Malala Yousafzai, the young Pakistani Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has faced a firestorm of criticism in her hometown for appearing at the premiere of a musical comedy about the suffragettes she is credited with producing in collaboration with Hillary Clinton.
Anonymous and famous alike criticized her for appearing on Broadway alongside the former US secretary of state — during whose days US drones had repeatedly killed civilians in Pakistan — and for not speaking out against the war on the Gaza Strip, attributing her “two measures and two stations”.
Although Malala Yousafzai, 26, is described as a dedicated defender of women’s rights and is respected internationally, Islamist circles and much of the public in Pakistan see her as a “US agent” on a mission to corrupt the youth.
However, after the premiere of the show “Suffs”, the circle of critics has widened, now it has even included forms of feminism in Pakistan.
“I’ve believed in Malala tooth and nail all these years, but somewhere around here I’m giving up. It’s made it incredibly difficult to defend her for the last six months,” Lina Ghani commented via X, apparently referring to the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war.
“I’ve admired Malala since 2011,” commented featured columnist Mer Tarar via X, but “her theater collaboration with Hillary Clinton — who defends America’s unequivocal support for the Palestinian genocide — is a heavy blow to her credibility. as a defender of human rights and I consider it absolutely tragic”.
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“You let us all down”
Mrs Clinton has said she supports the war against Hamas and has rejected calls for a ceasefire in Gaza. However, he has asked for the protection of civilians in the small coastal enclave where the Palestinian Islamist movement has ruled since 2007.
“What a disappointment Malala”, “you are disappointing us all”, commented professor and feminist Nida Kirmani for her part.
Many voices in Pakistan also blamed Malala Yousafzai for not expressing solidarity with the Palestinians.
The young woman has already repeatedly condemned the deaths of civilians in the Gaza Strip and has advocated a ceasefire.
The New York Times reported that she wore a red and black pin to the “Suffs” premiere, precisely in support of the ceasefire.
After the criticism, the young woman assured yesterday via X that she supports the residents of the Gaza Strip and condemns the war waged by the Israeli army.
“I want there to be no confusion about my support for the people of Gaza,” Malala Yousafzai said.
“We don’t need to see more dead bodies, more bombed schools, and more hungry children to understand that a ceasefire is urgent and necessary.”
“I have condemned and will continue to condemn the Israeli government for its violations of international law and war crimes,” he added.
The young woman, originally from the lush Sawat Valley in northwest Pakistan, was seriously injured when she was shot in the face in 2012 by the Pakistani Taliban.
After being rushed to hospital in Britain, she became a global symbol of resistance to religious fanaticism and a voice for girls deprived of an education, then, in 2014, the youngest-ever Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
Since she was attacked, she has only returned to her country twice.
