My Daughter, Malala

We have all been enamoured by Malala Yousafzai – the Pakistani girl who was shot in the head by the Taliban because of her extensive campaigning for education for girls in her country. Instead of backing down, this brave little girl fought for her life and then came back stronger and louder than ever. The world was awoken to her plight for education and she became an inspiration for people all over the world.

However, more recently, the world has found themselves being blown away by yet another member of the Yousafzai family: Malala’s father.

Ziauddin Yousafzai’s TED talk recaptured the attention of all those who have been rooting for Malala and it became incredibly apparent why and how Malala turned out to be the strong and independent young girl she is. Speaking about how he brought up his daughter, Ziauddin said that he chose not to “clip her wings”. From the very beginning of his talk it’s easy to tell that this is a man who might have been from a patriarchal society, but he refused to allow his family – particularly his daughters – to get sucked into that.

He speaks confidently as he recounts the situation for girls and women in his country, and although there is a hint of sadness in his voice – almost as though he feels bad for having to say the words out loud – he also bears the look of a man who has learnt to put his sadness into action and do something about it. Starting at home, he brought his daughters up to know what freedom tastes like, but his plight for women’s rights doesn’t end there and he calmly explains why the world needs to undergo a change in mindset if women and men are ever to be seen as equals.