Malala Yousafzai (Pashto: ملاله یوسفزۍ‎; Urdu: ملالہ یوسف زئی‎ Malālah Yūsafzay, born 12 July 1997)[1] is a Pakistani school pupil and education activist from the town of Mingora in the Swat District of Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. She is known for her education andwomen's rights activism in the Swat Valley, where the Taliban had at times banned girls from attending school. In early 2009, at the age of 11–12, Yousafzai wrote a blog under a pseudonym for the BBC detailing her life under Taliban rule, their attempts to take control of the valley, and her views on promoting education for girls. The following summer, a New York Times documentary was filmed about her life as the Pakistani military intervened in the region, culminating in the Second Battle of Swat. Yousafzai rose in prominence, giving interviews in print and on television, and she was nominated for the International Children's Peace Prize by South African activist Desmond Tutu.
On 9 October 2012, Yousafzai was shot in the head and neck in an assassination attempt by Taliban gunmen while returning home on a school bus. In the days immediately following the attack, she remained unconscious and in critical condition, but later her condition improved enough for her to be sent to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, United Kingdom for intensive rehabilitation. On 12 October, a group of 50 Islamic clerics in Pakistan issued a fatwā against those who tried to kill her, but the Taliban reiterated its intent to kill Yousafzai and her father.
The assassination attempt sparked a national and international outpouring of support for Yousafzai. Deutsche Welle wrote in January 2013 that Malala may have become "the most famous teenager in the world."[2] United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education Gordon Brown launched a UN petition in Yousafzai's name, using the slogan "I am Malala" and demanding that all children worldwide be in school by the end of 2015. Brown said he would hand the petition to Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari in November. In the 29 April 2013 issue of Time magazine, Yousafzai was In 2011 and 2012, she secretly wrote articles for the British Broadcasting Corporation detailing life in an area which was constantly a daily battle between the Taliban and the Pakistani army, specifically how difficult life was for women just to get education because of the Taliban. The New York Times saw the stories and were given permission by the British Broadcasting Corporation to film a documentary with Malala, to further raise awareness of the situation to the world. featured on the magazine's front cover and as one of "The 100 Most Influential People In The World". She was the winner of Pakistan's first National Youth Peace Prize and was nominated for the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize. On 12 July 2013, Yousafzai spoke at the UN to call for worldwide access to education.
Malala Yousafzai was a Pakistani schoolgirl and, since the age of just 11, a political activist. She also won the Nobel Peace Prize and is the youngest person to ever win the award in history. Her home town in Pakistan was constantly under attack by the Taliban as they tried to take control of the valley area the town occupies. The Taliban strongly disagree with women going to school, so it was not uncommon for them to attack schools in Pakistan, specifically targeting girls to try and scare them away. In 2011 and 2012, she secretly wrote articles for the British Broadcasting Corporation detailing life in an area which was constantly a daily battle between the Taliban and the Pakistani army, specifically how difficult life was for women just to get education because of the Taliban. The New York Times saw the stories and were given permission by the British Broadcasting Corporation to film a documentary with Malala, to further raise awareness of the situation to the world. In 2011 and 2012, she secretly wrote articles for the British Broadcasting Corporation detailing life in an area which was constantly a daily battle between the Taliban and the Pakistani army, specifically how difficult life was for women just to get education because of the Taliban. The New York Times saw the stories and were given permission by the British Broadcasting Corporation to film a documentary with Malala, to further raise awareness of the situation to the world. By this time, the British government decided to intervene. The British Prime Minister offered and ordered a military medical evacuation of Malala from Pakistan to the United Kingdom, so she can receive proper medical treatment for her injuries. The United Arab Emirates also helped by clearing their runway at Dubai Airport and invited the British convoy to a priority landing there, so they could refuel fully for a quicker home journey. When she fully recovered, the Taliban said that they would still target her until they were successful. So, the British government offered her asylum in the United Kingdom, where she remained under protection of the British government to complete her education. Completing her education was her strongest wish. She has now founded an organisation called District Child Assembly Swat - (Swat being the name of her district), which is recognised by the United Nations department, UNICEF. Malala also plans to open a charity foundation called Malala Education Foundation, which helps poor children get to school. Today, she is a rising political influence in Pakistan and campaigns for free education and women's rights to have education. She was voted the most inspirational woman on Earth in 2012. On the 12th July 2013, her 16th birthday, she stood in front of world leaders at a televised conference in the United Nations to demand free and safe education for all children on the planet.