Malala Yousafzai inspires Pakistani schoolgirls after winning Nobel Peace Prize
Young women in Pakistan praised Malala Yousafzai after she became the youngest Nobel Prize winner in history.
The Pakistani girls’ rights activist became a household name two years ago after she survived a near-fatal attack by the Taliban. The attack was in retaliation to Yousafzai’s public statements that young girls deserved an education.
Now, she is the pride of Pakistan. College student Badrai Khan told USA Today, “There are not many people in this world — in fact, no one — who is as brave as Malala. This award is an achievement for all girl students of Pakistan.”
She added, “Tomorrow, when I go to school, I’ll be a different, more confident girl, thanks to Malala and this recognition.”
Yousafzai has been promoting her memoir “I am Malala.”
Malala Yousafzai’s memoir “I am Malala” was banned in all of Pakistan’s 40,000 private schools by officials who claim the 16-year-old is a “tool in the hands of the Western powers.” The head of Pakistan’s private school association is urging the government to ban the book from its curriculum.
Oct. 9, 2012: Malala received international attention after she survived a shot in the head and neck from a Taliban hitman while she was in school. Two other girls were injured. After surgery in Pakistan, she was flown to the UK, where she had further treatment and eventually was able to walk out on her own.
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“Everything about Malala is now becoming clear. To me, she is representing the West, not us.” Adeeb Javedani, president of the All Pakistan Private Schools Management Association
Javedani said the book failed to respect Islam, for example, by improperly using the Prophet Muhammad’s name without the conventional abbreviation “PBUH,” which stands for “peace be upon him.” With the country’s public education in shambles, millions of children attend private school.
President and First Lady Obama, and their 15-year-old daughter Malia, met with Yousafzai on Oct. 11 to “thank her for her inspiring and passionate work on behalf of girls education in Pakistan,” according to a White House statement.
Malala met with Queen Elizabeth II on Oct. 18 at Buckingham Palace. The 16-year-old presented a copy of her book, “I Am Malala” to the Queen, and said that she wanted to continue to help children go to school, including in the UK.
On October 10, Malala was awarded the European Parliament’s annual Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought. The award includes a $67,000 cash prize. NSA leaker Edward Snowden had also been nominated for the prize, which was first awarded in 1988. Past winners include Nelson Mandela.
Malala Yousafzai addressed the UN General Assembly in NYC on her 16th birthday, in her first speech since being shot in October 2012. Wearing a pink shawl that belonged to assassinated Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto, she spoke about education for women, the cause she has been advocating since she was 11 years old.
Malala said on May 7 that schoolgirls abducted in Nigeria “are my sisters,” and that she is “feeling very sad.” She also said, “If we remain silent then this will spread, this will happen more and more and more.”
“I can see those girls as my sisters… My birthday wish this year is… bring back our girls now and alive.” Malala Yousafzai
Malala was speaking on July 13 to the parents of the over 200 abducted school girls in Nigeria. The teen activist for girls’ rights will turn 17 on July 14.
