\u201cFirst they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.\u201d <\/em>\u2014 Mahatma Gandhi.<\/p>\nWhen the first lady of a Muslim country talks about education for girls, it\u2019s not only expected, but, many believe there is an agenda behind it.<\/p>\n
When an education minister talks about education for girls, there is a collective yawn, as subsequent important questions on language (English?), budget (decreasing?), etc., are the details rarely discussed at photo-ops.<\/p>\n
When a tycoon (or his wife) talks about education for girls, it\u2019s more credible and believable, but some may believe it\u2019s \u201ceasing the conscience.\u201d<\/p>\n
When a poor 15-year-old activist from Pakistan, Malala Yousufzai, preaches and propagates education for girls and women\u2019s rights, well, her message was welcomed on October 9, 2012 with a bullet to the head by a fellow \u201cMuslim.\u201d<\/p>\n
(By the grace of the Almighty, she, at time of this writing, is in London and recovering.)<\/p>\n
Suddenly, her cause becomes a universal cause:<\/p>\n
\u25cf UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon declared November 10 Malala Day.<\/p>\n
\u25cf Gordon Brown, former PM of Britain and now UN Special Envoy for Global Education, launched a slogan, \u201cI am Malala,\u201d with a petition demanding all children worldwide be in school by 2016.<\/p>\n
While declarations are incident-time important, are they lasting?<\/p>\n
Dark Shame\u2019s Light<\/strong><\/p>\nThe dark shame of the tragedy is that it takes the bang of a \u201cbullet\u201d to get her message heard around the world. It takes a life-threatening context to appreciate the situation of girls and women within provinces of Muslim countries like Pakistan.<\/p>\n
At one level, Malala is a civil rights leader, her cause being education. And, she can be mentioned, notwithstanding her tender age, in the same breath as other revered leaders like the Reverend Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi, their cause being equality and dignity.<\/p>\n
Their blood has stained our collective conscience, as education and equality are divinely ordained. They are the foundational and fundamental principles linked to dignity, justice, public good and opportunity.<\/p>\n
Consider this: The election and re-election of the harvest called President Barack Obama started with the seed sown in the 1960s by King. The election of Mayawati, a Dalit (untouchable), as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, in caste-bias India, deemed a \u201cmiracle of democrac,y\u201d is the eventual byproduct of Gandhi\u2019s message.<\/p>\n
Malala\u2019s Message<\/strong><\/p>\nSo, what is the takeaway message of Malala?<\/p>\n
First, there are more brain cells than bullets being fired. Hence, Malala represents a journey of enduring enlightenment over engaging violence. The \u201cmiracle of youth\u201d is the message that truth rises to the top. And conversely, the propaganda of \u201cmisleading truths\u201d sinks to the bottom.<\/p>\n
Second, studies by the international lending agencies on the benefits of education for girls to the family, village, county, province and country are indisputable. The educational empowerment of girls means that as, mothers and wives, their off-springs will do better than them, i.e. virtuous cycle on way to having an eventual middle class based on merit. This is the beginning of a knowledge-based economy that governments talk about for 2020 and 2030.<\/p>\n
Third, her message (education) is consistent with the proclamation of the Creator and the (carried) message of the beloved Prophet Mohammad (SAW): The first revelation of the Quran, Surah Alaq, says\u00a0\u201cRead! In the Name of your Lord created. He has created man from clod. Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous. Who has taught by the pen. He has taught man that which he knew not.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Creator\u2019s message is for all of humanity, and not just men, to obtain knowledge, be it on the mind, tongue, writing or actions, and, just as important, to disseminate. \u201cAnd Say: My Lord increase me in knowledge. (20:114)\u201d<\/p>\n
The natural inclination of human beings, young or old, is curiosity-cum-learning, including secular and spiritual, from \u201ccradle to the grave.\u201d The knowledge results in wisdom to make informed or good choices.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeeking knowledge is obligatory upon every Muslim (male and female).\u201d \u2014 Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 74.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho ever seeks a way to acquire knowledge, Allah will make his way to paradise.\u201d \u2014 Sahih Muslim, 2699.<\/p>\n
Fourth, for\u00a0those who seek to spread the rotten seeds of a strategy and message built on decline, death and destruction, they have soon realised their own kin and kith have disconnected and distanced themselves from the rhetoric. To the leaders who \u00a0brainwashing such minds, let\u2019s apply the podium test. Come out from your cracks, and present your evidence and ideology (text in context) of hate and exclusiveness about Islam or any religion to the court of public opinion. See what happens.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s well known by (all) Muslims, there are 99 names (attributes) of the Creator, from which 99 Islamic super-heroes were created, and they showcase and highlight the mercy, beneficence and compassionate attributes of the Creator. What happened to man\u2019s mercy, beneficence and compassion towards fellow humans?<\/p>\n
Today, there are more Muslims killed and maimed by other Muslims, and usually in the name of religion. The religion of peace is manipulated for self-serving selected wars of, say, gender repression, be it education, driving, etc.<\/p>\n
The Education Malala Index<\/strong><\/p>\nIn Qatar, there is an initiative led by Sheika Mozah binti Nasser Al Missned called Education City.\u00a0It aims \u201cto be the centre of educational excellence in the (GCC) region\u2026\u201d Concurrently, in the spirit of Malala\u2019s education message for girls, it now needs to be translated into a legacy building index, as it\u2019s part of human development.<\/p>\n
If we look at the world of indices\/indexes, it allows for benchmarking, accountability, and transparency; be it in the capital markets with, say, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA). Its mere mention conjures up performance and the pulse of the capital markets.<\/p>\n
In taking the concept of indices\/indexes to another area, education in the Muslim world, can we start the process of capturing the pulse\/health of the two most important areas \u2014\u00a0education and women? The former, education, is the foundation for economic mobility and empowerment of a family; the latter, girls\/women, is the foundation of the family.<\/p>\n
We can look at different Muslim countries in terms of not human, but humane, capital development as (1) least developed, (2) less developed and (3) emerging.<\/p>\n
The methodology for creating The Education Malala Index (TEMI) is to (1) get everyone on the same page and (2) measure the government\u2019s progress\/regress with a benchmark. The methodology, customised to above (1 to 3), will avoid the one fits all category, hence, providing insight on what is working and what is not. The weighting schemes, including budgets for schools (emphasis on primary and secondary), classroom content\/language, etc, will show the influence of the attributes.<\/p>\n
This research will allow development agencies and governments to better allocate resources and direct capital to its most productive uses. Furthermore, some enterprising financial engineer may make the TEMI into an asset class via an investable instrument off of the index.<\/p>\n
Malala is in All of Us<\/strong><\/p>\nThere is a bit of Malala in all of us. However, to move out of default inertia, we must have the courage to bring it out and the motivation to do something about it. To be inspired, one must reflect on our mirror reflection, and, ask: \u201cWhat do you see?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou must be the change you want to see in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAs human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world \u2014 that is the myth of the atomic age \u2014 as in being able to remake ourselves.\u201d \u2014 Mahatma Gandhi.<\/p>\n
The Noble Peace Prize was awarded to Obama early in his first term for his accomplishment, being elected as the first black president of the US.<\/p>\n
Now, imagine if the same Nobel Committee had similar foresight and awarded Malala Yousufzai the Peace Prize for fighting for girls\u2019 education in the Muslim world. Indeed, it would send a powerful, pioneering and supportive message for girls\u2019 education and those extremists opposed to it!<\/p>\n
That is win-win!<\/p>\n
A version of this article appeared in The Malaysian Insider<\/a>. Siddique is the Global Head of Islamic Finance and OIC Countries at Thomson Reuters.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Rushdi Siddiqui \u201cFirst they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.\u201d \u2014 Mahatma Gandhi. When the first lady of a Muslim country talks about education for girls, it\u2019s not only expected, but, many believe there is an agenda behind it. When an education minister talks about education […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":590,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[424,421,26,420,27,88,34,422,423],"class_list":["post-5047","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary","tag-education","tag-girls-education","tag-islam","tag-malala-yousufzai","tag-muslim","tag-pakistan","tag-quran","tag-taliban","tag-womens-education"],"yoast_head":"\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/27\/2012\/11\/Malala.jpg\" "\\"Malala\\"")
<\/a>By Rushdi Siddiqui<\/strong><\/p>\n