Nobel laureate and education activist Malala Yousafzai has revealed that she is in the process of writing her next book, emphasizing that it will be her most intimate and personal work to date.
In a social media post on Monday, she expressed her excitement about the book.
“I am overjoyed to announce that I am working on my next book! The last few years of my life have been marked by extraordinary transformation — finding independence, partnership and, ultimately, myself. This will be my most personal book yet and I can’t wait for you to read it,” wrote Malala in the caption of the post.
“This October will be a decade since ‘I Am Malala’ was published, shortly after my 16th birthday. I am excited to share what has happened since and take the next step in my journey with the incredible teams at @atriabooks in the U.S., @wnbooks in the U.K. and more countries coming soon,” she added.
Singer Annie Khalid, an icon of our childhood music scene, had given Pakistani audiences such hits as ‘Mahiya’ or ‘Princess’ but looks like not everything that is old is gold. Because now Khalid is getting slammed by social media users for making a controversial statement about education activist and Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai.
In reply to a random post which had asked users to share an opinion they found controversial, Khalid thought she should provide an opinion that is not only outrageous but also insensitive.
“That Malala is a puppet of the west,” the singer tweeted.
Twitter users were horrified, asking what exactly had Malala done to prompt such bullying from Khalid? Malala has not made any such comments about Imran Khan, aside from calling him out for his racist views on Pathans, so why solely target her for living in the West because of the threats on her life?
Twitter users demanded that Khalid apologize, shedding light on the fact that Malala had made more efforts to speak up on the rights of Pakistani women than Khalid had ever done.
“Don’t embarrass your self Taliban Apologist she resist Taliban brutality she talks about girl’s education you are a nobody like your leader who is taliban apologist who bought Taliban back In KPK shame on you mirasi”
Don’t embarrass your self Taliban Apologist she resist Taliban brutality she talks about girl’s education you are a nobody like your leader who is taliban apologist who bought Taliban back In KPK shame on you mirasi https://t.co/nNGRoVNhs8
Annie’s opinions r always shit just like her music was, malala is prospering doing great in life while annie is as irrelevant as ever being just another dumbfuck cult follower
We can’t say anything else other than how deeply embarrassing it is to witness a woman flinging accusations on another woman, just because of difference of political beliefs. We sincerely hope that Pakistani celebrities would learn some decorum and stop dissing other women by distorting facts and through sheer bullying.
Malala is an icon for her bravery but she is also the absolute Queen savage comebacks to put down her haters.
What’s hilarious is how much people keep underestimating her wicked sense of humor, but Malala has time and time again proven that she knows how to get the last word on her enemies.
Like remember the time when the entire country was clutching their pearls because the Noble Prize activist said she prefers not to get married, she trolled her haters with this gif.
This time, users are once more in fits because of Yousafzai’s hilarious response to a TikTok user who was celebrating the fact that she skipped her classes in school.
— Adam Cisroe Pearson OTD, OTR/L (@DrAPearson) March 16, 2023
Not me contemplating if to skip class tmr bc I haven’t been getting enough sleep but now I’m scared malala will call me out on it https://t.co/yGc8A0PrU9
Malala has managed to become an irreplaceable part of national discourse. She hasn’t said anything controversial aside from speaking up on causes close to her heart – gender activism and education – yet the women-hating awaam loves nit-picking every bit of her existence and somehow escalating it to the point that it becomes an emergency national topic. If she laughs too much, shame. Did she say she doesn’t want to get married? Lanat behjo. Malala was spotted celebrating Holi with her friends? Publicly shame her.
Once again without even lifting a finger, Malala was dragged into the public spotlight over the most simple thing: her accent. A video on Twitter went viral where she was seen speaking to a host at the Oscars, and in the caption a user was mocking the Noble Prize activist for having lived in Britain all this time, but still having a Pakistani accent.
Behen ji, would you have not criticised her had she spoken in a British accent? Had she shown up wearing a sleeveless gown and no hijab, would Pakistanis hold back for a second to label her as a traitor, bane of our existence and the reason why women in this country have gone astray? And when did speaking in a fluent British accent become one of the ways to judge aNoble Prize winner? It certainly never has held her back.
Amreeka mein reh kr b, Aik British elite se shaadi kr k b agar Apki angrezi Itni pathetic hai to laanat hai bai Aisi “Training” per ! And idc how many haters I get after this !pic.twitter.com/43lFK7dJ4q
Putting aside the obvious racism that is reeking from this comment, when was the last time the public didn’t drag Malala? If she chooses not to get married: she’s a traitor who is challenging Pakistani values. When she did get married: she betrayed feminist values. Why can’t she ever win with Pakistanis?
Because the simple truth to the entire matter is that our ever firmly anti-woman Bannistan considers hunting famous women a beloved public sport. And Malala is simply forced to bear the brunt of misogynist and racist jokes because she managed to overcome the dead woman trope and is living a complete and happy life in Britain with the rest of her family. When she was fourteen years old, Malala had been shot by the Taliban when she stood up to their regressive stance against girl’s education, and soon had to leave for Britain with the rest of her family because of the death threats she was being sent. Had she not survived this tragedy and had passed away, the country would have declared they are holding ‘Malala Day’ once a year and moaned about how she could have become something had there been a chance, and then moved on to hunting the next famous woman out there.
Malala’s biggest crime isn’t the fact that she wore jeans or got married or even spoke in a Pakistani accent: it’s the fact that she is thriving despite the most powerful forces out there trying their best to take her down. Whether it was the Taliban, or the brutal treatment of Pakistani awaam, we have heard tragedies on a daily basis of the numerous women and girls who lost their lives and their dreams to these two forces. Malala happened to succeed in defeating them, and living peacefully abroad with her goals still intact and remaining cheerful as ever is what irks us so much.
So please, for the love of Allah. We’re on our knees here. Stop obsessing over Malala so much. She won’t give up on doing what she loves, regardless of how much you beg her to do so. Divert the nitpicking to issues like climate change, poverty and political instability. Trust us, its a much more worthy way to waste your time.
After watching the Academy Awards last night, twitter users are furious at host Jimmy Kimmel after he had an awkward interaction with Nobel Prize winner and education activist Malala Yousafzai.
First calling her ‘Malalaland’ at the ceremony, Kimmel then asked her opinion on whether Harry Styles spat on Chris Pine at the premier of All My Darlings.
To which the Pakistani-origin activist had responded: ‘I only talk about peace”
Jimmy Kimmel awkwardly asks Nobel Peace prize winner Malala about Harry Styles getting spit on pic.twitter.com/q8LZLedtOc
Twitter users called Kimmel ‘racist’ for using the word ‘Malalaland’ and called him a horrible host. He was also branded insensitive for undermining the work of brown women by also having previously tried to tamper with Quinta Brunson’s speech while she was was receiving the award for ‘Best Writing in Comedy’ at the Oscars.
Hollywood’s biggest night of the year was dominated by Asians, with some of the biggest global celebrities like Deepika Padukone, activist Malala Yousafzai, and Michelle Yeoh lending their star power to the Oscars.
Jimmy Kimmel hosted the show and of course, addressed the Will Smith-Chris Rock slapping controversy from last year’s ceremony. Kimmel started his monologue by saying, “If anyone in this theater commits an act of violence, you will be awarded for Best Actor and permitted a 19-minute speech.”
#Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel comments on the Oscar slap from last year:
“If anyone in this theater commits an act of violence, you will be awarded for Best Actor and permitted a 19-minute speech.” pic.twitter.com/KK6adMCmoF
Yeoh’s speech moved social media users to tears for encouraging women to never think they are past their prime for achieving their dreams:
“For all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibilities. This is proof that dreams do come true. Ladies don’t let anyone tell you that you’re past your prime.”
Best Supporting Actor: Ke Huy Quan for ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’
“My journey started on a boat. I ended up in a refugee camp … They say stories like this only happen in the movies. I cannot believe this is happening to me. This is the American dream!” – Ke Huy Quan #Oscarspic.twitter.com/eyGbfwgLhX
Quan and Yeoh made history as the first time two Asian-American actors had won one of the big four awards at the Academy Awards in the same year. In his speech, he said, “My mom is 84 years old, she’s at home watching. Mom- I just won an Oscar! My journey started on a boat. I ended up in a refugee camp…They say stories like this only happen in the movies. I cannot believe this is happening to me. This is the American dream!”
Best Director: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert for ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’
The film ‘Joyland’ made history last month when it was selected as the Pakistani film to be shortlisted for nomination for the ‘International Feature Film’ at the Oscar Awards. Today, activist Malala Yousafzai congratulated team Joyland when it was announced that the film had crossed the second round of shortlisting, proceeding to the final round. From her Twitter account she wrote,
“I’m proud to support JOYLAND, which was just shortlisted by @TheAcademy for Best International Film. It would be amazing to see it make Oscar history as the first Pakistani film to be nominated.”
The final list of nominations will be announced on 24th January, 2023, with the awards scheduled to take place on 12th March, 2023.
I’m proud to support JOYLAND, which was just shortlisted by @TheAcademy for Best International Film. It would be amazing to see it make Oscar history as the first Pakistani film to be nominated. #Joyland#Oscars#Pakistanpic.twitter.com/tBZONapKGK
The final list of nominations will be announced on January 25 with the awards scheduled to take place on March 12, 2023. The social activist is credited on Joyland as an Executive Producer and had previously congratulated writer and director Saim Sadiq for his outstanding hard work when it was announced the film was shortlisted for the Oscars.
Speaking to CNN on New Years Interview, Saim Sadiq had said that the film reflects on the importance of storytelling which provides a realistic depiction of what our society is like.
“I think every story, if it’s told honestly, is important then this one is no different. I think the difference with this film versus perhaps a lot of other Pakistani films that certain people may have seen, is that it’s perhaps the most realistic depiction of what our society’s like, without a romantic depiction of anything. It’s not something that other people are used to seeing on the big screen, which is a reflection of ourselves. Which can be very heartening but can also be very uncomfortable to watch.”
Nobel laureate and social activist Malala Yousafzai has condemned the ban on higher education for Afghan women by Taliban administration.
“The Taliban may lock all the classrooms and university gates in the country — but they can never lock up women’s minds. They cannot stop girls from seeking knowledge. They cannot kill the quest to learn,” the wrote in a tweet.
The Taliban may lock all the classrooms and university gates in the country — but they can never lock up women’s minds. They cannot stop girls from seeking knowledge. They cannot kill the quest to learn. https://t.co/N6qR0yzMgO
The Taliban on Tuesday banned women from universities in Afghanistan. The statement was made by the minister of higher education, who stated that it will go into effect right away.
“You all are informed to implement the mentioned order of suspending education of females until further notice,” said the letter signed by the minister for higher education, Neda Mohammad Nadeem. The letter was issued to all government and private universities.
The decision is being condemned across the globe, with U.N.’s mission in Afghanistan asking the Taliban-run administration to “immediately” revoke the ban.
The US government has declared the ban ‘unacceptable’, with the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, announcing that he was “deeply dismayed” at the development.
Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai on Wednesday met with Chief Minister (CM) Punjab Chaudhry Parvez Elahi to discuss the promotion of education and especially girls’ education in Punjab along with the STEAM programme.
Yousfzai also discussed the issue of corporal punishment in schools and religious seminaries.
CM Punjab has assured Malala that his government will pass a bill against corporal punishment this month. “We will implement the law on giving physical punishment and this law will be passed from the Punjab Assembly during the current month,” he said.
In addition, CM Elahi ordered recruitment of 10,000 teachers in STEAM and ordered the secretary of the school education department to call a meeting to discuss the release of a budget of Rs165 million for STEAM education.
CM Punjab while lauding Malala’s effort to promote education said, “Malala Yousafzai is not only an excellent example for the women of Pakistan but also for the world. She confronted terrorism and extremism for the sake of getting education.”
He also praised the Malala Fund for “striving to constitute such a society where every female can attain education and become a leader in future.”
The people of Swat have already witnessed enough bloodshed. The people of Swat were displaced. Peace returned in 2009. In the blink of an eye, the situation turned into chaos where despite the presence of a large number of security forces, the Taliban entered, resettled, and sabotaged peace in the region.
Earlier this month, one man was killed while two students were injured when unidentified militants opened fire on a school van in Charbagh tehsil. This incident of violence gripped the valley, prompting citizens to take to the streets against the rising tide of insurgency. The incident brought back memories of the attack on the then-school girl Malala Yousafzai, on October 9, 2012, who survived a gun attack by Taliban gunmen nearly a decade ago. Though militants had been behind the attack on the Nobel Prize winner, the authorities are tight-lipped about the latest incident, while no group has claimed responsibility yet.
The outfit known as the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is gaining ground across Swat Valley once again. The people of Swat and other areas of KP must be commended for courageously demanding their right to live in peace. They have witnessed firsthand the bloody rule of the militants, and the associated pain of conflict and dislocation. No one can say for certain how and why TTP members have now resurfaced in Swat as well as several other adjoining tribal districts. This is the main reason for the unease among the people of Swat and is sure to give many a sleepless night to officials, both in the civilian setup as well as the military. And what have the latter done to allay the fears of the people? Not much, unfortunately.
The return of TTP militants to their respective areas is part of the TTP-government negotiations being held in Kabul, Afghanistan, but no agreement has been reached to this effect. It, therefore, remains unclear who, if anyone for that matter, allowed the militants to return before a formal deal had been reached. It would not be wrong if we say the ghosts of the past are coming back to haunt the residents of Swat Valley. The valley has seen enough bloodshed, we hope and pray peace prevails in the region.
Pakistan has lost 80,000 lives in the war on terror. We fought bravely to get rid of terrorism on our soil. The return of terrorism is a bad omen for peace in the country and the region.
