Rolling out of bed at 7:00 a.m., throwing on a uniform, and jumping in the car to race to school is just an everyday way of life as we know it. The hallways are filled with bright smiles and chatty girls. The bell rings and the students dash to class. The announcements blare over the speaker at 8:00 a.m. And another day begins at Sion.
But what if a girl woke up with no guarantee she would be allowed to attend school that day? Or, worse yet, with no guarantee her school building was still standing?
Life in Pakistan, under control by the Taliban, is a scary thought. Girls’ education is at times completely banned, and hundreds of schools attended by girls are burned down. In January 2009 the Taliban banned all girls in Pakistan from attending school. But the Taliban had already demolished more than a hundred girls’ schools.
Girls should have the right to a quality education anywhere in this world. Students in America should look to Pakistani Malala Yousafzai’s story as both a reality check and an inspiration.
For Yousafzai, a 15-year-old girl and Mingora resident in the Swat district of Pakistan, the devastation of not being able to get an education was heartbreaking. Her goals in life were to excel in school and maybe some day become a doctor.
A woman of courage,Yousafzai began to speak out against the Taliban’s laws and stood up for the right of women’s education. She knew the Taliban would come after her but she still spoke out. Not just for herself, but for all girls in Pakistan. Her braveness and courage flooded the world through all media outlets.
Yousafzai’s hopes and dreams for her future were uprooted on Oct. 9, 2012 as she headed home from school. The Taliban hunted her down because of her voice speaking out for girls’ education and made remarks about women and children in Pakistan. A Taliban member shot her in the head to put an immediate end to her life. Miraculously, Yousafzai is a fighter and is slowly recovering in a hospital in England.
“The Taliban didn’t realize she became a martyr not only in her country but in the whole world,” junior Neda Awad who practices the Islamic faith said. “It was like a slap in the face for the Taliban because it shows we all are watching and care.”
Sadness filled the world when this news broke out. It’s devastating seeing a powerful, caring young girl suffer in great pain.
“This tragic incident proves how lucky we are to go to school in America where we can speak our minds and actually learn,” Awad said.
The fear girls have of attending school in Pakistan is something we don’t understand living in a free country. There are some days we don’t want to wake up and go to school. However, it is truly a privilege and blessing to be able to attend an all-girls school such as Sion. We are all treated equally and have a voice in our education.
Awad said we may complain about how stressed we are at school, but girls who can’t go to school want to be stressed like us and have the opportunity to learn.