Justice in the Face of Taliban Agression

Malalai Yousafzai

When I read that fourteen-year-old Malalai Yousafzai had been shot in an assassination attempt by Pakistani Taliban, I was overwhelmed by rage and sadness. Two other girls were also injured in the attack; one of whom remains in a critical condition. I am pleased that Pakistani officials have offered a 10 million rupee ($105,000; £66,000) reward for information leading to the arrest of her attackers. However, that the Taliban even exist to perpetrate such an injustice makes me ill.

Fundamentalist groups, whether they be the Taliban or the U.S. Tea Party, are a great concern to me and have been since the 1970s. After reading the works of Karen Armstrong I gained an understanding of fundamentalist mindset: their war is not a religious war but rather a war against modernity. And, unless the peoples of the world want to return to a dark age, it is a war that we cannot allow fundamentalists to win.

I strongly recommend the writings of Karen Armstrong. Here are a few:

“Truth is powerful and it prevails.” ~ Sojourner Truth

March is Women's History Month. As I thought about what to post in celebration of women in history, I remembered a woman who did not appear in any of me elementary or high school English books. I encountered her first as a character in a play at the University of Kentucky in 1964 when I was  Freshman.

I'll not go into the biography of Sojourner Truth; you can find that in many places on the Internet, including HERE. What I shall do is allow Sojourner Truth to speak for herself -- something she did quite well -- in the same words spoken in that play that introduced her to me 46 years ago.

Please take just a moment to listen as Alice Walker reads Sojourner Truth:

Truth is powerful and it prevails.