muggle of the month
When it comes to unearthing mysteries this reporter isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. I was recently informed of an award the Muggles give out every year to those who have gone above and beyond to encourage peace for all of mankind. I was able to meet with some very key figures to uncover this mystery. They call it the Nobel Peace Prize (think Order of Merlin, but for Muggles.)
When you think about yourself at fourteen most of us remember Hogwarts, weekends at the Three Broomsticks, and running off to dark corners to get a good snog in. For some though, there are still
lingering
memories of
the Battle of Hogwarts. But even in that dark time we still had Hogwarts and were able to call it a marginally safe place (Peeves’ antics excluded of course). In contrast, in other areas of the world some people are denied even a basic education.
It is in this climate, that the story of Malala Yousafzai begins. In 2012 a man swept onto a school bus full of young girls and
threatened to kill all of them if they didn’t
give him the one he was looking for - the esteemed Yousafzai. Her crime? She was singled out because she spoke out about the lack of education for girls in her country of Pakistan and the surrounding area. Her punishment? A bullet to the head. This act of violence in the muggle world is the equivalent to the killing curse, but this girl, much like our very own Harry Potter, lived. Despite the many months of recovery, Malala carried on her
campaign and
continued
her “blog” (a personal
muggle publication over the www) called “Diary of a Pakistani Schoolgirl”. She detailed the unsung story of the ongoing struggle that mny girls go through to simply get an education.
The bright young woman has appeared at many rallies for equal rights for women and has met many noted dignitaries (unbeknownst to her, Hermione Granger was not from the British UN but instead the Ministry’s UN representative). While her continual activism has brought on increased calls against the cruelty of the Taliban, but she has also brought awareness to her cause and given a voice to women who are being deprived.
For her efforts, in 2014 she was announced as a co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize
and became the youngest person
to ever receive the award.
This reporter was also able to sit down with Dean Thomas; a half-blood raised in both the wizarding and muggle worlds, and the press representative
at the
Muggle Liason Office to get his take on the whole thing and how he thinks the fiasco in the Middle East will affect the British Wizarding Society:
“After hearing the story of Miss Yousafzai I am reminded of our dark days under Voldemort’s reign. He and his Death Eaters did the same thing the Taliban is currently doing, but instead of preventing Muggleborns and Half-bloods from receiving an education, they have chosen to oppress women. As of right now the wizarding community of Britain is relatively safe, but our Muggle neighbors are not so fortunate. The Minister for Magic is currently working closely with Zia Chaudary, the Pakistani Wizarding Foreign Minister, to develop a plan to help Middle Eastern and South Asian wizards”.
We sent an owl to Miss Chaudary, but her undersecretary replied that she was unavailable until a verdict had been made.
"I raise up my voice - not so I can shout but so that those without a voice can be heard...
we cannot succeed when half of
us are held back".
- Malala Yousafzai
10
Lyra Belby