Happy 22nd birthday to one of the most inspiring people in the world today, Malala Yousafzai. Since 2013, July 12 is has been dubbed “Malala Day” by the United Nations to honor this amazing hero and her activism for young women throughout the world.
As a child she became an outspoken advocate for education and young women in Pakistan. Because of that, she was made a target by the Taliban. They fear the education of women, because an educated woman is much more difficult to oppress.
While she was traveling to school at age 15, a Taliban boarded her school bus. He asked “Which one is Malala”? Her friends gave it away by looking at her, so he shot her in the face.
She was hospitalized for weeks. There were many times it was thought that she would not survive.
She did. And then she did not run away from her fight, she ran right back towards it.
She has become a world leader in the fight for education and peace. At age 17, she became the youngest person to ever win the Nobel Prize. Last year, to celebrate her birthday she spent the day visiting and counseling refugees from Syria.
She has published two books. Her autobiography, “I am Malala” has sold over three million copies and been published in 40 languages (It is banned in her native Pakistan). In January of this year, her second book “We Are Displaced” was released.
Today she is still an active crusader for women’s rights and education around the world, while also studying at the University of Oxford. Her story is inspiring not only to young women, but everyone who wants to make the world a better place. We can all learn from her example of bravery, and not letting age or circumstances deter one from being a positive force on the world.
If you have not yet done so, I strongly recommend you read her autobiography. Her story is incredibly inspiring, and her message is important for all to hear.
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