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Malala Yousafazi - Pakistani Activist

From a College Kid's P.OV.

By MegPublished 6 years ago 3 min read
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Inspirational, courageous, and fearless are just some words that describe Malala Yousafzai. Malala was born in Pakistan and is a Pakistani activist for female education. She is only 20, born on July 12, 1997, and believes in the Islamic religion. She is mainly known for civil rights support for education and also for women’s rights in her native Swat Valley in northwest Pakistan, where the local Taliban had at times banned girls from attending school. Yousafzai wrote a blog explaining her life under Taliban control and her views on supporting education for girls. The following summer, journalist Adam B. Ellick made a New York Times documentary about her life and she then rose in status, giving interviews and being nominated for the International Children's Peace Prize.

However, on the afternoon of October 9, 2012, when she was boarding her school bus in the area of Swat Valley, a gunman asked for her by name, then pointed a pistol at her and fired three shots. One bullet hit the left side of her forehead, went under her skin through her face going into her shoulder. During the days after the attack, she stayed unconscious and in critical condition, but later her condition improved enough for her to be sent to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in England for severe rehabilitation.

Although Malala fought and supported what she believed and has become very inspirational for many girls, she sacrificed and risked important things in her life, such as her safety, family, and health. As Malala became more known, the hazards facing her became more serious. Death threats against her were printed in newspapers and slipped under her door. She upset the Taliban, and Taliban leaders solidly agreed to kill her. With her life now in danger, her family’s life was also in danger, some even aiming to kill her father. With Taliban’s out to hurt and kill her, she definitely jeopardizes her health, and is at risk of being shot again and also dying.

Despite these losses, Malala did have gains, like becoming a moving journalist, gaining respect, and starting an international movement. Her memoir, I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban, co-written with British journalist Christina Lamb, was published in October 2013. She is a true motivation and hero for girls, especially the ones in Pakistan. Her activism has become a worldwide measure, she also had the privilege to speak before the United Nations in July 2013, meet Queen Elizabeth II, and meet President Barack Obama and his family.

Malala’s fame only brings to light Pakistan’s most negative aspect, wild violence. The West's approval of her is hypocritical because it overshadows the difficulty of other innocent victims, like the casualties of the U.S. drone strikes. Additionally, she was accused on social media of being a CIA spy. Yet through it all, Malala regrets nothing, fears no one, and is proud of what she has achieved so far. As Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.” Malala has since created a petition whose purpose is to ensure the right to education as a certainty for both males and females, and its triumph in gaining thousands of signatures has attracted media attention. Similarly, Malala will donate $50,000 to help rebuild U.N. schools damaged during the recent conflict in Gaza. She is a symbol of hope and resistance, working to overcome the violent protests to female education, not just in Pakistan but across the globe.

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About the Creator

Meg

College Student.

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