Nobel Peace Prize laureates for your perseverance and accomplishment to bring equal access to higher education. As a student sometimes I do not appreciate the privilege of education I experience in the United States. For instance I am still complaining when I carry heavy books in my backpack or when I walk long distances to get to my classrooms. But I realize I should not be complaining because the students in the remote areas of Pakistan and India do not take education for granted like I do. 

Malala, you are the second Pakistani Nobel laureate after Dr. Abdus Salam. While the extremist group in your country dislikes your effort to empower young female students to pursue higher education, the tombstone of Dr. Salam which had the words “First Muslim Nobel Laureate” was defaced and the word ‘Muslim’ was erased because as an Ahmadi Muslim he was considered a non-Muslim according to the definition provided in the II Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan. But you showed the world that even bullets will never hinder your determination to bring peace by educating young female students. Your struggle is the true reflection of Jihad which itself means ‘struggle’ and to do the right thing. You are indeed doing the right thing by sacrificing your life for the sake of seeking knowledge. 

Mr. Satyarthi, I also applaud your effort and perseverance because you were willing to sacrifice your career as an electrical engineer to protect Indian children from child labor and slavery and providing them the freedom to receive education. 

Both of you also apply Mahatma Gandhi’s famous quote “Be the change you wish to change” by inspiring all of us, especially knowledge seekers, to utilize and share our knowledge to create a peaceful world. So next time when I wake up in the morning, I will not complain anymore even if I have to walk uphill to my classrooms with a heavy backpack because I want to join both of you in spreading peace in the world through education. 

Sincerely, 

Khalida Jamilah 


Khalida Jamilah is a third year student of Peace and Conflict Studies at UC Berkeley and a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Women’s Writer’s Association.