I’m not going to relive the tragic events that fell upon Malala. The world has already done that. What struck me was that in this day and age hate still seems to rule. The history of the world follows two paths: the road to enlightenment and the road to perdition. We know those who travel or have traveled on the road to enlightenment. The Buddha, Jesus Christ, Mohammed, Albert Schweitzer, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, and now Malala Yousafzai. On the other road we also know the travelers. They are the ones who spew hate, hijack thoughts and beliefs, and refuse to acknowledge that we are one species: human. Catholics and Protestants made Europe their battle grounds.

Too many people have died for professing their beliefs. A case can be made that it is how we interpret things may be a major cause of humans acting non-human. Catholics and Protestants differed not on the existence of God but how His Words were interpreted. Sunni and Shiite paths diverge after the death of the Prophet Mohammed. In Buddhism differences among the different traditions could be attributed to the interpretations of The Buddha’s teachings, or who can achieve Buddhahood. Because of these differences of opinions and beliefs, millions of people have died in the course of history.

So, what was Malala’s crime? She wanted to be educated. She wanted all girls to have access to education. She wanted to learn. We may never know who called out her name on the bus and shot her. What many of us do know is that Malala represents us. We may eventually achieve religious and racial equality, but it will mean nothing if we still view women as less equal.  -Glenn