Proud of my religion and my country: Malala
islamabad — Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai says she has pined for her home in Pakistan’s picturesque Swat Valley, even as she recalled two years living in fear under the Taleban’s harsh interpretation of Islamic law.
“I am proud of my religion, and I am proud of my country,” she told Reuters in an interview at her hotel on Friday.
Yousafzai said she was elated at being home, though she is still waiting for security clearance to visit Swat.
“I had never been so excited for anything. I’ve never been so happy before,” she said.
“I miss everything about Pakistan ... right from the rivers, the mountains, to even the dirty streets and the garbage around our house, and my friends and how we used to have gossip and talk about our school life, to how we used to fight with our neighbours.” She said she has wanted to return before but, aside from security concerns, there was the hectic pace of school and her entry exams to Oxford, where she began studying last year for a degree in politics, philosophy and economics.
“I still remember each and every moment, right from the fear while sleeping at night that you might not be alive the next day,” Yousafzai said. “The fear that if you are going to school, someone might stop you and throw acid in your face.”
A group of private schools in Pakistan declared Friday to be “I Am Not Malala Day”, for what its spokesman described as her “antiIslam and anti-Pakistan ideology”. That description puzzles Malala. “I just don’t know anything I’ve said that makes me anti-Pakistan or antiIslam,” she said. “Islam has taught me the importance of peace. Islam has taught me the importance of education. The first word of Islam, or the first word of Holy Quran, is ‘Iqra’ which means ‘read’.” “We did talk about education and I appreciated what he has done, but I think there is a lot more that needs to be done. The government promised 4 per cent of GDP for education but only so far has increased it to 2.7,” she said. —