Let Her Fly: A Father’s Journey by Ziauddin Yousafzai
Introduction
Gender inequality is a nuisance that still exists in contemporary society and, more especially in the Taliban society. Let Her Fly is a fantastic story of the epic journey of one of the female revolutionist in a male chauvinistic world. Ziauddin Yousafzai narrates his journey as an activist of girls’ rights in a world where females had no say, which is featured in the life of his daughter Malala. He explores his early life having been born in a girls’ family and as the only son while he witnessed gender inequities prevalent in his society. He also shares about the discrimination he received, for he was a stammerer, who invoked his consciousness for equality and his hatred towards any prejudice. The book is a compelling reflection of Yousafzai’s fight for the rights of all children to receive equal education, opportunities alongside social and political recognition. Further, it is a comparative enthrall of his stance against social contracts against women and the prevalent anti-development and anti-rights for girls.
Factors that Influenced Malala’s father Attitudes towards Women
The author, Malala’s father, has had experience in the patriarchal society he grew up in. Living up as a witness to the denial of his five sisters to attend school, get jobs, and have a chance to unlock their potentials was enough element that triggered his dire need to advocate for equality. Also, he took note of the forced marriages that girls were subjected to, more particularly his cousins. In his society, it was evident that the only light that parents had for their female children was early marriages to surpass the boredom and bigotry that they received. Empirically, the only role attributed to women in his society was marriage and family chores since even his mother was not allowed to go out and work. At the same time, the author had experienced discrimination while at school, due to his inability to fluency in a language. Also, Malala’s dad was from a not-so-rich family, and his dark color was also the primary construct that provoked more bias on his side. The prejudice formed a foundation for his stance against all forms of discrimination, be it gender, color, family background, or physical impairment and deficiencies.
Social Pressures Encountered by Malala’s Father
Standing alone amid a vast army of patriarchs presented a lot of pressure to Mr. Yousafzai. It was like drilling a trench to drain an entire ocean. After establishing his school where he could practice his vision, it marked the beginning of his social dilemmas. His school was based in the Swat Valley community, where the Taliban had established their basements since 2007 who had by then imposed a total ban on female education. It was a period of traumatic terror and fear in which these Taliban hunted him for his continued advocacy for equitable education for girls. The numerous nights he spent at his neighbor’s homesteads for fear of execution in front of his family were countless.
Additionally, the attempted murder of his daughter Malala was a trauma that is still vigilant in his mind to date. Malala was shot by a Taliban gunman while in a school bas when she was only fifteen. Mr. Yousafzai felt that the threat was on his daughter and not him. This forced him to relocate with his family from Pakistan to Birmingham in Britain. However, his efforts to fight for girls’ rights did not fade away.
Among the social costs, his decisions pioneered to him, and his family was the streak verge of losing his beloved daughter Malala. According to Mr. Yousafzai, it was the most dreadful moment of his family and his life as well. This attempt was also triggered by Malala’s continued ridicule of Taliban actions through articles she wrote, and her father supported that. More so, the family was faced with constant threats of insecurity from the Taliban, which made them live in fear until their relocation.
I feel that if I were in the shoes Malala’s dad, I would not have had a contrary action. Women are a minority group facing a myriad of challenges in the inclusion of gender inequality and prejudice. The availability of activists like Malala’s dad will assist the fight for equality and ridicule policies that entertain gender bias. I think that his actions are a lesson for every father in each family to cultivate equality from a family level, which will illuminate later in the whole world.
Work Cited