The apology by Rehana Haleem,
sister of a prime suspect in Malala Yousufzai’s shooting, to the victim
comes as a reminder that we should treat people as individuals and
avoid judging them because of the actions committed by those who were or
are affiliated with them.
In a
CNN interview, Ms Haleem said,
“Please convey a message to Malala that I apologise for what my brother
did to her. I’d like to express my concern for Malala on behalf of my
whole family; I hope she recovers soon and returns to a happy and normal
life as soon as possible. I hope Malala doesn’t consider me or my
family as enemies. I don’t consider Attaullah my brother anymore.”
While our first reaction might be to condemn Ms Haleem because she
was born as the sister of a suspected terrorist, we should realise that
this fate was not in her control and we must remember to assess each
person as an individual, based on his or her own actions. Ms Haleem’s
courage must be recognised. Though her brother has not yet been convicted of the crime,
she publicly expressed her stance on the issue despite being related to
the suspect, who is potentially connected with a group that rests at
the nadir of anything remotely human.
Perhaps, we will see more such people standing up, speaking out and
acting against the countless injustices the people of our country face
every day. Perhaps, we will not forget the injustices that Malala,
Kainat and Shazia faced, if we ever decide on how and whether to
eradicate terrorists. The fact that Kainat, upon returning to school
recently, had trouble finding a van to take her to school
— because the drivers fear another attack — suggests that the
government might have become uninterested in protecting its people from
evil. Perhaps, somebody else has some apologising to do to Malala,
Shazia and Kainat. Nonetheless, it is a wondrous sight to see the
national and international community stand united in this regard