Malala Yousafzai to be treated in England. Her condition is critical, Christians in prayer
Islamabad
(AsiaNews) - Malala Yousafzai, the 14 year old Pakistani activist victim of a Taliban
attack in recent days is going to be transferred to Britain for more specific medical
treatment, according to army sources said in Islamabad. The young girl needs of treatment
"integrated care" in order to heal. After
an emergency surgery to limit the damage from the bullet to the head, following
which doctors considered her condition "stable", she was admitted to
a military hospital in Rawalpindi where her situation has, however, become
increasingly "critical ". Hence
the decision to send her to Europe, thanks to the financial contribution of the
Government of the United Arab Emirates, where she will be welcomed in a
specialized center; meanwhile the nation - and the entire international
community - continue to pray for her, for a prompt and complete recovery.
On
9 October Malala Yousafzai - who has won national awards for her social
commitment in favor of female education - was the victim of a Taliban attack in
the Swat Valley, a mountainous area in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, on
the border with Afghanistan, stronghold
of Islamic extremists opposed to the education of women. The
girl was shot while on board the school bus that was taking her home, after morning
lessons. So
far, investigators have detained four persons held responsible for having taken
part in various capacities in the attack. In
all nearly 100 people have been stopped, most of them released after the
payment of bail.
Meanwhile,
support is building across Pakistan for the girl, whose life is still in
danger, with prayers for a full recovery. Human
rights activists, members of civil society and professional organizations,
including Masihi Foundation and Life for All have condemned the
attack, describing her as a "symbol of resistance" against the folly
of extremists despite her young age. Even
the local Catholic community has been mobilized, promoting a candlelight vigil -
in the Cathedral of Lahore - and prayer vigils in several parts of the country.
Speaking
to AsiaNews, the bishop of Islamabad
Msgr. Rufin
Anthony said that "targeting a child is the most vile and cowardly
act" and is a sign of "profound weakness and fear" of a 14 year
old girl. The
prelate held a special prayer vigil for the "brave" teenager and
noted "the irony" that the attack against her took place in the week
that celebrated the International Day for Women and Girls.
The
girl became famous in 2009 at the age of 11, with her blog on the BBC's Urdu site
in which she denounced the attacks by Pakistani Islamists against girls and
women's educational institutions, to prevent them from studying and emancipation. Within
her virtual diary, Malala bore witness to the cruelty of the Taliban and the
violence through which they maintain power, terrorizing the local population.
The
northwestern border is considered a stronghold of the Taliban, so that in some
areas Shariah and the Islamic Courts are active, called in to judge disputes,
as well as social behaviors and morality. There are hundreds of schools - even
Christian - that have been closed in the Swat Valley, jeopardizing the
education of tens of thousands of students and the work of about 8 thousand
female teachers.
The education of the new generations is one of the key ways for the government to overcome poverty and to ensure genuine development in the nation, as outlined in a special AsiaNews dossier (see Education can stop the Taliban in Pakistan). Among the few realities in the area for some time, a group of Sinhalese Carmelite nuns women dedicated to education (see AsiaNews 22/06/2012 Sinhalese Carmelites educate girls in Pakistan), however, the sisters had to leave after a year and a half because of threats from Islamic fundamentalists.
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