But as much as Malala Yousafzai is beloved in the West, she is hated in her native Pakistan. As a 15-year-old, she was airlifted out of the country in 2012 for medical treatment after a Taliban insurgent shot her in the face for her advocacy of girls education. In her homeland today, she s divisive. For a liberal minority, she s a feminist icon and hero for her global activism on behalf of girls. Others see her as a Western stooge.
So this week, many Pakistanis on social media reacted with white-knuckled anger after she told Vogue: I still don t understand why people have to get married.