Nobel Peace Prize for Malala
Pakistan child education activist Mala Yousafjai and an Indian child rights campaigner have jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize 2014. At the age of 17, Malala is the youngest ever recipient of the prize. Taliban gunmen shot the teenager in the head in October 2012 for campaigning for girls’ education.
In an interview, Malala in veil according to the Islami Shariah, expressed her firm determination in working for girls’ education. We congratulate her for winning such a lucrative prize as the Nobel Peace Prize is. In this connection, we take the opportunity to recall the great contribution of another Muslim woman in the field of girls’ education in undivided Bengal. And this great woman was Begum Rokeya, who fought all through her life against superstition, discrimination, oppression and injustice.
She was born in a most conservative Muslim family in 1880 on December 9 in the district of Rangpur, and died on the same date in 1932. She used to learn Bengali and English at dead of night when every one of her family fell asleep because these two subjects were forbidden in her family. Her elder brother said to her: If you learn Bengali and English, apart from Persia and Arabic, you will be able to do something for the ignorant and backward Muslim women of Bengal.
After marriage in the very early age, Begum Rokeya received immense inspiration from her husband who was a Deputy Magistrate. Realising the Muslim women’s plight in education, she established a girls’ school in Calcutta and moved from post to pillar and pillar to post to convince the guardians to send their daughters and sisters to her school.. Unfortunately, the conservative and reactionary classes opposed her move. But she was firm in her journey, dogged tenacity of purpose, indomitable and uncompromising. The name of the school she established is Sakhawat Memorial Girls’ School.
Begum Rokeya also wrote short stories and novels. Her important works are Sultana’s Dream and Padmarag.
I do not know whether there is provision for awarding Nobel Prize to a deceased for her great contribution to education. If there is, we would request the Nobel Peace Committee to consider the name of Begum Rokeya next year.
Ameer Hamzah
Dhaka
