Malalai of Maiwand
Malalai of Maiwand | |
|---|---|
| File:Malalai Nia.jpg Malalai of Maiwand with Afghan flag on the battle field of Maiwand. july 27, 1880 | |
| Born | 1861 Khig, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan |
| Died | July 1880 (aged 18–19) Maiwand, Kandahar province, Afghanistan |
| Nationality | Afghan |
| Other names | Malalai Nia, Malala and Malalai of Maiwand |
| Known for | Battle of Maiwand |
Malalai of Maiwand (Pashto: د معيړند ملالۍ), also known as Malalai (Pashto:ملاله) or Malalai Anaa (Pashto: ملالۍ انا, meaning Malalai the "grandmother") is a national folk hero of Afghanistan who rallied the Pashtun army against the British troops at the 1880 Battle of Maiwand.[1] She was a young Pashtun woman who fought alongside Ayub Khan and was responsible for the Afghan victory[2] at the Battle of Maiwand on 27 July 1880, during the Second Anglo-Afghan War. She is also know as "The Afghan Jeanne D'Arc".[3] There are many schools, hospitals, and other institutions named after her in Afghanistan. Her story is mentioned in all Afghan school text books.
Early life
Malalai was born in 1861 at a small village called Khig, about 3 miles southwest of Maiwand in the southern Kandahar province of Afghanistan.[4] During the late 1880s, for the second time, Afghanistan was occupied by British-Indian forces attempting to colonise the area and annex it with what was then British India (now Pakistan and India). The main garrison of the British was located in Kandahar, which is the closest city to the town of Maiwand. The military of Afghanistan was represented by commander Ayub Khan, son of Afghan Emir Sher Ali Khan. Malalai's father, who was a shepherd, and her fiancée joined with Ayub Khan's army in the large attack on the British-Indian forces in July 1880. Like many Afghan women, Malalai was there to help tend to the wounded and provide water and spare weapons. According to local sources, this was also supposed to be her wedding day.
Legacy and early death
When the Afghan army was losing morale, despite their superior numbers, Malalai took the Afghan flag and shouted:
"Young love! If you do not fall in the battle of Maiwand,
This inspired the Afghan fighters to redouble their efforts. When a leading flag-bearer was killed, Malalai went forward and held up the flag[6][7] (some versions say she used her veil as a flag[8]), singing a landai:
"With a drop of my sweetheart's blood,
- Shed in defense of the Motherland,
- Will I put a beauty spot on my forehead,
- Such as would put to shame the rose in the garden."![5]
But then Malalai was herself struck down and killed. However, her words had spurred on her countrymen to victory. After the battle, Malalai was honored for her efforts and buried in her native village of Khig, where her grave remains today. She was between 17-19 during her death.[8]
See also
References
- ^ Johnson, Chris (2004). Afghanistan: the mirage of peace. Zed Books. p. 171. ISBN 1842773771, 9781842773772. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
{{cite book}}: Check|isbn=value: invalid character (help); More than one of|pages=and|page=specified (help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Abdullah Qazi. "Afghan Women's History". Afghanistan Online. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
- ^ "Ehrungen". Katachel.de. Retrieved 2011-06-25.
- ^ Wahid Momand. "Malalai of Maiwand". Afghanland.com. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
- ^ a b Garen Ewing (2005). "Afghan heroine Malalai". Retrieved 2010-09-12.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ Najmuddin, Shahzad Z. (2006). Armenia: a Resume: With Notes on Seth's Armenians in India. Trafford Publishing. p. 103. ISBN 1412079160, 9781412079167. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
{{cite book}}: Check|isbn=value: invalid character (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help); More than one of|pages=and|page=specified (help) - ^ Siba Shakib. "Battle of Maiwand" (PDF). tricycle.co.uk. Retrieved 2011-06-09.
- ^ a b Okkenhaug, Inger Marie (2005). Gender, religion and change in the Middle East: two hundred years of history. Berg Publishers. p. 191. ISBN 184520199X, 9781845201999. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
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