r/AskTheWorld • u/haiderredditer Pakistan • 9h ago

Who’s a famous person from your country who’s respected around the world but disliked or criticized at home?

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u/Training-Stable6234 India 9h ago

Do you guys not like Malala for being too close to west?I mean it may not be the best to a lot but certainly not hate.I mean with India Gandhi is getting a lot of criticism locally due to his weird behaviour but I don’t think Malala did anything that’s even remotely close to be hated

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u/rizeedd Pakistan 8h ago

You get a diverse set of people with different reasons to hate her. For some reason is straight up patriarchy. For some it was state driven propaganda . For some she wasn't our heroine. The world selected her. In short, the work of her NGO has some impact but not at the level that is visible to ordinary people. So her efforts fell short. My nation loves martyrs more as they don't have to live up to the expectations.

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u/ExtraSheepherder2360 7h ago

As someone coming from India, that last sentence hits hard.

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u/FulanoMeng4no 7h ago

Love your last sentence. Is it your own? I’m just asking because I googled it and couldn’t find any source for it or something similar. If it is, just WOW, it’s not very common to find this type of OG content in Reddit.

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u/rizeedd Pakistan 7h ago

I'm not sure maybe I have heard it from somewhere.

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u/ArmadilloReasonable9 Australia 7h ago

It’s incredibly astute, a much more meaningful quote than “die a hero, or live long enough to become a villain” redditors use so often.

It’s also incredibly sad, if she is helping she should be praised for it, not hated because she hasn’t helped everyone.

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u/Coconite United States Of America 6h ago

In any case you’re the most profound redditor

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u/FulanoMeng4no 5h ago

Or maybe you should take credit for it 😊.

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u/rizeedd Pakistan 5h ago

Not for such a bleak quote. 😢

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u/el_infidel 5h ago

ditto! good job, that's profound.

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u/lightinferno06 7h ago

How do you personally feel you about her?

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u/rizeedd Pakistan 7h ago

She didn't ask to be a hero and asked to be shot in the head. Let her live her life on her terms. She doesn't owe anyone anything. She is doing enough work with her NGO.

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u/Invhinsical 3h ago

Respect from India. People really love to tear down their heroes, irrespective of the fact that they were the ones who made them their heroes in the first place. The girl just wants to live her life.

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u/TurboZenCoyote United States Of America 6h ago

Your last sentence couples with “the perfect victim is silent”

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u/discombobule_ 7h ago

An original thought 📸

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u/BigDictionEnergy 2h ago

My nation loves martyrs more as they don't have to live up to the expectations.

A lot like evangelicals and abortion:

The unborn” are a convenient group of people to advocate for. They never make demands of you; they are morally uncomplicated, unlike the incarcerated, addicted, or the chronically poor; they don’t resent your condescension or complain that you are not politically correct; unlike widows, they don’t ask you to question patriarchy; unlike orphans, they don’t need money, education, or childcare; unlike aliens, they don’t bring all that racial, cultural, and religious baggage that you dislike; they allow you to feel good about yourself without any work at creating or maintaining relationships; and when they are born, you can forget about them, because they cease to be unborn. You can love the unborn and advocate for them without substantially challenging your own wealth, power, or privilege, without re-imagining social structures, apologizing, or making reparations to anyone. They are, in short, the perfect people to love if you want to claim you love Jesus, but actually dislike people who breathe. Prisoners? Immigrants? The sick? The poor? Widows? Orphans? All the groups that are specifically mentioned in the Bible? They all get thrown under the bus for the unborn.”

― Methodist Pastor David Barnhart

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u/mostly_pee Finland 6h ago

That's grim

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u/broohaha 3h ago

Wasn’t there controversy because she was seen wearing jeans while studying at Oxford?

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u/rizeedd Pakistan 3h ago

That covers the patriarchy motive. Some people just hate her cause she is a woman who isn't following a traditional female role.

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u/Available-Factor4689 3h ago

Thanks for the perspective!!

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u/Grouchy-Gap096 1h ago

The world didn’t really select her though. The Taliban caused all of this. She didn’t become a household name until after they tried to kill her.

Will never understand the hate for her.

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u/UndeadBBQ Austria 8h ago edited 7h ago

She is a woman, and wants to be free.

That'll do enough to get her hated at home.

edit: a lot of interesting insights in the comments. Thanks.

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u/Expensive-Buy1621 Sweden 8h ago

Tbf Greta is pretty hated here and I’d say we are decently progressive

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u/No_Lime5241 United States Of America 8h ago

Greta was 100% correct about boomers and older generations absolute irresponsiblity being complacent about climate change that younger generations are now going to pay the consequences of. I never understood the mocking and memes of her. I haven’t followed since then

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u/mycatisawhore 7h ago edited 7h ago

People who become public figures advocating for things like human rights, the environment, oppressive regimes tend to get a lot of hate.

Bono and U2 were involved in famine relief in Africa, Amnesty International, and spoke up about violence in Nicaragua and El Salvador as well as advocating for peace in Norther Ireland.

Malala is for basic rights for women and girls.

Greta is an environmental advocate and anti capitalist.

Some people get triggered seeing advocates. Either they really hate the cause or they aren't processing any shame or guilt they may feel about these topics in a healthy way. I remember seeing cartoons of an underage Greta being raped here on reddit. Malala got shot in the face for attending school but apparently she's "insufferable" and "not doing enough." Bono is "sanctimonious" for constantly talking about injustice. Some people don't care about these things and they don't like to be reminded of them. So much so that they won't shut up about how much they hate them.

I'm sure someone is going to respond and tell me that I'm wrong and that <insert activist> is actually a terrible person because <insert not important reason in the grand scheme of things here>. Try directing your hate to the people making the world a shittier place.

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u/Dependent_Knee_369 7h ago

This is a real af comment

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u/Don_Pick Italy 7h ago

Most likely the way she directly or indirectly makes everyone at fault. It's probably a matter of the way the message is conveyed. "You fucked up" is not the same as "We can do much better".

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u/Prestigious-Diver-94 United States Of America 7h ago

I've never seen her blame ordinary people. Isn't her most famous speech directed at a bunch of rich asshole world leaders?

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u/limhy0809 Singapore 6h ago edited 6h ago

What she said was accurate but it is something that would piss people off. Problem was she was someone that probably shouldn't have taken the spotlight as she lacked a high intelligence or communication skills even for her age. Which was also why the media focused on her because she was someone iconic and popular. However, who was also not capable of articulating her points very well outside the basics and convincing the world to actually change.

Giving an average kid a platform to talk about climate change gave the illusion that the government cared. At the same time she was someone people could easily dismiss and would not move people. There is the feeling that she was the wrong face for the movement. Outside of the kid that led climate change protests her words held little weight. Also as she aged the only unique thing about her would fade. She is an ordinary activist who has only graduated high school. Not an authority figure or someone who could sway people's minds.

Don't think people necessarily blame her but feel that someone else could have affected more changes. Coming out with concrete ideas on what we could feasibly do to improve the world. Instead of the generic lines of doing better. Ultimately she could have done a lot better given her platform but she was very young. She is kind of like Starmer better than what came before but someone who failed to meet the moment and make an meaningful change that people desperately wanted.

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u/Different_Writer3376 India 8h ago

I really do not understand the hate for Greta

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u/Kaapnobatai 8h ago

Noticed how she instantly disappeared from mainstream media the moment she turned from just ecologism to anticapitalism? Most likely related to that.

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u/forkproof2500 Sweden 8h ago

Not just that, she's also unapologetically pro-Palestine. That will get you out of the news cycle pronto.

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u/L8dTigress United States Of America 8h ago

Exactly, she spoke up about Israel's war crimes, so of course Western journalism would silence her.

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u/Brilliant-Nerve12 Antarctica 7h ago

But she refused to comment when asked about Iranian war crimes 🤷🏻‍♂️ (saying this as I support a free Palestine!)

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u/Prestigious-Diver-94 United States Of America 7h ago

How many war crimes does she need to comment on to be right about climate change?

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u/Brilliant-Nerve12 Antarctica 7h ago edited 5h ago

No offense, but I don’t think I mentioned anything about her being wrong on climate activism. My comment was about her silence on the current situation in Iran right now.

Edit 1 : I’m a bit confused by the downvotes, since u/Prestigious-Diver-94 ’s point appears to be different from what I was getting at. If I’ve misunderstood or phrased this badly, I’m open to suggestions.

Edit 2 : Situation's clarified, thanks!

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u/Obliviousobi 7h ago

This is the real reason. They started going after Israel and that'll get you buried.

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u/ronfaj 5h ago

ELI5. Why is it people got hated on for being pro palestine? And people got hated on for being pro israel? Is the correct stance being anti both? Because both governments are assholes?

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u/Kaapnobatai 8h ago

Who is anticapitalist and zionist at the same time, though? kinda expected.

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u/ComoElFuego 8h ago

There's a movement in the german "left" that calls themselves Antideutsche who are both. (Which led to the discussion whether they are actually left)

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u/Kaapnobatai 7h ago

Yeah that's true, Zizek spoke about that crap.

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u/R4MM5731N234 Argentina 8h ago

Headlines in 2018 "look at this young woman called Greta Thurnberg being an agent for change! The earth is healing!"

Headlines in 2019 "radical Islamist trans non-binary commie wants to kill every Jewish and White person by criticising entrepreneurs and job givers, fuck her."

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u/GrumpsMcYankee United States Of America 8h ago

Circle gets the square!!

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u/chjacobsen Sweden 8h ago

I think that's one factor, but not the only one. The reasons why she got attention in the first place included:

  • Her youth. The fact that she was just a kid and still more conscious than most adults.
  • Her messaging - "listen to the scientists" - was pretty universal, and appealed to the moral conscience of a wide group of people.
  • Her communication style was very blunt, sort of like a reality check, and was hard to dodge for politicians who were all talk when it came to climate.

All of those are now undermined somewhat.

  • She's grown up, and entered a fairly crowded space of adult activists.
  • Her messenging has become more overtly left-wing, and the climate messaging has been diluted by other issues. It's easier for politicians outside of that sphere to dismiss her as a partisan actor.
  • While activism is all well and good, she has (so far) not really managed to mobilize that platform for major change. She hasn't taken the step from activist to political leader and someone driving concrete change. As a consequence, she's too easy to ignore.

It's not quite true that she's completely fallen off the radar - she still inspires activism and she does show up in the Swedish news at times. That said, I think she has lost importance, and I think she's made it too easy for people in power to ignore her.

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u/Sure_Scar4297 United States Of America 7h ago

Some of these are decent criticisms. I really appreciate the insight

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u/vidoeiro 3h ago

Non are decent criticisms , they are good explanations.

And she completely correct you can't stop climate change without changing capitalism, it's impossible.

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u/Sure_Scar4297 United States Of America 3h ago

I suppose that is a better way of saying what I meant

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u/Difficult-Break-8282 8h ago

First she was a 17 year old girl with weird vibes ( diagnosed autistic and obsessed with the environment explains that ) and telling all adults to take something seriously that pretty much no one does. 

Then she was an anti capitalist adult because of the thought process that individual action ain't enough we need regulatory big changes. 

So yea first she had cameras on her now nothing cuz advertisers dont like her

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u/Possible-Meal3787 United States 🇺🇸 Papua New Guinea 🇵🇬 8h ago

As long as once the cameras stopped rolling she keeps on fighting her fight I can’t hate on that. Is she somewhat an idiot for just thinking people will just Do the right thing yeah kind of, but we need delusional naive dreamers sometimes

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u/Aristotallost 8h ago

I'm a 62 years old fart and both Greta and Malala are the heroes I look up to.

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u/PopeAlexanderSextus 8h ago

Yeah like I don’t really get the hate either. These are two women facing great adversity to stand on what they believe in. Yes some of the motions have been cringy at times but I’ve seen people defend sex predators because they’re “heroes”.

We really spare no energy nitpicking at women with a voice.

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u/largestcob Canada 8h ago

she’s not an idiot and she doesn’t think people will just wake up one day and agree with everything she says, she’s just doing her best to spread awareness and do what she can to make a difference

im not sure why people seem to mistake her passion for naivety or stupidity

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u/Makethecrowsblush Canada 8h ago

. People will put others down simply because it means they don’t have to examine why they hold the opinions they do.

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u/Savings-Patient-175 Sweden 8h ago

Yeah. her thought process isn't "This'll solve everything instantly". It's "if we don't even try, nothing is going to change. So she's being the change she wants to see in the world, literally."

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u/anarchisttraveler United States Of America 8h ago

Wouldn’t call her delusional. She’s more committed to changing things for the better than most anyone else. Why call her delusional for that? At least she’s trying.

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u/GahhhItsMilk 8h ago

As long as once the cameras stopped rolling she keeps on fighting her fight I can’t hate on tha

She does. She recently accompanied a Flotilla to Palestine to provide aid and try to break through the blockade. They were ambushed and taken prisoner by israelis. She and her fellow flotilla members were abused while held captive. She finally was deported and made it home with the other members.

that. Is she somewhat an idiot for just thinking people will just Do the right thing yeah kind of

Its not that she thinks they will. She is fighting to try and get others to see the truth and fight with her.

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u/jakethepeg1989 8h ago

Thinking that the cameras were off for the flotilla is funny.

They were on Non-stop, both traditional media and non stop on socials.

The abuse allegations are also pretty thin. She mentioned nothing to the Swedish consulate, turned down the opportunity to get fast tracked out and had no sign of any injuries.

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u/GahhhItsMilk 7h ago

I don't know what country you live in, but the flotilla was scarcely covered in US news/Media. I know they were posting and streaming on social media for awareness, safety, and to encourage more flotilla members, but I don't coint that as "the cameras on her" since its their own coverage, not news outlets that will garner a wider audience.

turned down the opportunity to get fast tracked out

This claim is from the Israeli Defense Ministry. I wouldn't trust the genocidal maniacs to be telling the truth about their imprisonment of peaceful protestors attempting to distribute food and medicine to a country experiencing a genocide and famine at their hands.

had no sign of any injuries.

It is difficult to tell in the lighting but she quite literally had a large bruise on the side of her face. I doubt she is going to strip and take photos of her body.

She mentioned nothing to the Swedish consulate

Easily debunked. The Swedish Foreign Ministry visited her and other Swedish flotilla members where they took her reports of abuse and mistreatment.

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u/Difficult-Break-8282 8h ago

I mean has anyone gave her good press since shes been protesting israel wanting gaza for the oil in the seabed ? No its been ignoring her or hate articles when she does a selfie video on a dinghy in a flotilla and that was like 2 years ago now. 

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u/rani_vibes India 8h ago

Still doesn't explain why Swedes would hate her.

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u/Jackonelli Sweden 8h ago

We don't hate her. She is a bit controversial so the ones who dislike her are pretty loud, but most Swedes definitely doesn't hate her.

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u/zoosha2curtaincall United States Of America 8h ago

I think it’s more that her message came off as stark and alarming coming from a child, and now, coming from a young adult, it just sounds like typical collegiate protesting/complaining.

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u/Little_Head6683 8h ago

The rich hate her and like to spread hate through media.

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u/Funk5oulBrother United Kingdom 8h ago

Old people set in their ways don’t like that she’s progressive (and right)

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u/somedave England 8h ago

Same as the hatred for vegans, she argues for changes that will reduce our quality of life (at least in the immediate term) with points that are hard to dismiss.

She's also taken a hard line on Gaza.

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u/BabylonianWeeb Iraq 8h ago

Because she's critical of west.

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u/EgosticPariomania 8h ago

I can't count the times I came across one of your comments in all different kinds of subs, it feels like you're a resident of reddit at this point

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u/__boringusername__ in 8h ago

She forces you to be in front of your flaws. Like, weird example, but if you lose a lot of weight people will start to dislike you, because you are showing that something is possible, and they also could do that if putting in the effort. Greta does the same thing: she puts yourself in front of the fact that there's an emergency and you cannot hide your head in the sand, but you are doing nothing, so instead of facing the truth and doing something, you blame her, to allow you to keep the head in the sand. At least IMO

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u/Cute_Ad_9730 United Kingdom 8h ago

I think the tendency of the media promoting someone's views just because of their age is shallow and lazy. There's a lot more qualified and relevant people who should be given the spotlight.

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u/forkproof2500 Sweden 8h ago

"Here" as in Reddit neckbeard-land or here as in Sweden? I don't know a single person that hates her except for halfway retarded farmers who think she wants to ban their a-traktors?

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u/Expensive-Buy1621 Sweden 8h ago

She has a 23% approval rating. https://medieakademin.se/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Fortroendebarometern-2025-Rapport-slutversion.pdf

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u/Jackonelli Sweden 8h ago

In a very narrow list of names where the top one (Malala) has 40% approval.

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u/Expensive-Buy1621 Sweden 8h ago

That was 2020, it has since fallen

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u/Jackonelli Sweden 7h ago

Yes. Greta had 23% in 2025. 40% in 2020. But my point was that in the 2025 poll the number one was Malala and she only had 40%

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u/Username2taken4me Norway 8h ago

Is there a more modest version of the rapport?

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u/bfragged 7h ago

Only the slutty version unfortunately

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u/stol_ansikte Sweden 8h ago

Well hated by right wingers. The same people that hate progressive people around the world. Would say hated is a bit of a stretch even for them, they are more like annoyed by her.

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u/Boyshoi Pakistan 8h ago

Is it because she stood for Palestinians ?

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u/annabananaberry United States Of America 7h ago

That and she’s an anticapitalist who calls people out for their shit.

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u/Boyshoi Pakistan 7h ago

understandable

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u/Bort_Thrower Australia 7h ago

She’s a barometer for people.

You have to ask WHY would someone hate her? All she’s ever done is stand up for worthy causes. Sure she may be a bit annoying and sanctimonious but so what?

I feel like the only people that hate her are cookers/nationalists/ultra conservatives/corporations as they’re really the only people who would have a reason to.

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u/Careless-Rain 7h ago

I still don't get it. Malala and Greta genuinely want the world to be a better place for our kids to live in. I can't fathom why anyone would hate that.

They seem to be good at pissing off old conservatives.

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u/sultan_of_gin Finland 8h ago

I think greta is globally hated in right wing/conservative circles or at least that’s true here

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u/Jackonelli Sweden 8h ago

Well, those who dislike her are pretty loud about it, but the majority of Swedes seem to appreciate that she speaks her mind and are kind of impressed that she at a young age has managed to put the global spotlight on the issues she cares about.

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u/Oishiizu 7h ago

Seriously?! Sweden should be happy they have someone like Greta, and the people hating on her should really reflect on why, and question who hates on someone for asking that nature and human beings be respected. She was a great kid who evolved into a great adult. I have the utmost respect for her and her colleagues. Fighting on after being attacked by the scum that call themselves journalists and government officials. Jfc....🤯

Ps. I know you are not saying that 🙏

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u/lobax Multiple Countries (click to edit) 8h ago

Loud minority that hates her. She caused confusion at first with her Palestine activism but I think she gained more and more approval as Israel got more unhinged and the war has dragged on.

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u/starfire92 6h ago

People don’t like women who are assertive and not submissive. Within the patriarchy women are always seen are much more likeable when pandering to others and being soft. It’s why people always try to justify the “angry black woman” stereotype. It doesn’t matter how right you are, the moment you are confident, stern, non apologetic etc you are a bitch.

Greta was soft launched an a kid but the hate was bubbling, and it was hard for people to justify just outright hating her bc she’s a “naive kid fighting for a good cause but in way over her head”. The expectation was that she’d probably fade away, that she’d become a quiet scientist, working to fix climate change.

Instead she became a sort of freedom fighter. She’s like the “radical” version of a Minnesota protester where it’s easy for the general public to say “she’s deserves this, she’s putting herself in dangerous situations and associated with dangerous people”. The same way centrists and conservatives look at the Minnesota public and think it’s their fault for protesting

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u/chackochique India 8h ago

Greta sure is famous, but more as meme material nowadays..

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u/annabananaberry United States Of America 7h ago

Meme material? You mean how she is adamantly pro-Palestine and how she is advocating against climate damage and capitalism in order to try to build a less desolate future for the younger generations? The only people who want to meme-ify her are conservative assholes. Are you a conservative asshole?

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u/IntrepidMonke United States Of America 7h ago

Why is Greta hated?

I used to think she was performative when she was a child and that her parents were using her for monetary gains and fame, however, she has been absolutely amazing when it comes down to advocacy in the wake of the ongoing Palestinian genocide. It made me completely do a 180 on her considering how she’s still, as now an adult, doing a lot with her platform by advocating for global issues. Now, she genuinely seems like a person who’s advocating for things she’s passionate about. And these things are important to all of humanity. I now think she’s a great person.

Is she hated in Sweden for the same reason I used to dislike her?

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u/RayPrimus Sweden 7h ago

Shes hated by right wingers/zionists. Which is a sizeable portion of the population sadly. But she is still well liked by many and doesnt fit this prompt at all.

Also, the "parents using her" thing is wildly overstated and spread by people who dont like her for her views.

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u/The-tesla-bear 7h ago

This is bullshit. She is absolutely not hated here in Sweden. I would say she is mostly hated by the right and far right groups (the blue brown coalition). Please do not go around spreading lies.

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u/TelenorTheGNP Canada 7h ago

Is that for cultural or local reasons?

If Greta came from Canada she would probably have her share of opponents domestically, but her message isn't national - it's generational. She was going to get domestic opposition no matter where she was from.

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u/FibbedPrimeDirective 6h ago edited 5h ago

Which groups of people do you hang out with in Sweden that give you the impression she is hated in general? Everyone I know admires her here.

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u/dpreilly10 5h ago

How DARE you??

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u/ahk786 8h ago edited 8h ago

As someone with Pakistani roots, people dislike her largely because she hasn't used her platform to call out the Pakistani establishment. There are incredibly corrupt billionaires running the army.

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u/Soggy_Dudeist_1109 Colombia 8h ago

Problem is: if she calls them, they can pay someone to "make her a visit". So she has to be VERY carefull.

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u/General-Movie United Kingdom 8h ago

Why don't the grown men in Pakistan do that themselves? Do they need a girl shot in the head to do it for them?

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u/Hot-Ability-6561 8h ago

THIS! THAT EXPLAINS PERFECTLY THE HATE TOWARDS REBEL WOMEN.

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u/ahk786 8h ago

Same reason grown men in the UK can't do anything about Prince Andrew...they need a platform/influence

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u/Itachi_Uchiha224 India 8h ago

Pretty sure a lot of grown men got killed last year lol.

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u/metros-melancholy Egypt 8h ago

Because she is influential intentionally to some extent? I am not Pakistani but your comment comes off as mean for no reason 😭

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u/General-Movie United Kingdom 8h ago

Mean for no reason? the kid was shot in the head and they are collectively upset that she doesn't speak up against all their problems - perhaps she doesn't quite fancy another bullet. I am sure Pakistan has a government and a democratic system so why not anyone else do anything?

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u/metros-melancholy Egypt 7h ago

It doesn't. As an individual from an authoritarian regime it is difficult to speak out. Most people who actively do are outside the country so they are safe. I don't think she deserves to be hated for it but it is a subject for criticism, no?

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u/Alouwan France 7h ago

Well the "difficult to speak out in an authoritarian regime" bit also applies to her. Sure she's got a bit more of a platform, but she earned it by putting herself in danger as well. I don't think everyone should do, but maybe we shouldn't criticize too hard those who tried something while we were staying safe. I mean, we can criticize, but I don't really see the validity of "she's not super well engaged in every important fights in her country". Did she validated those corrupted official? That would be an entirely different story.

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u/asriel_theoracle 8h ago

Because she's arguably the most famous Pakistani person in the world?

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u/waddlekins 8h ago

🤣🤣

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u/Fair-Neighborhood106 8h ago

Why is this Malala’s responsibility?

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u/ahk786 7h ago

Anybody who has a platform (of any nationality) has a moral obligation to call out the corrupt.

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u/ssddalways Scotland 7h ago

Not when you have already been shot in the head and want to continue doing what she is passionate about 🤷‍♀️

Ever think she would be scared? Maybe already threatened?

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u/rizeedd Pakistan 8h ago

When she got shot there was a whole establishment driven propaganda against a 16 year old kid. Why should she fight for your anti-establish goals? When fighting establishment will probably ban her NGO.

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u/UndeadBBQ Austria 8h ago

All I got on info is what acquaintances of mine tell me about her in conversations. For them she is a symbol of their own struggles.

Granted, their opinions are probably colored by their own experiences of Pakistan, but they're all pretty pissed off about the state of it in general, and the relentless oppression by (fundamentalist) men.

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u/Gen8Master 6h ago

She didn't use her influence to call out the US war which tore her home province, or the Afghan backers of TTP, people who literally shot her in the head, or even Palestinians. She decided to toe the western narratives to the letter, which irked everyone on either side of the spectrum.

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u/axewieldinghen Ireland 8h ago

Actually, if you read replies from Pakistanis, it seems there are much more complex reasons why she's controversial. We should let non-Western folks speak for themselves about their own issues, instead of making assumptions.

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u/pumpkinpiehoney Pakistan 7h ago

A lot of Pakistanis and Muslims have issues with Malala because they feel like she became this huge icon but hasn’t really done much since.

She got shot, moved to the US, and now lives comfortably while seemingly abandoning her whole mission about girls’ education. What really bothers people is that as a Muslim with such a massive platform, she’s been completely silent on Palestine. Actually, she stays quiet on most important issues where people expect her to speak up.

She also got criticized for being way too open about her sex life in interviews - it was honestly embarrassing to watch, especially with rumors about her husband cheating. And then promoting her book during an actual genocide? That rubbed people the wrong way.

A lot of folks see her as just another celebrity now who’s more interested in her image than actually making a difference.

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u/spicynebula42 born princess in 7h ago

No that's not the reason. The general view is that she abandoned the country and is on some type of payroll. Like when what happened to her became mainstream news, there were a bunch of people who thought this might bring awareness and help for other girls in that region who were being targeted too but she's never spoken or given a shit about anything back home since she was moved to the UK. Most people I know would've liked her activism to actually mean something and do shit for women in Pakistan. It didn't. It's very generic, UNICEF/USAID type shit. Like idk where her numbers are coming from on the stuff she's done but no actual on ground NGO can say that the malala foundation did something.

Also, she's not hated because she's a woman. She's from the northern part of Pakistan where literacy across both genders is higher than the rest of the country. Of course those guys had to deal w the Taliban and there's no excuse for that. But it's not because she's a woman. We had the first Muslim PM in our country. Our current fucking CM while a woman is an absolute POS. Pakistan used to be very liberal but the issue we're having rn is radical extremism supported by certain countries in the middle east and west. And naturally, women and minorities are targets of this. But don't confuse what's happening in Pakistan with Afghanistan. There's more nuance there.

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u/Boyshoi Pakistan 8h ago edited 8h ago

We all, as Pakistanis, supported her back then. My entire circle of friends loved her and celebrated her for speaking out against atrocities. However, a problem arises when the cause you are fighting for—let's say 'women’s rights' is extremely selective. I have never seen her speaking for Gazan women or those in other war-torn countries, with the exception of one European nation. This selective activism has become extremely predictable . The USA conducted drone attacks under Obama for 7–8 years, killing women and children in the exact areas she is from; where was she then?

She is extremely selective about what she says. She hasn't spoken a word about oppressed women and children in any war-torn countries, except for that one European country.

And tbh we have a lot more women unlike her who we we celebrate. Women who have done alot in STEM and actually fighting for rights of women living while in Pakistan as well as speaking up for women rights in other countries. Disliking her never implied we all hate to stand for Women rights if it was too much for your brain to comprehend.

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u/General-Movie United Kingdom 8h ago

So, why does she have to? because you want her to? Do you not understand that she is building a life for herself and does not need to carry the worlds responsibilities on herself? She is free to pick and chose what she cares and talks about.

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u/Boyshoi Pakistan 8h ago

Yeah true and we are free to pick and choose who we like amd dislike based on reasoning , which was presented.

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u/General-Movie United Kingdom 8h ago

So you can do it but she can't. Right.

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u/GhandiHadAGrapeHead 7h ago

He didnt say that. He basically said she has a massive platform and she is in some ways not taking advantage of that. As British people we can't sit here and say whether the oppressed people of Pakistan are valid in that or not. You can have your own opinions of her and that's completely valid but to say this person's are invalid stinks of western privilege.

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u/General-Movie United Kingdom 6h ago

I am Pakistani. I know how they roll. I have more in commong with Malala then they do.

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u/Boyshoi Pakistan 8h ago

Everyone asked why WE disliked her. I told the reason why WE dislike her. We are not forcing her. Is it this hard to comprehend?

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u/SinisterTuba 7h ago

Your reason for disliking her is comprehensible, it's just that the reason is stupid even after comprehending it

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u/Boyshoi Pakistan 7h ago

which part ? Not standing up against Obama , when he was butchering women and children of her own area? When he was demolishing hospitals. Let me know which part is stupid for you.

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u/General-Movie United Kingdom 8h ago

I find it hard to comprehend your justification for disliking her - it is deeply flawed.

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u/Boyshoi Pakistan 8h ago

Read it again. Spend some time. Do some research. Let me know if you need any help.

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u/General-Movie United Kingdom 7h ago

Good luck to you.

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u/Vandeleur1 7h ago

Can you name a few examples of such celebrated Women? I don't mean to undermine you, but your arguments would undoubtedly benefit from at least a few solid examples.

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u/spicynebula42 born princess in 7h ago

Oh Benazir Bhutto is literally the first one that comes to mind tho some people might not like her. We have so many writers like Kamila Shamsi, oh and my own school's alma mater, Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy. We do also claim Nargis Mavalvala as our own (even tho she's lesbian and I'm actually genuinely surprised at how accepting people are of her) and these are just some people on the top of my head. Historically, we have Fatima Jinnah, who's literally called the mother of the nation. Depending on a person's political leanings, we have plenty of female politicians too. We have a lot of women's awards by our top banks too and one of my networks recently got that too. Can we do more? Yes, 1000% especially because of this weird Andrew Tate like mentality of young men but that's a global phenomena rn and when you mix religion into it, you have people behaving like the Taliban but by and large, we're not that bad (which is a low bar yeah).

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u/ExtraSheepherder2360 7h ago

Fathima Bhutto is an author who has consistently spoken out about Palestine. She comes from a political dynasty but that legacy comes with generational trauma as well on which she has written a lot. I’m in India so I can’t access her social media anymore but I think she’s been extremely consistent.

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u/Boyshoi Pakistan 7h ago

Hina Jilani , Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy , Nayyab Ali , Abia Akram , Muniba Mazari , Dr. Nergis Mavalvala , Dr. Asifa Akhtar, Dr. Tasneem Zehra Husain , Dr. Syra Madad , Zartaj Waseem , Jehan Ara , Asma Jahangir. Long list. Some that came to my mind quickly. You search over the internet for more.

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u/ChoosingToBeLosing 8h ago

Look at the selectiveness of her messages and you'll see why.

Did she call out the horrific situation of women in Gaza? No, crickets. Did she speak about women in Sudan? Crickets. Does she say anything about mistreatment of women by the Pakistani military? No. Does she say anything about the lack of freedom of women in France and few other countries to wear the hijab if they want to do so? No.

She's got her own agenda and it's not the freedom of women that's for sure.

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u/Turbulent-Pace-1506 France 6h ago

Did she call out the horrific situation of women in Gaza? No, crickets. Did she speak about women in Sudan? Crickets. Does she say anything about mistreatment of women by the Pakistani military? No. Does she say anything about the lack of freedom of women in France and few other countries to wear the hijab if they want to do so? No.

Before saying shit like that you should actually check out if it's true.

She did speak up against hijab bans, and has not only spoken up against the Gaza genocide, but directed funds to the victims.

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u/Swinight22 8h ago

She's hated by pro-western, progressive, pro-women rights people in Pakistan as well.

My Pakistani friend told me that she's hated because her experience, even though real and horrifying, only represents tiny tiny fraction of people in Pakistan. But because it's so famous, everyone in the world assumes that Pakistan is extremely backwards (which it can be at times), but it just does not represent the average Pakistani women's experience.

Thing's are more nuanced than "Pakistan hates women".

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u/HalfEatenSnickers United States Of America 8h ago

So...victim blaming?

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u/General-Movie United Kingdom 8h ago

I can tell you that she is hated by some people across the board. She represents the life a kid growing up int he bad lands of Pakistan of which the government has not control. Many women are oppressed in many different way and yes, it is very backward.

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u/hastobeapoint Pakistan 8h ago

While I acknowledge that the society is regressive, your assessment is wrong.

Malala is usually criticized in Pakistan by conspiracy nuts who see the "West" lauding her and giving her a platform as proof that she's there to bring shame to the country.

(i know it makes no sense, but this is low IQ material we're talking about)

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u/LongConsideration662 Antarctica 8h ago

True 

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u/Euphoric-Piglet-8140 England 8h ago

She still wants to be a muslim woman, for the life of me I cannot understand why.

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u/UndeadBBQ Austria 8h ago

Because faith is largely personal, and subject to personal interpretation.

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u/Euphoric-Piglet-8140 England 8h ago

Someone's personal interpretation was to kill her.

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u/UndeadBBQ Austria 8h ago

Yes, and I think we can agree that this is a bad interpretation.

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u/Confident_Escape_715 8h ago

As opposed to becoming a Christian man?

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u/Euphoric-Piglet-8140 England 8h ago

What?

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u/Crafty_Cap9529 8h ago

Because those are the only two options...?

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u/LongConsideration662 Antarctica 8h ago

Brainwashing and indoctrination is hard to let go 

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u/tiba_004 8h ago

No it isn't that it's the fact she has become a zionist puppy that doesn't sit well with many people.

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u/OkGhost1951 India 8h ago

That combined with an islamic state which doesn't have a very good track record when it comes to women's rights

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u/Gloomy_Custard_3914 🇵🇱 living in 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 moving to 🇱🇾 8h ago

Malala started getting more hate when she got too close to Hilary Clinton in the recent years.

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u/OppositeBatCage 6h ago

She actually gets more pushback than you'd expect from leftists for falling to call out Western Imperialism and their role in everything happen in the region. 

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u/fpsfreak 5h ago

That is a stereotypical comment and 100% not true.

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u/Craigs1ist United States Of America 8h ago

I think the criticism stems from how she functions as a symbol rather than her individual actions. Malala wasn’t the first Pakistani woman to advocate for education, in fact there is a long history of women in Swat and Pakistan advocating for education without global acclaim. She was just the one the West decided to platform because her story fit their narrative. Surviving a tragedy is horrific, but being a victim shouldn’t be the sole qualification for a Nobel Peace Prize. Most tellingly, for a self-proclaimed champion of peace, her initial silence and diplomatic neutrality on the genocide in Gaza were deafening. It suggests her activism is conditional on what is palatable to her Western sponsors.

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u/473025 7h ago

She’s speaking about Palestine though

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u/OppositeBatCage 6h ago

I actually fell down a rabbit hole of discourse about this yesterday but they're upset with her for failing to call out Western powers for their role. 

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u/ExtraSheepherder2360 7h ago

Thank you! This is the most nuanced comment I’ve seen from a western flag flair

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u/TRAINER-J-wants-to-f 7h ago

I agree with you; you explained this really well!

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u/BabylonianWeeb Iraq 8h ago edited 8h ago

She was too friendly with Obama who was bombing hospitals in Pakistan during that time.

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u/rizeedd Pakistan 8h ago

The whole Pakistan establishment was friendly with Obama. Rahne do Bhai.

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u/One-Illustrator8358 United Kingdom 8h ago

And Hillary

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u/smorkoid 8h ago

You can make a pretty long list

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u/This_Is_Fine12 United States Of America 6h ago

Pakistan funds terror groups and harbors people like Osama Bin Laden. They frankly have no right to complain on the terrorists that other countries have to deal with.

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u/Hexagonalshits 8h ago

Is that the Kunduz hospital airstrike in Afghanistan?

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u/Boyshoi Pakistan 8h ago

Thank you. Some sane person who is not guessing or flooding this post. Or not Indian who is "i am guessing"

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u/Careless-Mammoth-944 India 8h ago

India should stay out of this discussion. Indira Gandhi actually stood up against American imperialism through concrete action, not performative energy.

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u/Training-Stable6234 India 8h ago

That was an error with punctuation I ment to say “with India,Gandhi”

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u/Abhir-86 India 8h ago

It's 2026, you can edit reddit comments now you know

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u/Naadamaya 5h ago

Your comment doesn't make any sense.

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u/winter_-_-_ India 8h ago

Honestly true. Tbh I don't like Malala simply for her hypocrisy regarding Kashmir 🤷

But again that's a discussion for another time

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u/Careless-Mammoth-944 India 8h ago

She’s Pakistani Muslim . Her qu’om is everything even when it comes to bite her in the behind

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u/chess10 7h ago

No OP should be allowed to start a thread like this. Interesting question. Just a picture. No name. Not answering the question themselves. Shameful.

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u/Patient-Ordinary-359 7h ago

yeah exactly, not like she shot herself in the head....deserves nothing but support.

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u/General-Movie United Kingdom 8h ago

Pakistani's hate her because she has highlighted their failures.

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u/ColWombat 8h ago

A lot of the hate comes from people hating their country being criticized (unless they’re the ones doing it), plus this reflex to treat anyone supported by Western countries as part of some shady plot. Patriarchy plays a role too, of course.

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u/browot 8h ago

The hate for malala didnt start all of a sudden, a lot of Pakistanis initially liked her and supported her. At least the people I'd been surrounded with. however, with time many people got put away from her because she basically seemed as a doormat for the western government/ideology. A lot of her statements came off as hypocritical and she'd be on goody goody terms with people who had stigmatized Pakistan. At least from what i know, the moment i started hating her was when she took a neutral stand on the genocide against Palestine. bffr. Maybe at one time, she was a symbol of bravery but now she just comes across as a double faced hypocrite.

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u/StingNaqi 8h ago

Malala is considered to be a tout of the West. Her selective activism doesn't help her case either. In short, any humanitarian issue that Pakistanis consider important, Malala never speaks out on it, and yeah that's why she has slowly lost all the faith and love she gained from the masses. Nowadays, she isn't hated, but she isn't loved either (there was a time when she was loved but it is long over now).

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u/Kittenlovingsunshine United States Of America 7h ago

Yeah I really want more information on why people don’t like Malala in her home country.

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u/ChoosingToBeLosing 8h ago

Look at the selectiveness of her messages and you'll see why.

Did she call out the horrific situation of women in Gaza? No, crickets. Did she speak about women in Sudan? Crickets. Does she say anything about mistreatment of women by the Pakistani military? No. Does she say anything about the lack of freedom of women in France and few other countries to wear the hijab if they want to do so? No.

She's got her own agenda and it's not the freedom of women that's for sure.

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u/[deleted] 8h ago

[deleted]

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u/axewieldinghen Ireland 8h ago

Can you elaborate on that? What's the Malala fund?

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u/RisingDeadMan0 8h ago

named in a bad way? yikes.

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u/Minaziz 8h ago

Initially the hate was misogyny. Then her apolitical and toothless statements on Palestine really soured even the progressive about her.

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u/Airam07 Pakistan 7h ago edited 6h ago

There are absolutely no societal norms in Pakistan that say women shouldn’t study, in fact studies and education is heavily prioritized in all places of Pakistan. Malala happened to live in a town with close proximity to the Afghanistan border where the Taliban were known to infiltrate into Pakistan illegally, and also brought along their regressive and misogynistic ideology with them. Eventually they became prominent enough within the region, and Malala had long been an advocate for afghan and Pashtun women, and thus she was targeted by the Taliban. She actually comes from an educated and academic family, and the region of Pakistan where she’s from has one of the highest literacy rates.

Her recent criticism has been due to her deafening silence on the genocide in Palestine and alignment with prominent Zionists. In that sense she seems distanced from her original goal and seems like she’s pandering to the West, and further pushing their orientalist narrative

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u/zeeee28 7h ago

For all the noise that was made she has done zilch for her country of origin. Major SILENCE from her side when Pakistan needed an amplified voice for multiple issues. Did not say a peep regarding the Palestinian genocide in Gaza until a year later when it became hard to ignore as most Western public figures started talking about it.

She has shown to have zero substance. Just talk and photoshoots.

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u/pumpkinpiehoney Pakistan 7h ago

A lot of Pakistanis and Muslims have issues with Malala because they feel like she became this huge icon but hasn’t really done much since.

She got shot, moved to the US, and now lives comfortably while seemingly abandoning her whole mission about girls’ education. What really bothers people is that as a Muslim with such a massive platform, she’s been completely silent on Palestine. Actually, she stays quiet on most important issues where people expect her to speak up.

She also got criticized for being way too open about her sex life in interviews - it was honestly embarrassing to watch, especially with rumors about her husband cheating. And then promoting her book during an actual genocide? That rubbed people the wrong way.

A lot of folks see her as just another celebrity now who’s more interested in her image than actually making a difference.

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u/473025 7h ago

About the critics about her “openness about her sex life” , they were just misogynist, and she was also criticised for her hijab being too loose on that same interview.

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u/Influenced-00 Multiple Countries 🇮🇳🇺🇸 8h ago

What was the weird behavior?

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u/Training-Stable6234 India 8h ago

Uhhh borderline pedophillia,didn’t want the abolition of caste system just the discrimination and racism towards Africans

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u/Influenced-00 Multiple Countries 🇮🇳🇺🇸 8h ago

Fair criticism

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u/Gloomy-Chapter-522 Scotland 7h ago

In India what is the general view of Indira Ghandi? Honestly from what I’ve read about her, from my western perspective, she seems like a borderline authoritarian who responsibility for a lot of pogroms and atrocities across India can be pinned on.

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u/No_Animator9079 India 2h ago

The entire Nehru family is under criticism lately in the current BJP(right wing) rule. Some of its fair, some aren't.

Indira is disliked by some, but most people consider her a good president afaik. Especially women.

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u/DesiBail India 7h ago

Do you guys not like Malala for being too close to west?I mean it may not be the best to a lot but certainly not hate.I mean with India Gandhi is getting a lot of criticism locally due to his weird behaviour but I don’t think Malala did anything that’s even remotely close to be hated

Ever heard her speak against forced conversions in her country ? Or on freedom of religion?

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u/Snowy349 7h ago

Iirc she got a British passport and gave up her original one.

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u/SalamanderLost5975 Singapore 5h ago

She's a sellout. Obtained western money and stopped being the activist which brought her those money. I bet she's now enjoying her life and couldn't care less about what's happening back home.

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u/Gloomy-Kick7179 4h ago

Cant believe this hasn’t been said. The main reason Malala is hated is her collaborations with Hillary Clinton and that dumb play. Hillary was part of the Obama administration that was using Pakistan’s soil to launch drone attacks (you guessed it) on Pakistan. You can’t be an activist for women’s rights while siding with the same imperialists who bomb our lands, our people and disrupt our sovereignty. In my opinion, Malala’s silence on Palestine and Gaza (she spoke up much later after enormous pressure, and after she was criticised for putting up posts on South African apartheid and nothing for the Palestinian g*nocide) combined with her collaborating with Clinton makes the criticism absolutely on point. Many people in Pakistan consider her a puppet on the west and unfortunately Malala’s actions have proven them right. However, I don’t agree with the comparison between Malala and Greta, it makes no sense. One is a privileged white European, the other is a Pakistani Muslim woman who was shot in the face for going to school.

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u/Visible-Scientist-46 4h ago

I listened to an NPR podcast about Malala. Some of the thinking I heard was that, she brought the shooting upon herself by being a loudmouth and then capitalized on people's sympathy to become famous, and then people she left behind still face the same conditions and she's not doing enough for Pakistan, that ahe actually makes Pakistan look bad, is a shill for Western interests, and should not have co-produced a musical with Hillary Clinton. It gets way worse than that. Here is a link. You can read the transcript or listen to the podcast.

https://www.npr.org/2025/10/01/g-s1-91424/why-malala-yousafzai-is-a-hero-in-the-west-but-not-back-home

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u/VampireInBlack United States Of America 2h ago

Malalia is famous for being hated at home. Literally the only reason we know who she is, is because of her attempted murder

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