Tale of Malala and Nabeela

Masuma Bibi

Muharram 27, 1435 2013-12-01

Letters To The Editor

by Masuma Bibi (Letters To The Editor, Crescent International Vol. 42, No. 10, Muharram, 1435)

Why is Malala promoted but Nabeela, another Pakistani girl who is the victim of US drone strikes, is ignored, is a question many in Pakistan are beginning to raise including this reader.

I was moved by the story of young Nabeela and how her suffering has been completely overlooked while Malala Yousafzai has been promoted globally by Western governments and their media (CI, November 2013). Anyone in Pakistan who raises questions about Malala’s promotion in the West is immediately accused of being a Taliban sympathizer or opposed to girls’ education. But we cannot remain silent in the face of such glaring hypocrisy.

In October, Nabeela came to Washington to give testimony before the US Congress. Her account moved the translator to tears. Unlike Malala, there were few media outlets to record her testimony much less Obama inviting her to the White House. Malala has met the British queen among others. Why is Nabeela’s suffering not worthy of consideration but Malala is promoted?

In Malala’s case, nobody was killed; Nabeela lost her 68-year-old grandmother on the eve of Eid al-Adha. Three of her siblings were also badly hurt in the US drone strike. The US has refused to admit responsibility for killing her grandmother. Doing so would force Washington to pay compensation. Ins-tead, the Pentagon made a nonsensical claim at the time that there was a group of Taliban on the road near her house. There is no road near Nabeela’s house.

Masuma Bibi

Peshawar, KP, Pakistan