Born in 1997 to Pakistani Muslim parents, Malala Yousafzai is the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize and a vocal advocate for women’s rights and girls’ education.
Early Years
On July 12, 1997, Malala Yousafzai was born in Swat, a hilly area of Pakistan. In a society that frequently undervalues the education of girls and women, Malala’s father, Ziauddin, was a poet, educator, and social activist who, along with her mother, supported her education. He gave her even more encouragement after realizing how intelligent she was, urging her to express her opinions and engaging in political conversation with her at an early age. Apal Khan and Khusal Khan are her two brothers. She belonged to the Pashtun community and was brought up as a Muslim.
Promoting Girls’ Education
Malala became an enthusiastic supporter of universal education at the age of eleven, having already acquired English language skills. She started a blog before the age of twelve, writing about her everyday life for BBC Urdu under the alias Gul Makai. Following the Taliban’s takeover of Swat, she began to write more on her blog about the changes in her life, such as the Taliban’s ban on girls attending school, which resulted in the closure of over 100 schools for girls and their frequent physical destruction or burning. The Taliban is an extremist and militant Islamic party. She continued to go to school despite the threat by hiding her schoolbooks and dressing normally.
Shooting
The Taliban were infuriated by her persistent attendance at school and, moreover, by her acknowledged activism. Her school bus was halted by gunmen on October 9, 2012, and they got on board. When they called her name, a few frightened pupils led them to her. Three girls were shot by the gunmen as they opened fire. Malala was shot in the head and neck, suffering the most serious injuries. The Taliban in the area took credit for the shooting and said that she had threatened their group with her acts. If she lived, they would not stop pursuing her and her family.
Her wounds almost took her life. Doctors at a nearby hospital retrieved a gunshot from her neck. On a ventilator, she was. After being sent to a different hospital, doctors there removed a portion of her skull to relieve the pressure on her brain. Her odds of survival were 70%, according to the experts. To support girls’ education, people planned the 32 Million Girls Day and the Malala campaign within one month after the shooting.
Relocate to Britain
Malala and her family were encouraged to relocate to the UK in order to receive better medical care for her wounds and to avoid her family’s death threats. Malala received medical care in the Pakistani consulate in Great Britain, where her father was able to secure employment.
She made a full recovery. She had a cochlear implant and a plate inserted into her skull during a second procedure to compensate for the hearing loss caused by the gunshot.
Novel Honors
She was not awarded either Person of the Year by TIME magazine or the Nobel Peace Prize in 2013, despite her nominations for both awards. She received the Simone de Beauvoir Prize, a French award for women’s rights, and she was listed as one of the top 100 influential persons in the world by TIME.
She gave a speech in July in New York City at the UN. She was dressed in a scarf that belonged to Pakistan’s late prime minister, Benazir Bhutto. Her birthday was proclaimed as “Malala Day” by the UN.
Nobel Peace Prize
Malala Yousafzai and Indian Hindu campaigner for education Kailash Satyarthi received the Nobel Peace Prize in October 2014. The Nobel Committee noted the symbolic coupling of an Indian and a Pakistani, and a Muslim and a Hindu.
Persistent Advocacy and Instruction
Malala has persisted in her global presence, serving as a constant reminder of the value of education for girls. The Malala Fund is still collaborating with local authorities to advance equal education, assist women and girls in pursuing an education, and push laws that guarantee equal access to education. Malala has been the subject of several children’s books, including “For the Right to Learn: Malala Yousafzai’s Story,” which was released in 2016.
