(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Nobel Peace Prize announcement evokes strong responses
Dubai: The news of the Nobel Peace Prize going to young Pakistani education rights campaigner Malala Yousafzai and Indian child rights campaigner Kailash Satyarthi has evoked some strong reactions from the Indian subcontinent expatriate communities in Dubai.
General Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of UAE Armed Forces speaks with Malala Yousafzai in Abu Dhabi. — Wam file
Nadia Zaidi who moved to Dubai recently after working in Washington DC for over seven years as an Intellectual Property Attorney is “very proud” that fellow Indian Satyarthi has got the due recognition. “I feel anybody who gets rewarded for work they have done is deserving. The entire point of getting an award is so people get encouraged and stand up for what is right.”
“I have stronger views on Malala though who people have been criticising on social media about her being so young.” Zaidi says “I’ll be honest. Someone always needs to get the peace prize. And here is someone who stood up to militants who stood up for women and who stood up for education — how many of the people criticising her have done that How many people so young have achieved what she has”
Shahan Farooq 28-year-old consultant from Karachi feels ambivalent towards the Nobel prize committee’s choices but says he’s all for Malala being awarded the prize. “I think she’s done great work. A lot of Pakistanis are cynical about her and people got ticked off after the western media was cashing in on having ‘rescued’ her from her environment in Pakistan… but look at how she was living. You can’t hate the person for what the media and people build up. She’s a brave strong girl. She stands for something stronger than what the cynics are voting for.”
Acknowledging Kailash Satyarthi’s recognition Farooq says “People like him should win those who’ve dedicated their entire lives to a cause.”
Farooq does also believe that there are plenty of deserving Pakistanis who are worthy of the prize. To name just one he says: Abdul Sattar Edhi philanthropist who runs the world’s largest ambulance service and operates free nursing homes orphanages clinics and women’s shelters.
“She has been given too much hype” says Pakistani gynaecologist in Dubai Dr Asma Nina Khan also the president and founder of EIWA (Empower International Women Association).
She feels “There are a lot of other women who are standing up for the rights of women. There are more serious causes in Pakistan than education — crime. There are women who are reconstructing the faces of acid attack victims. There are lawyers fighting for the rights of the gang-raped acid-attacked those who suffer domestic violence.”
Dr Khan says “I am a Pathan I live close to the area where Malala is from. I wouldn’t hesitate to give credit where due. But she’s been politically hyped. There are others much more deserving.”
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