By In a recent meeting with the Muslim Girl editorial team, I called Malala Yousafzai “our perpetual Muslim Woman To Watch.” It goes without saying that the world deserves to keep an eye on her historic moves this year, next year and every year — but 2024 proves to be a special one for our girls’ education trailblazer.
Malala is fresh off the glow of her first executive producer role on the 2023 Oscar-nominated documentary “Stranger at the Gate,” the Los Angeles screening of which I had the honor to moderate before an audience of breath-taken Academy members. Like the rest of us, they saw the urgency of a story about how kindness can transform hate into not only love, but change — leading Malala to the iconic camera moment on Oscars night when she flawlessly told Jimmy Kimmel, “I only talk about peace.”
With her famous restraint, she alchemized the pop culture momentum to put the attention right back to where she’s always centered it: the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan. As the country faces a dire crisis in the freedom of education and movement for its most vulnerable population, she’s leading the Malala Fund to put faces to the numbers and names to the stories. She commemorated International Women’s Day 2024 by leading a high-level panel on gender apartheid at the International Peace Institute, and she’s determined to keep the issue in the global spotlight.
In her first interview for Muslim Girl, Malala kicks off the week of our global campaign for Muslim Women’s Day by giving a timeless voice to this year’s theme: faith. From fearlessly standing against adversity to empowering the “hundreds of thousands of Malalas out there,” there can be no doubt why she’s my, and countless others’, perpetual Muslim Woman To Watch.
AMANI: Your foundation, Malala Fund, has been instrumental in supporting education initiatives worldwide. What do you think should be our global priorities in the year to come?
MALALA YOUSAFZAI: With so many crises impacting our world — war, climate change, poverty, discrimination — it can be difficult to know where to lend support. But for me, education will always be a priority because I know it has the potential to drive progress on all fronts.
I am so proud of the work that Malala Fund has done in the last decade to support local education activists who are leading projects and campaigns to help more girls complete 12 years of school. We trust that they know what works best for their communities and learn so much from their innovative solutions. I am also glad that the work these activists do at the national level is supported and complemented by Malala Fund’s global advocacy initiatives, including efforts to secure more and better resources for girls’ education and legal frameworks to support girls’ rights.
To help secure a better future, we need everyone to stay informed, stay resilient and find creative ways to take collective action on the issues they understand and care about most. Malala Fund has great resources on its website in case any readers are interested in learning more about our work and ways to support our incredible activist partners.
Regarding the documentary “Stranger at the Gate,” you said, “This is a story about the power of forgiveness, redemption, kindness, compassion. I believe in those values.” How do you think this plays into the social issues most impacting Muslims today?
The first time I watched “Stranger at the Gate” I remember I was in my living room watching it on my laptop together with my husband, and I was completely moved and inspired by the story. It is really difficult to address issues like extremism and violence because, oftentimes, the reason behind the violence and the extremism is the dehumanisation of a certain individual, a group of people, a religious group, or an ethnic group. But, at the same time, when we connect with people, we see them in person or through our TV screens, we realise that they are just like us. They have the same moments of joy and sadness. They have the same family life. They share meals together. They have traditions. It is then that we realise that we are all humans.
It is really difficult to address issues like extremism and violence because, oftentimes, the reason behind the violence and the extremism is the dehumanisation of a certain individual, a group of people, a religious group, or an ethnic group.
I think this understanding can help us build compassion when it comes to some of today’s biggest crises, like the tragedy of what’s happening in Gaza right now. One of the things that has become visible to me is how readily the media, and many leaders, have dehumanised Palestinians or reduced them to statistics, which makes it easier for some to look away from the atrocities escalating every day. I have tried to use my social media platforms, and particularly my Instagram stories, in recent months to draw attention to and centre the perspectives of the remarkable people – especially children – in Gaza who are living through this horror every day. I especially admire women like Plestia and Bisan – the brave young people who are documenting this crisis in real-time on social media and doing so much to humanise the plight of the individuals and heroes around them.
Our theme for Muslim Women’s Day 2024 is Iman, or faith. How has faith played a role in your advocacy, especially in the face of global challenges?
First of all, a very happy Muslim Women’s Day to all the readers of Muslim Girl. It is a great moment for us to come together and celebrate our shared faith, values and achievements. In terms of my own faith, I grew up in a Muslim country and a Muslim family, committed to the teachings of Islam, so faith has always been a big part of my life — and it continues to be so today.
When I think about how my faith plays a role in my advocacy, two things stand out. First, is the consistent messages of avoiding harmful acts, and of being honest, just, and truthful in how we treat others. I started learning the Quran with translation at around age 10 and remember that it had these powerful messages about doing good and being a virtuous person. They made a big impression on me then and have stayed with me ever since.
Islam says that you cannot stay ignorant, that you have to go and seek knowledge — no matter how hard it is, or how far you have to travel.
The second thing, which drives some of my activism, is to make sure that we do not allow others to misuse religion to do harm. We see in Afghanistan how the Taliban is exploiting a twisted interpretation of Islam to enforce its gender apartheid regime. My faith guides me to know that it is wrong to deliberately and systematically oppress girls and women — not letting them get a haircut, see a doctor, or go for a walk in the park. Afghanistan is not the only Muslim country in the world, but it is the only country in the world that stops girls from going to school. What I know, as a practising Muslim, is that education is in fact compulsory in Islam. Islam says that you cannot stay ignorant, that you have to go and seek knowledge — no matter how hard it is, or how far you have to travel.
Can you share with our readers some of the most memorable moments or encounters you’ve had while championing education rights on the global stage?
I am very lucky because there’s been quite a few standout moments. Speaking at the United Nations for the first time when I was 16 and receiving the Nobel Peace Prize were both amazing experiences. Last year, I also got to spend time with Graça Machel when I gave the Nelson Mandela Lecture in South Africa. There was a quiet moment the day before the lecture when a few of us — an activist, a lawyer, a young Parliamentarian, all women — sat together in a room reflecting on the situation in Afghanistan. As Graça shared her own experiences as an activist in southern Africa during racial apartheid, we were all captivated. She is 78 years old, but I will never forget her incredible energy for our shared causes, and the solidarity she offered us across generations.
But I have to say that the best times are always when I meet girls when I travel. In the last year alone through my advocacy work with Malala Fund, I met girls in Brazil, Nigeria, Rwanda, and South Africa, as well as girls evacuated from Afghanistan. They are always hopeful and optimistic despite their difficult circumstances. Girls like Thuézia, whom I met in Brazil, said: “I want all of us to become doctors, nurses, lawyers, journalists, and activists.”
How do you balance your global activism with your personal life and aspirations, particularly as a young woman navigating both public and private spheres?
Sometimes the work we do as advocates can feel really heavy and really personal. I always make sure that I find time to relax, which often includes sending memes or reels to my friends, or reading — I love reading. And I’m now trying a few different sports, like badminton, pickleball and golf. I am actually getting pretty good at golf but I have to admit that I’m not a very humble winner — my poor husband has to accept me as champion. I love cricket, of course, but I am really bad at it so I just stick to watching.
With your continued efforts to end gender apartheid, especially for Afghan women and girls, what are your hopes and aspirations for the landscape of education and gender equality?
One thing that we are working very hard on at the moment is to make sure the international community has the legal means to hold the Taliban to account for their barbaric treatment of girls and women by codifying gender apartheid as a crime against humanity.
We need all governments to take a stand and recognise what’s happening in Afghanistan, and Afghan girls and women deserve to know that world leaders have their backs. My hope is that ultimately, this helps to build international pressure on the Taliban and gets Afghan girls back into school where they can learn and fulfil their potential.
We need all governments to take a stand and recognise what’s happening in Afghanistan, and Afghan girls and women deserve to know that world leaders have their backs.
But I am equally worried about headlines from elsewhere around the world – from schools being bombed in Gaza to students being kidnapped in Nigeria. Schools must always be a place for children to learn freely, protected from fear, violence and discrimination. So we must continue to fight for attention and resources for school children all around the world, in many different countries and contexts, and not give up on our goal of ensuring that all children can enjoy a safe education.
How do you think your journey has evolved over the years and would you say there are any significant changes from Malala then vs. Malala now?
You are right that it has been quite a journey so far! Perhaps the most obvious answers are that I finished high school and graduated from university, travelled to more than 30 countries, got married, and started Malala Fund.
I was just 11 years old when extremists took control of our town in Swat Valley and said girls could no longer go to school. So my activism was driven mainly by my determination to complete my own education and get a chance to live out my dreams. I wanted that for my friends too, which was why I started to speak out. Like most young girls I was full of passion, ambition and energy.
I think the biggest difference between Malala then and Malala now is that I am more of a believer in the power of collective action.
Today, I still have the same passion and determination to get the millions of girls around the world who are out of school back into their classrooms. But over the last 10 years I have come to realise that while change can begin with one person, no one can change the world on their own — not me, and not even a president or prime minister. To build a world where every child has access to 12 years of quality education, we must join forces. So, I think the biggest difference between Malala then and Malala now is that I am more of a believer in the power of collective action. And I know that if we match the courage and resolve of girls, follow their lead, and fund their work, the potential for progress is limitless.
What’s the best piece of advice you have received from someone that has kept you motivated in the work that you do?
More than ten years ago following my attack, I remember my dad saying to me that activism is not about you, it is about others. I really liked that sentiment, and it’s something I’ve always kept in mind as I have continued my work. And thankfully, when you are surrounded by girls and advocates with such strong convictions, you feel reinvigorated to carry on the fight for a world where every girl can learn and lead.
As a role model for countless young girls worldwide, what advice do you have for Muslim Girl readers aspiring to make a difference in their communities, especially in the face of adversity?’
Given what I know about them, I don’t think Muslim Girl readers need my advice! They are so smart and passionate, and they already know what to say. So I would encourage them to trust in their voice and their ideas and to speak out if they feel that something is not right.
When I was a teenager, I wrote blog posts, used media interviews, and participated in peaceful marches as my primary forms of activism; today, young people have all of those tools and even bigger platforms like social media to do their activism. In fact, Malala Fund created a digital platform so that girls’ experiences can be heard around the world. In our digital publication, called Assembly, young women can get stories or ideas published about their lives or the causes that matter to them.
Malala Fund is a nonprofit organisation working for a world where all girls can learn and lead. Malala Fund advocates for resources and policy changes needed to give all girls a secondary education, invests in local education activists and partners, and amplifies the voices of girls fighting for change. You can learn more about their work at malala.org.