Malala Yousafzai has been an iconic and inspirational figure in the fight for women and girls’ education around the globe ever since the Pakistani girl survived her attempted assassination at the hands of the Taliban in 2012. She had been targeted and shot in the head because of her work advocating for education for girls. Two years later, she would become the youngest ever winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. Currently attending Oxford University for her undergraduate studies, Yousafzai is almost globally recognized as a hero (Constable). Except, of course, in her home country of Pakistan.
That is because, since the attempt on her life, conspiracy theories have risen out of Pakistani media, politics, and culture that allege Malala Yousafzai is a spy for the CIA or orchestrated her own shooting for fame (John). Adherents to these beliefs range from the poor to rich and disenfranchised to the powerful in Pakistan, with students, journalists, and even some parliamentarians disapproving of her and declaring she staged her attack (Kugelman). Information on this belief comes from Pakistani social media groups (most of the Facebook pages have since been shut down) and figures in the media like Tariq Khattack, who said the following regarding her Nobel Peace Prize: “It’s a political decision and a conspiracy. She is a normal, useless type of a girl. Nothing in her is special at all” (Khan). This belief erupted within a month of her shooting (Leiby), although it became particularly popular after Yousafzai began receiving so much attention and recognition from Western media, with the biggest spikes coming with her Nobel and admittance into Oxford University (Kugelman). This belief persists to this day and it is extraordinary and noteworthy because there is absolutely no credible evidence supporting it and, additionally, the maligning of Yousafzai in her native country stands in stark contrast to both her glowing international reputation and the immense charitable work her foundation oversees in Pakistan (Kugelman).
The evidence against the belief is the universally-accepted chain of events: that she was targeted by the Taliban because she was promoting both girls’ education and anti-Taliban ideas through her interactions with Western media like her BBC blog. Then, in retaliation, the Taliban ordered her murder and she was shot once in the head on her school bus ride home from school on October 9, 2012 (Tohid). She was then flown to the United Kingdom for further treatment later that week, where she has taken up residence.
The evidence that Malala Yousafzai is, in fact, a plant by the CIA is all circumstantial or projected. There are variations here, with some claiming she is a spy for the CIA and others claiming it was the CIA who shot her, making her an unwitting but still-dangerous part of an American plot: “America created Malala in order to promote their own culture of nudity and to defame Pakistan around the worlds” (John). Evidence offered up is the photograph of her meeting with U.S. envoy Richard C. Holbrooke – because surely that could be the only reason she would meet with him. Others posit that the attack was meant to stir up anti-Taliban sentiment and make American drone strikes more palatable to the Pakistani people (Leiby).
The most important cognitive contribution is confirmation bias. This is noticeable in the usage of a photograph of Yousafzai with a U.S. envoy as evidence that she colluded with the U.S. and her association with the West being seen as incriminating. That stems from Pakistanis deep distrust of Western governments and institutions – the more Yousafzai was embraced by the West (such as her admittance to Oxford, Nobel Peace Prize, and book sales), the more she was interpreted as an agent of the West. There is also confirmation bias present in the activities of her family and father, in particular. In 2013, her family had retained the American public relations firm Edelman to help manage her image – this served as proof to those with confirmation bias that the shooting had been orchestrated to give her fame (Kugelman). Her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, is associated with the Awami National Party, a leftist secular organization that receives little support in Pakistan. After independence, the Red Shirt movement (which is linked to the Awami National Party) was dubbed as traitorous, another unfavorable association for Yousafzai. (Khan). The most egregious example came from a satirical article published by the Pakistani newspaper Dawn that claimed Malala is a Caucasian girl from Hungary and had been shot by an actor who looked suspiciously like Robert De Niro, at the behest of the CIA (and, of course, the informant only acquiesced to being interviewed while wearing a Spiderman mask). Oh, and this was to justify the invasion of North Waziristan by American capitalists after the diamond-infused dinosaur bones in the region. Yet, even with all of that, confirmation bias led so many Pakistanis to believe the article and attack Yousafzai based on it that the website had to publish a retroactive disclaimer that the piece was satire (Paracha).
Perhaps most important to understanding this belief system are the most complicated aspects of the populace – Pakistani political systems, cultural norms, and social mobility. Most of the believers seem to come from the increasing middle class in Pakistan, which is largely conservative and anti-Western. Although this demographic is increasing because of some urbanization in Pakistan, it is still incredibly difficult to raise one’s social status. As a result, some may resent how quickly Yousafzai “ascended” the ladder of social mobility. If this seems outrageous to believe, it is important to note that 40% of Pakistan’s children in the lowest economic quintile will likely stay in that class for the rest of their lives (Kugelman). In that sense, there is also likely somewhat of a social comparison bias at play.
Although there is not specific evidence for the belief that Malala Yousafzai’s attack was orchestrated by her or the CIA, those who want to believe are able to justify themselves by pointing to all of the strands and coincidences they believe prove her inauthenticity. Their conservatism and opposition to Western cultural imposition, her status as a woman in a still extremely patriarchal society, and jealousy at how quickly she climbed the social ladder all contribute to an anger, resentment, and distrust of Malala that manifests in the belief that her attack was orchestrated for personal gain.
Works Cited
Constable, Pamela. “She’s a Nobel Winner Heading to Oxford. But ‘Malala Hate’ Is Still Real in Pakistan.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 6 Sept. 2017, www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/09/05/shes-a-nobel-winner-heading-to-oxford-but-malala-hate-is-still-real-in-pakistan/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.9913be1de556.
John, Arit. “Breaking Down the Malala Conspiracy Theories.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 29 Oct. 2013, www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/10/breaking-down-malala-conspiracy-theories/309985/.
Khan, M Ilyas. “The Antagonism Towards Malala in Pakistan.” BBC , BBC News, 10 Oct. 2014, www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-29568637.
Kugelman, Michael. “Why Pakistan Hates Malala.” Foreign Policy, Foreign Policy, 15 Aug. 2017, foreignpolicy.com/2017/08/15/why-pakistan-hates-malala/.
Leiby, Michele Langevine. “Attack on Schoolgirl Fuels Pakistani Conspiracy Theories.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 24 Oct. 2012, www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/attack-on-schoolgirl-fuels-pakistani-conspiracy-theories/2012/10/23/20600b3c-1adf-11e2-bd10-5ff056538b7c_story.html?utm_term=.edf8d9eb1568.
Paracha, Nadeem F. “Malala: The Real Story (with Evidence).” Dawn, Dawn Newspaper, 11 Oct. 2013, www.dawn.com/news/1048776.
I never knew that people believed that Malala was a CIA agent. This theory just goes to show you that people will create ridiculous ideas to support something that conflicts with their beliefs. It’s just so unfortunate that Malala is doing so much good for her country, yet they put out all of this negative propaganda targeting her. Has Malala ever publicly commented on this conspiracy theory?
Malala has not publicly commented on the theory directly, but she has denounced drone strikes very explicitly in response to some criticism from Pakistanis. One of the articles mentioned that some Pakistanis view her as not vocal enough of an activist against Western involvement and violence in Pakistan to be admired.
It is important to note that the reason Malala ascended the ladder of social mobility due to her perseverance and persistence to fight inequality. Most rational people would stop speaking out after someone tries to murder them. It is hard to ignore the general understanding that women around the world do not have the same rights and privileges as men, so the statement that Malala’s story was reduced to pushing America’s agenda is outrageous.
I think your point on social mobility is an excellent point because it brings attention to the fact that people often feel threatened when presented with people who rise above them in rank, when they were originally lower than them in social standing. It’s crazy that nearly 40% of Pakistani children will forever remain in the lowest economic quintile, which speaks to the criticism people feel when they believe that someone’s power gain is unjustified or undeserved. I find it interesting that Malala is such a heroic figure in America, and yet, she is dubbed a traitor or criminal by some in her own home country.
Hello!
It ‘s ridiculous to hear that Malala is an agent of the CIA. In this conspiracy theories, instead of believing these believers didn’t trust the identity of Malala, I think some people are controlling the public opinion, and use the Malala to achieve their dark purpose. I think Malala is an excellent female representation, who strives for the equal right of people. It’s also pitiful that some people using the shooting event to claims that it’s a show of the CIA.
Hello!
This post drew my eye because i have heard of Malala before! After reading your post, I found it crazy that she was considered to be a CIA agent but I was not surprise. When looking at what she stands for and the issues she brings up that have happened within her home country, I’m sure people are upset who don’t believe in change. It is sad to me that people need to create stories to bring negative energy to a girl who is doing many positive things. Also I found it funny that people think the man who shot her may be Robert Deniro, I would think of all people, the CIA wouldn’t pick a famous and recognizable actor to take part in this “plot”.
I think your blog is a great example of how conspiracy theories are weird because, especially when governments are involved, people tend to have them in both directions – in this case, we see that people think that she might be a spy OR the CIA might have shot her. Why do you think conspiracy theories tend to be this way?
I feel like this is like this is common everywhere for example lets look at the flat earthed. People think that Mark Sargent in reality works for NASA. These things don’t even make sense anymore. It is just a way to try and bring attention to oneself.
I had heard the story of Malala, but certainly not the perspective of such a plot. It is saddening to me that people have spun this story into a negative plot, especially when people of her own country could’ve perceived it in the same way as the West, that she is an inspiring and incredible young woman!
I can’t believe that there are people out there who actually believe this, a young girl who fought through everything to reach the place she is right now. When most of the girls would have given in and succumbed to their injuries, she fought and gained power. Malala is my role model and people saying this is making me really angry.
Sometimes is unbelievable that people can talk about someone like this even when they were on their deathbed because they were fighting for equality. However, having someone from your home country who is against views that have been followed for years and is connected to the views of America, I can see why they came up with a story connected to the CIA. The just decided to use Malala as a propaganda scheme and thats really sad. I think this belief was just constructed to keep things the same because they don’t want change. Commenting on a comment above on if she has spoken about the issue. I think at this point there is nothing she can really do. It seems at least that she plans to stay here and there is no need for her to go back to Pakistan. However, even if she did speak against it, no one would believe her but if she keeps quiet; they’ll believe she’s admitting to their belief. I think it sad because she was fighting for women’s rights and got shot for it. As well as now women and girls in Pakistan will view her as an enemy rather than an ally and see all that she stands for.
I think that when people make such bizarre claims about people who make such a huge difference they are trying to seek attention and be the person that proves them wrong. As horrible as that sounds some people who may not believe in what someone is advocating for or protesting wants everyone to follow behind. If they can get a small group of people to believe them they’ll feel more satisfied and justified than before. No one likes to be the minority even if its just in opinion.
One obvious feature of rumor is the different variation of how the thing actually happened. Just like in this case, there are more than one explanation of the CIA relation of Malala Yousafzai. In certain aspect, this might reflect the questionable authenticity of this theory. The whole situation would become really ambiguous when it involve into a warfare. Both side of parties would use anything to attack each other and try to defend their own legitimacy. In this way, critical thinking is very important for political topic discussion.
Feel so sad hearing such beliefs.She is such a strong girl that pursuing her justice with tons of pressure from her country, the society, now even those believers. Some extraordinary beliefs are just ridiculous or funny, but that one hurts.
I find this conspiracy theory about Malala to be very frustrating. It is disheartening to hear that such a courageous women who is a great role model for so many is being called a fake who wants attention. I think this belief stems from extremist and or biased views from people who want the attention themselves.
I’m beginning to wonder if this sort of thing just happens to all woman who are put into some sort of spotlight. From the theories on Clinton surrounding “pizzagate” and the constant fallback to the emails, to even Patricia in Behind the Curve being called a plant and spy. I’m really wondering if this kind of thing is just a result of societal misogyny, and many men’s need to put women down that they might begin to see as threatening. I mean, even just those in congress like AOC or Omar are consistently met with backlash for merely existing.
The criticism Malala faced in Pakistan was more known to me than was her actual story. Because one girl survived an attack, people claim it was staged. Being Indian and knowing the culture that surrounds both India and Pakistan, people most likely believe the theory because she is a woman and no matter how progressive the world becomes, its embedded in the mindset of many Pakistani and Indian men, my own family who are foreigners from both countries being an example. Many factors come into play such as social status, what someone’s family has done for their country, but had Malala been a man, it most likely wouldn’t have turned into a conspiracy theory.