An Open Letter to the World about Malala

An Open Letter to the World by Malala Yousufzai

Obviously, this WAS NOT written by Malala. But read on anyway. Maybe you'll like something you see.

If you are here, you probably know my story, so I'll cut to the chase and address the people of this world directly. Before I do that, I'd like to extend my heartfelt appreciation for all the love and dua pouring in from around the world.


1) To the men:
Dear brothers, I appreciate the love. I really do. I see you talking about how reprehensible this act of violence is and I see you voicing your hate for Taliban and all. But let us step back and think about this for a second. Why are we even talking about me here? Why am a big deal? I'm a big deal because we live in times where fathers and brothers not only discourage their women from speaking out, but are actually an impediment in their way. Every house has a Malala, you just need to stop muffling her voice!


And I entreat you my brothers. Don't stand in vigils for me, don't make placards and protest. Instead I want you to go make a change in the world around you. Stop objectifying women. Love them and treasure them. Cut back a little on your vanity-expenses and educate someone instead. Make an actual, measurable, physical change in your attitude towards women and their welfare. Use your imagination, use your education. Be the great men you were meant to be!


2) To the women:
Sisters, I appreciate the love. I really do. But talking about it Twitter, or writing a blog post about me doesn't really help anyone. If you truly believe all the great things you say about me, then bring about some change in your own self. No matter where you live in this country, you can always find someone illiterate. Take some time out of your schedule and teach someone for an hour every day. I know you love the things you buy and I wont tell you to stop. I'll ask you to cut back a little and donate it to education. Be the women you were meant to be. Be the women of change. Don't fall victim to a consumerist social structure that objectifies you every day. Do something great with your life, and watching Hamsafar or spending sprees doesn't cut it.

3) To the Taliban:
Nice try guys, you have to do better than this to kill me. Maybe you'll kill me the next time you come for me, maybe you wont. You know what you cant kill? The will of Malala, the idea of Malala, and that pain in your heart that a 14 year old girl stood her ground against you. You were born of women, and you were raised by women, and I hope someday, you'll realize that you can't really kill us all.

4) To the Government of Pakistan:
We are a country of great people. STOP SELLING US SHORT!

5) To the "We are Malala" crowd:
No you are not. You know why? Because you aren't in a hospital bed right now. Actually, you aren't even on someone's hit list. And if you really think about it, you didn't give a crap about my cause till I got shot. You don't become a Malala by protesting on Twitter. Simple as that.

To the people who read this: I obviously think every one (including myself) is at fault for what Malala is going through right now. If you did something sentimental but utterly ineffective in reaction to Malala's shooting, and I forgot to mention you, I apologize.

You can follow @Jibbyd on Twitter and on his blog at thehimgrim.wordpress.com