Malala Yousafzai: Bravery And Resilience

The story of Malala Yousafzai is one of bravery and resilience. Unlike most girls of her age, she has inspired generations to stand up for one’s beliefs and overcome the toughest obstacles. Her advocacy for women’s rights and education has become a worldwide movement, garnering a great deal of attention. Malala’s perseverance and determination throughout her life is what makes her the role model she is today. Malala was born in the Swat District of Pakistan on July 12, 1997. She had always been academically gifted, and by the time she was two she was taking part in classes with ten year olds. Her love for learning is what drove her to be first in all of her classes. Much of her love for learning stems from her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, who is a social activist in Pakistan. He believes the education of girls is fundamental for the future of Pakistan. This strong belief inspired him to open a school with the mission to form future female leaders (Aryn). As Mulala got older, the Taliban began gaining more and more control throughout Pakistan, eventually making their way to Swat. During September of 2008, Ziauddin took Malala to Peshawar for a special city event. It was there that she, at the age of eleven, gave a speech in front of the national media entitled, "How Dare the Taliban Take Away My Basic Right to
Education?" While her speech garnered a positive reaction, many were worried about the retaliation the Taliban would have on her (Aryn). Towards the end of 2008, Mulala began anonymously blogging for the BBC Urdu service.
Throughout her blogs she wrote about her everyday life going to school with the Taliban ruling. Much of her web diaries were full of dark humor, and although her entries were anonymous, Mulala was not afraid to be in the press advocating for women’s education. In February 2009, she spotted newscaster Hamid Mir while attending an anti-Taliban protest. Showcasing her fearlessness, she asked him if she could be featured on his show to campaign for women’s education, and he said yes. During this time, Mulala became a well-known supporter for women’s rights and education
(Aryn). Mulala’s mission encouraged the government to spend more money on schools and encouraged families to allow their daughters to get educated. As 2009 went on, the world became aware of Mulala’s job as the BBC blogger. Her father publicly showcased his pride for his daughter. The more attention Mulala got, the more of a target she became for the Taliban. The leader of the Swat Taliban, Maulana Fazlullah, hired two gunmen to assassinate her. On October 3, 2012, Mulala, her classmates, and her teachers were all too busy to notice a gunman enter the school. He asked for Malala, but no one said a word. Although there was silence, the gunman turned toward Malala, shot her, and then shot another girl and fled. Recounting the attempted assassination, a spokesman for the Taliban claimed that their goal was not to kill Malala, but simply injure her enough to send a message to the world (Aryn).