Malala Yousafzai and the White Saviour Complex When Malala Yusufzai was shot in the head by Taliban gunmen simply because she wanted to gain an education it sent shockwaves around the world. Straight away the Western media took up the issue. Western politicians spoke out and soon she found herself in the UK. The way in which the West reacted did make me question the reasons and motives behind why Malala's case was taken up and not so many others. There is no justifying the brutal actions of the Taliban or the denial of the universal right to education, however there is a deeper more historic narrative that is taking place here. This is a story of a native girl being saved by the white man. Flown to the UK, the Western world can feel good about itself as they save the native woman from the savage men of her home nation. It is a historic racist narrative that has been institutionalised. Journalists and politicians were falling over themselves to report and comment on the case. The story of an innocent brown child that was shot by savages for demanding an education and along comes the knight in shining armour to save her. The actions of the West, the bombings, the occupations the wars all seem justified now, "see, we told you, this is why we intervene to save the natives." The truth is that there are hundreds and thousands of other Malalas. They come from Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and other places in the world. Many are victims of the West, but we conveniently forget about those as Western journalists and politicians fall over themselves to appease their white-middle class guilt also known as the white man's burden. Gordon Brown stood at the UN and spoke words in support for Malala, yet he is the very same Gordon Brown that voted for the war in Iraq that not only robbed people of their education but of their lives. The same journalists that failed to question or report on the Western wars in an intelligible manner now sing the praises of the West as they back Malala and her campaign without putting it in context of the war in Afghanistan and the destabalisation of the region thanks to the Western occupation of Afghanistan. Malala's message is true, it is profound, it is something the world needs to take note of; education is a right of every child, but Malala has been used as a tool by the West. It allows countries like Britain to hide their sins in Afghanistan and Iraq. It allows journalists to report a feel good story whilst they neglect so many others, like the American drone strikes that terrorise men, women and children in Pakistan's border regions. The current narrative continues the demonization of the non-white Muslim man. Painting him as a savage, someone beyond negotiating with, beyond engaging with, the only way to deal with this kind of savage is to wage war, occupy and use drones against them. NATO is bombing to save girls like Malala is the message here. Historically the West has always used women to justify the actions of war mongering men. It is in the imagery, it is in art, in education, it is even prevalent in Western human rights organisations, Amnesty International's poster campaign coinciding with the NATO summit in New York encouraged NATO to 'keep the progress going!' in Afghanistan. Shazia Ramzan and Kainat Riaz were also shot along with Malala, the media and politicians seem to have forgotten about them. Abeer Qassim Hamza al-Janabi - how many of the Western politicians and journalists know about this name? She was the 14-year-old girl gang raped by five US soldiers, then her and her family, including her six-year-old sister were murdered. There are no days named after her, no mentions of her at the UN, and we don't see Gordon Brown pledging his name to her cause. I support Malala, I support the right to education for all, I just cannot stand the hypocrisy of Western politicians and media as they pick and choose, congratulating themselves for something that they have caused. Malala is the good native, she does not criticise the West, she does not talk about the drone strikes, she is the perfect candidate for the white man to relieve his burden and save the native. The Western savior complex has hijacked Malala's message. The West has killed more girls than the Taliban have. The West has denied more girls an education via their missiles than the Taliban has by their bullets. The West has done more against education around the world than extremists could ever dream of. So, please, spare us the self-righteous and self-congratulatory message that is nothing more than propaganda that tells us that the West drops bombs to save girls like Malala. ____________________________________________________________________________ That Malala is a hero is not something that anyone could argue about. However, its appalling how little we bother to actually understand the causes but simply rush to paint everyone with a broad brush. US and western policy relies on demonizing other countries so that they can gain support for their criminal acts around the world. The biggest acts of terrorism are not the suicide bombings but the wars of terror that much of the West has been engaging around the world.
Miss Yousafzai is not in control of whom uses her message, her fame, or her audience to advance their own agendas. Why conflate the two messages. If one is perceptive enough to recognize the two messages, why would anyone need to associate Miss Yousafzai's message with any one else's? I believe the true intention is to associate Miss Yousafzai's message with others to dismiss her.
I agree. However, that is the crux of the problem. Her message is being manipulated by the West to justify their criminal acts. And because the West is using her as a tool for their message, the people who are the main benefactors of her message i.e. those living in Pakistan, Afghanistan etc, dismiss her message as they see her as a tool for the West. Malala deserves to be lauded. But her message continues to be diluted as there are many who are using her message to further their political agendas.
Funny how you preach about others using "broad brush" and then whine about the "criminal acts of the West". Hypocrisy much?
I am left to wonder if you, or anyone outside a small village would even know who she is had "The Evil West" not taken up her story.
Are t you also using her message by creating this thread to attack the west? Strange how that works hah.
What broad brush? When a nation or a group of nations go to war against another, then the entire nation is to be held responsible. Hiding behind the excuse that our government did it is extremely flimsy at best. Yet there are many others like her who are not known to anyone. That her story and message are relevant is not to be doubted. However, there is also not denying the truth that her message is being used by others for their gain which only diminishes the value of her message. No, I am simply pointing out that her message is being used for political gains.
How should the evil West have acted? Left her to die? Not broadcast her message? You are using her message for political gains. That is precisely what this thread is. You are doing precisely what you are accusing "the West" of doing.
Hypocrisy with a dash of self righteousness? Blaming the "West" for simply pointing out how brutal these animals were is using a broad brush to demonize an entire region of the world. Seek help for such paranoia.
Sorry if we don't take the guy seriously who attacks a region but is ashamed to display where he lives. No one in the west sees anything or is hijacking anything with her story other than what the message is she is giving. Basically a bunch of silly little cavemen were afraid of a little girl getting an education and they shot her for it. There is no better illustration of a small little insignificant coward of a man than one who is afraid of a little girl going to school.....wait yes there is, there is the weakest version of a man I could possibly think of and that would be one that shoots her for it. I cant imagine being such a small little man to be so afraid of a little girl that I would need to shoot her in the head for having the audacity to go to school. Post your location or you are proven hypocritical in your stance. Lets see what section of the world you live in and what it does to protect little girls. If radicals in the Middle East behaved like humans or the people there didn't passively agree with their behavior we wouldn't have things like 9/11 and the subsequent wars over this crap wouldn't need to happen. If you don't want bombs being dropped and innocent people being killed then its very simple..act like a human being. The west will always defend its innocent people first over other innocents. So that begs the question, knowing that, why don't people in the middle east start herding up these radicals so no children get hurt anywhere. If you don't want innocent people killed in the middle east I would suggest you do a better job at controlling the people there who are dumb enough to attack us. Here is the analogy: a dumb person is about to poke a bear with a stick, you should say, "no don't do that" not look the other way and then act surprised when the bear wakes up and mauls both of you.
Extreme Islam now has an international heroine opposing holding a Nobel and will keep up her fight, they elevated her, now she is a nightmare how much good will she do in her life? She is using the West as much and good for her but I believe its unintentional. I want her to go to a university, go on to be greater still and use her inner beauty and grace to do great things.
It is true that Miss Malala's message has been hidden by the West. But is even more insidious, is the full message she had made and is being ignored by right wingers: That message: Marxism/Leninism is the solution to the world's problems - that's because she is not an opponent of Islam but of unbridled capitalism. When right wingers learn that message, they suddenly disavow any alliance with her.
Granny says somebody oughta give her some saddle oxfords to go to school in... Education Activist Malala Yousafzai to Study at Oxford August 17, 2017 — Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai, who was shot by a Taliban gunman at age 15 for speaking out for the right to an education, has been accepted to the University of Oxford.
