Malala Yousafzai, the young Pakistani girl shot in the head by the Taliban while riding the bus home from school, is now on tour promoting her heroic story: I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban

The country is abuzz with the “I am Malala” movement, and University of California-Berkeley student Smriti Joneja has issues with how the American press is handing the story:

….Still don’t believe me when I say Malala’s story is being unfairly co-opted? Then let me ask you this: Where are the names and stories of Malala’s classmates who were also shot, some of whom were killed? Where is the report on Perveen Rehman, a Pakistani social worker who was shot dead earlier this year in Karachi? Where are the commendations or Nobel Peace Prize nominations for Abdul Sattar Edhi, the elderly Pakistani philanthropist who runs the world’s largest volunteer ambulance service and is recognized for saving thousands of lives through his efforts? These stories go unheard, particularly the latter, because they do not fit the blinders of Western ideology of a brown Muslim man who is not a terrorist.Western media have a long history of entering certain international “crisis” situations around the world, giving handpicked individuals a platform from which they can speak at a particular time. This occurrence has a tendency not only to suit Western political needs and causes but also to imply their own goodwill and big-hearted benevolence. It is this metaphorical patting-on-the-back that I have issues with: the co-optation of Malala’s work and success as Western work and success.

The Western states and their media have done nothing worthy of worldwide recognition. If you’re going to give Malala a platform to address change, then at least have the cognizance to recognize that she, and other young people like her, has been forced to take a stand for herself on her own for years. There should be more awareness that children such as Malala have had to stand up for their own rights and put themselves in danger when they should be protected by those who have more power, reach and agency to affect change.

Malala Yousafzai is a courageous, intelligent and determined young woman who has undergone countless struggles to shed light on issues that affect young women like herself on a daily basis. The Western world and media played no role in helping Malala with her struggles and subsequent accomplishments. We don’t deserve a pat on the back. It’s time we stop trying to take credit where it’s simply not due.