Resilience or The Malala Story

Malala Yousafzai

Walking around my flat, to which I am presently, though temporarily, confined because of a mysterious leg pain, I was feeling a little rebellious about my circumstances this morning  when I reminded myself that part of my self-image is of my normal resilience. I expect to cope with whatever Life throws at me, including the increasing burdens of ageing! And, of course, I am, and I do.

Malala with her inspiration: her father Ziauddin

But with the concept of resilience thus in my head, I then happened to see a photo online of Malala Yousafzai, a confident young woman now grown from the young teenager she was when she first shot to fame at the age of 12 or 13. The phrase, ‘shot to fame’, used without irony, is rather apt. In 2009 she had begun writing a blog under a pseudonym criticising the increasing Taliban military activity in her hometown, and voicing fears that her school would be attacked. Somehow her identity was revealed but she, and her father, headmaster of a school in their village, courageously continued to speak out publicly about the necessity of female education. Archbishop Desmond Tutu nominated her for the International Children’s Peace Prize in 2011. In 2012, still living in her home area of the Swat Valley in Pakistan, she began publicly opposing Taliban restrictions on female education.

Malala and family in Birmingham, post shooting

The Taliban’s attack on Malala happened on 9^th October 2012, after she had begun her anti-Taliban protests, when she was shot three times in the head by a gunman who boarded her school bus and demanded, “Who is Malala?” as she returned home with her friends. This atrocity shocked the world and in Pakistan alone, over 2 million people signed a ‘Right to Education for Girls’ petition and the National Assembly ratified Pakistan’s first ‘Right to Free and Compulsory Education’ Bill. Surgeons removed several bullets from Malala’s head, and then, due to the severity of her injuries, she was flown, still in a coma, to England for medical treatment and rehabilitation in a specialist trauma centre in Birmingham. Initially she was alone in Birmingham, her father remaining in the Swat Valley with the rest of his family who had no passports, to protect them, though her parents did see her soon after the shooting. They were distraught to see that the left side of her face was paralysed, and she couldn’t smile. Surgeons operated to repair Malala’s damaged facial nerve and after three months, movement began returning to her face.

Malala's mother, Toor Pekai Yousafzai
She originally believed that a daughter should never leave 
the house alone. She is the most connected to the Pashtun
traditional ways around her but unusually, she and Ziauddin
chose each other to marry and treat each other as equals. He
always asks her for her advice which he greatly values.

One year later, she and her father, her declared inspiration and ally, co-founded The Malala Fund to further enhance public awareness of the social and economic impact of girls’ education, and to empower girls to demand change. On her 16^th birthday, July 12^th, 2013, she spoke at the United Nations, calling for all children to have access to education. In December 2014, she became the youngest-ever Nobel Peace Prize laureate at 17, awarded for her work in promoting education for all children, and in 2017 Secretary-General Antonio Guterres designated Malala as a United Nations Messenger of Peace to help further raise awareness of the importance of girls’ education.

Proud Muslim father

Malala was born in July 1997 and unusually, her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, vowed she would have every opportunity normally given to a boy. This was a rare and important paternal gift to a daughter in Pakistan where daughters were less prized than sons and may well have conferred confident feelings of being a special person on Malala. Despite his family's sadness at the birth of a daughter, Ziauddin insisted that his baby girl's name be included in the family tree, much to the horror of the wider family. All of his life, Ziauddin has spoken up for human rights and girls' education, insisting that girls too could attend his village school and thus incurring the public wrath of the local Mullah. He continued with his vocal support for girls' education, even when his friends and supporters were shot by the Taliban for their beliefs, and when everyone around him expected he would be the next casualty. He wasn't; the Taliban shot his teenage daughter instead.  He is passionate and confident in his beliefs and has spoken up publicly, and written about, honour killings and of course, women's rights. Indeed it is obvious why Malala is so confident and public in her support of girls' right to education.                         

Speaking at the U.N. on her 16th birthday, calling for all
children to have access to education.
July 12th 2013.

                                   

She grew up believing she had the right to speak her mind on sensitive issues and has developed into a prominent human rights activist and advocate for girls’ education, especially in Pakistan, becoming a global symbol of the fight for human rights. Married in 2021 to Asser Malik after the couple met at Oxford University in 2018, she is currently focussed on her duties as executive Chair and co-founder of the Malala Fund advocating for girls' education globally. She is also involved in various projects including film production and writing, continuing to represent girls'voices and demands. She has her own film production company, Extracurricular, and is actively involved in Hollywood advocating in particular, for more diverse representation.

Reading around the topic of Malala, I came across the framework developed by Dr Kenneth Ginsburg, which he called ‘The Seven Cs of Resilience’, qualities which he suggested work together to help individuals develop resilience and navigate difficult changes effectively.

Competence: knowing how to handle situations effectively and having a sense of personal efficacy.

Confidence: Having faith in one’s ability to succeed and persevere through challenges.  

Connection: Having strong social ties and a sense of belonging to a community.

Character: Having a strong moral compass and understanding of right and wrong.

Yousafzai family as the children grow up.
Malala's brothers are Khushal and Atal.

Contribution: Making a positive impact on others and feeling a sense of purpose.

Coping: Developing effective strategies to manage stress and adversity.

Control: Having a sense of urgency and the ability to make choices that impact one’s life.

It is likely that Malala has never heard of the Seven Cs but the silhouette outlined in the list above, is eerily Malala-shaped.

 

Post Script

We learn from her autobiography, I Am Malala, that her father, Ziauddin, kept a famous poem in his pocket for inspiration, (written by Martin Niemoller, prominent German  Lutheran pastor known for his staunch opposition to the Nazi regime and for his efforts to uphold Christian values.)

First they came for the communists,

and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a communist.

Then they came for the socialists, 

and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a socialist.

Martin Niemoller released Oct 28th 1945 after
imprisonment by Nazis in Sachsenhausen
&  Dachau from 1938, including three years
solitary.

Then they came for the trade unionists,

and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews,

and I didn’t speak out because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for the Catholics,

and I didn’t speak out because I was not a Catholic.

Then they came for me,

                                        and there was no one left to speak for me.