Pakistan’s Malala Problem: Teen Activist’s Global Celebrity Not Matched at Home

A young Pakistani schoolgirl survived an assassination attempt and continues to speak out on free, compulsory education for all. In a speech at the United Nations, 16-year-old Malala Yousafzai argued that books and pens are the most powerful tools against illiteracy and terrorism, reports Omar Waraich for Time Magazine. A global audience cheered her message: “One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world.” The teen has supporters in Pakistan, where the literacy rate is 54 percent, but there are plenty of opponents, too. Some suggest that she is a CIA agent, the shot to her head was faked and the goal was to win a British passport. Conspiracy theories are rife in Pakistan, and Waraich suggests, “People don’t understand how the world works around them or how cataclysmic events suddenly come to dominate their lives, and so readily latch on to whatever easy explanations are on offer.” Conspiracy theories speed out of control online among the uneducated. Meanwhile Pakistanis are victims of repeated attacks by terrorists who claim religious motivation. – YaleGlobal