Malala’s lesson....Malala Yousafzai college

http://www.calgaryherald.com

If you were looking to name a school in someone’s honour, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone more deserving than Malala Yousufzai.

The 15-year-old Pakistani student was shot in the head in October by the Taliban for criticizing the militant group and for being an advocate for girls’ education. Malala, who is still recovering in a London hospital, was recognized by the renaming of her school in her honour, but apparent concerns by students that they could be targeted by the Taliban sparked a protest last week. It’s reported up to 300 students took part, breaking the sign with the school’s new name, removing photographs of the injured girl and refusing to attend classes.

Malala is a brave girl who has stood up to oppression. Her accomplishments and spirit are such that there’s a global campaign to see her awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The fact her classmates would oppose the renaming of their school in her honour speaks to the Taliban’s barbarism and the fear it instils in decent people. We can only hope that Malala’s schoolmates will find inspiration in the young woman’s courage and do what she did: stand up to oppression and refuse to be cowed. The alternative — to be submissive and bow down to perverse control — would be regrettable indeed.