She’s no ordinary 17-year-old. Malala Yousufzai is a social activist who nearly lost her young life fighting for education for girls in her little village in Northern Pakistan. Shot on the left side of her forehead, you’d think that was enough for a young girl to recoil in fear, but she fought back, turning her advocacy into an international movement, winning the love and support of global leaders, the media and millions of people.
Humble, tireless and an idol for more than 80,000 children freed from slavery, Kailash Satyarthi is an Indian children’s rights activist and a global frontrunner in the fight against child labour. He founded the Bachpan Bachao Andolan (‘Save the Childhood Movement’) in 1980 and has acted to protect the rights of children in 144 countries. It is largely because of his work that the International Labour Organisation adopted convention No. 182 on the worst forms of child labour, which is now a principal guideline for governments around the world.
Both the above people have — in their own way — followed through on their convictions and made a massive difference to the world we live in. But this outspoken teenager and ageing Gandhian have one more thing in common — they both have been awarded one of the world’s highest held peace honours — the Nobel Peace Prize. An honour they share.
Some might say it was a risky decision to split the honour between the estranged neighbours India and Pakistan. Always seen at opposite sides, this announcement did cause a few moments of awkward silence, considering the history of conflict these countries share (there, we have one more thing in common!).
But living here in Dubai, a place where Indians and Pakistanis live perfectly harmoniously together — that is not how I feel. I see it as a sign of the times to come and a valuable lesson to teach generations to come. My son goes to an international school where children and parents of both nationalities thrive together, share notes, have the same worries, same joys and same lessons. They don’t care about historical differences right now. And they learn about them only when their parents teach them.
So why teach them? Why not notice our similarities instead of our differences? We celebrate each other’s festivals with love and respect, why not celebrate each other’s victories?
Every year, Eid is a very busy time for my family as we visit our Pakistani friends, relishing their hospitality and food. Right now I believe that they too are stressing over which sari or sherwani to wear for my Diwali party next week. We’ve always sat on opposite sides of a stadium. Why not sit together this time and cheer? Let Dubai lead the way for the rest of the world. Let our harmony spark off a new generation of friends. Let’s walk the road of world peace together, one step at a time.
