Islam believes in education and allows it: Malala Yousafzai

Thursday 29 Oct 2015 - 11:08 Makkah mean time-16-1-1437

Malala Yousafzai listens as her father Ziauddin speaks at the Emirates Palace hotel on Wednesday night. Image from The Nationa.

Abu Dhabi, (IINA) - Malala Yousafzai, Nobel Peace Laureate and the global face of the fight to ensure girls’ rights to education, noted in her speech in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday night ahead of a UAE preview of the inspirational film “He Named Me Malala,” that Islam does believe in education and allows it.
“My basic message is about education, and that is linked to Islam because the Taliban use the name of Islam to stop girls from school," the 18 year-old, told the audience at the Emirates Palace hotel, The National daily reported.
“I am trying to spread the message of people having independence, education and identity in society," she said.
“My focus is on education right now, and Islam does believe in it and allows it.”
The film, partly produced by Abu Dhabi Company Image Nation, tells the story of the girl who became an international activist after being shot in the face by a Taliban hitman for defying their ban on young women in schools.
That attack in October 2012 led to an even more committed campaign for the right of girls to attend school and to her last year becoming the youngest recipient of the peace prize.
For his part, her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, said, “International media sometimes painted an ugly picture of Islam.”
“With education, the very first word revealed in the Qur’an is ‘Iqra’, or read. There is no specification, it’s for everybody, so we hope that will send a very powerful message to the world,” Ziauddin said. “People want to live with harmony, love, with respect, and that is what we know from Islam.”
He said he hoped the film and his daughter’s message would “wash away all those bad pictures.
Director Davis Guggenheim said the film opened his eyes to the true nature of Islam.
“I spent time with this beautiful family and they taught me more about forgiveness and being a good father,” Guggenheim said.
“Malala taught me to speak up for what I believe, to always be honest.”
On the other side, Guggenheim said the movie showed the UAE’s support for education and gender equality.
Producer Laurie MacDonald said the film showed “a powerful story of a Muslim family”, to counter negative images portrayed by the media.
SM/IINA

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