Talking to Norwegian daily VG, Haji Wila Yat-Hussain from Central Jam-e Mosque in Oslo says they are very pleased for a brave young girl like Malala won the Nobel peace prize.
– She will serve people, and especially women. I think she will succeed. We need girls like her, he says to VG.
Columnist and former leader of the Muslim Student Union, Mohammed Usman Rana believes it is very relevant to give the award to Malala.
– This award provides a strong signal that word power is enormous and it shows that even young people can make a big difference. It is unique that a young woman, who has clearly Islamic and Pakistani cultural reference wins the prize. She’s not a rebel, anchored in Islam and Pakistani culture and speaks a language that many Muslims and Pakistanis can relate to. In addition, she is clearly opposed to American drone attacks, which she believes nourishes terrorism. Therefore, she has great credibility among Muslims, says Rana to VG.
Nevertheless, he is aware that there are voices that are critical of the young woman in Pakistan.
– In Pakistan, there is little resistance to her fight for the right of girls to education. Some are, however, afraid that she will be turned into a symbol of the West, says he.
Rana also notes Pakistanis are keen to keep her as a Pakistani and Muslim role model.
Conservative politician Afshan Rafiq is happy with the award, too.
– This is a very strong signal to the world when it comes to girls and education, and she is going to put this on the agenda. Only in Pakistan there are three million girls who do not have educational opportunities. This is just the official figures, says Rafiq to VG.
He believes Malala really deserved the award.
How A Foreign Drugstore Differs From A Local Pharmacy
