On Dec. 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, an ordinary African-American, Rosa Parks, refused to obey bus driver’s order that she give up her seat in the colored section to a white passenger, after the white section was filled.
She was arrested for civil disobedience. Her act of defiance became the turning point in the civil rights movements in modern history. She became an international icon of resistance against racial segregation. The resistance reached its peak when in Martin Luther King, Jr., declared: “I have a dream” in 1960s.
The US Congress later recognized Parks as “the first lady of civil rights” and “the mother of the freedom movement.”
One wonders if Malala Yousufzai who was shot at point-blank range on Oct. 9 is Pakistan’s Rosa Parks in the nation’s fight against terrorism and religious extremism. Parks’ act united the American black community to stand against racial discrimination and segregation. It’s encouraging to see Pakistan’s political parties and civil society are getting united to denounce Taleban’s barbarism.
Rosa lived a long life to see her dream come true when a black president took over the White House in 2008. Will Malala survive to see her country getting rid of barbarians forever? — Masood Khan, Jubail
Is Malala Pakistan’s Rosa Parks?
