Yesterday 12 July, was Malala Yousafzai's 16th birthday and the United Nations declared it as Malala's Day. She gave an extraordinary speech to the UN on her birthday, it was her first public speech since last October when the Taliban tried to kill her by shooting her in the head on her way from school. In her speech, she made reference to the shooting, saying "I've been shot, they also shot my friends. They believed that bullet would have silenced us, but they failed. From the silence, thousands of voices have been raised. What have they got? The weakness, fear, helplessness died but the strength, power, courage have emerged."
"I am the same Malala, my ambitions are the same, my dreams are the same. I do not hate anyone. I am here to speak for the right to education. I want also the sons and daughters of the Taliban are educated and if I were with a gun in his hand in front of the Taliban who shot me did not kill him. This is the compassion that I learned from Muhammad, Jesus Christ and Buddha, by Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Mohammed Ali Jinnah, from my mother and father and from my soul "
She continued by saying "Remember one thing, this Malala Day is not my day; she said at the UN, Today is a day dedicated to every woman, every child, every girl who has raised his voice to defend its rights. There are hundreds of social activists who not only speak but they fight for peace, education, equality. Many give their lives, many were injured. I am just one of them."
She pointed out that the true Islam is not the Taliban, "Their God is a small conservative who sends women to hell if they study," She explained, "because they use Islam for their personal goals." She stressed the right of women to education: "I do not ask men to fight for them, but I say to my sisters to be brave, to fight for themselves." She called on world leaders to change their policy in favor of peace and tolerance. Extremists, she explained, anywhere in the world "are afraid of books and pens, they are afraid of the power of women's voices. This, she noted, is the reason why 14 students were killed in Quetta and teachers in northern Pakistan, and schools burnt down in Nigeria "
Beyonce Knowles penned her a birthday message and i was shocked to discover that very few people know about Malala and what she stands for. So, let's educate ourselves a little about who she is.
Malala Yousafzai is a 16 years-old student and activist of Pakistan, she is the youngest candidate for the Noble Prize for peace. She started going to school when she was 5 and was stopped from going to school when she was 9 years old in 2007. In 2009, she started writing a blog under pseudonym for BBC, detailing her life under Taliban rule, their attempt to take control of the valley and her views on promoting education for girls. When she finally got her rights back, she continued fighting to the rights of other children who wanted to get back to school. She spoke on different platforms, to world newspapers, TV channels and local media outlets.
In October 9,2012, she was attacked in Swat in an assassination attempt by Taliban gunmen while she was returning from school on a school bus. She was shot in the head and some of her friends were killed. the incident sparked the entire world, from presidents of countries to common people, everyone was praying for her health and fast recovery. She was unconscious and in critical condition, then she was taken to the UK, to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham for treatment and when she came out from coma, the first thing she asked for was her books and started crying when she couldn't get her book. She went back to school after her recovery and gave a message to the world that she will now fight for the entire world and women's rights.
In the April 29th issue of Time Magazine, Malala was featured as one of "The 100 Most Influential People In The World". Her picture was featured on the front cover of the magazine and was listed in the Icon section. Malala's section was written by former first daughter of the USA, Chelsea Clinton.
The former British Prime Minister and current UN special Envoy for global education, Gordon Brown, launched a United Nation petition in Malala's name using the slogan "I am Malala", demanding that all children worldwide be in school by the end of 2015. 4 million signatures have been collected for the petition.
Below is her full speech at the UN yesterday.
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