In case you haven't heard her story, Malala Yousafazi is a 16 year old education activist from Pakistan. She is known for her activism for rights to education and for women, especially in the Swat Valley, where the Taliban had at times banned girls from attending school. In early 2009, at the age of 11–12, Yousafzai wrote a blog under a pseudonym for the BBC detailing her life under Taliban rule, their attempts to take control of the valley, and her views on promoting education for girls. The following summer, a New York Times documentary was filmed about her life as the Pakistani military intervened in the region, culminating in the Second Battle of Swat. Yousafzai rose in prominence, giving interviews in print and on television, and she was nominated for the International Children's Peace Prize by South African activist Desmond Tutu. On 9 October 2012, Yousafzai was shot in the head and neck in an assassination attempt by Taliban gunmen while returning home on a school bus. She has recovered and is now the youngest nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize. Most astonishing, she holds no animosity towards her attackers and only wishes that their children be educated. She is fearless and full of light, even expressing "I am afraid of no one." This statement from a girl that was shot in the head twice. She was 15 at the time of the attack and here is a quote from her description of the day she was targeted and shot:
"The teenage girls chatted to each other and their teachers as the school bus rattled along the country road. Students from a girls’ high school in Swat, they had just finished a term paper, and their joy was evident as they broke into another Pashto song. About a mile outside the city of Mingora, two men flagged down and boarded the bus, one of them pulling out a gun. “Which one of you is Malala Yousafzai?” he demanded. No one spoke—some out of loyalty, others out of fear. But, unconsciously, their eyes turned to Malala. “That’s the one,” the gunman said, looking the 15-year-old girl in the face and pulling the trigger twice, shooting her in the head and neck. He fired twice more, wounding two other girls, and then both men fled the scene."
And here is her bravery in a speech after the attack:
In early September, Malala addressed the United Nations General Assembly. Her speech was was filled with a tone of determination.
"Dear sisters and brothers," she said, "we realize the importance of light when we see darkness. We realize the importance of our voice when we are silenced. In the same way when we were in Swat, we realized the importance of pens and books when we saw the guns.
"The extremists were and they are afraid of books and pens," she said.
"The power of education frightens them. They are afraid of women. The power of the voice of women frightens them."
In an interview with The Daily Show, she explained that "Education is the power for women."
When asked about the moment when she realized that the Taliban was making her a target, she explained that her initial reaction was anger. However, it didn't take long for her to understand that you can't fight evil with more evil; you need to be smarter than that. When asked what she would do if attacked again by a Taliban gunman she replied,
"I would tell him how important education is and that I would even want education for your children as well," the Pakistani girl said. "That's what I want to tell you, now do what you want." Just wow.
Education for girls worldwide, I believe is one of the only ways to stop evil government control and endless wars. In fact, I think education of all people is the answer to most of the world's ills. I see the hand of God moving through this girl to inspire change, and I am filled with love and awe that people like her exist in this world.
3 comments:
I love the part when she said that her first inclination was to hit back if she could, but then she realized that would make her like them, so she said she would not do that. When people hit us with meanness it is hard to take the higher stance.
She's a hero and should have gotten the Noble Peqce Prize. It doesn't mean much anymore though.
I agree, much of the ills of this world are due to fear and ignorance and the desire to control others. Education is the key to equality. Education is power.
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