Malala Yousafzai

In Pakistan, girls' and women's rights don't exist. Women are too afraid to say anything about it, but there is one fiery girl who will not stand for it. Her name is Malala and she will not be treated badly by anyone... Malala Yousafzai was born on July 12, 1997 in Pakistan. Malala was a young girl when the Taliban came to her country to rule them. "As soon as they started to rule, they banned women from doing anything considered un-Islamic. Those things consisted of: going to the market, shopping, education for girls, music, and television" (Malala Yousafzai). Malala doesn't keep quiet about her rights being taken away; she is going to do something about it and nothing can get in her way. Malala is a 15-year-old girl who made an impact on the world, is determined to finish what she has started and who had a lot of courage to continue her work; and for those reasons, she is my hero

Malala has more courage in her pinky finger than I do in my whole body. Malala's father runs a school for girls, and because education for girls is illegal, the school has to be a secret. Malala had a lot of fear inside her about her father being caught, so she decided to start blogging. She was sure that the Taliban did not have access to the internet. Malala started to blog about her feelings about the new laws towards women. "Malala knew that her blog's support for girls' education had made her the focus of Taliban rage. Yet she continued to write and speak out. 'In a situation where a lifelong school break was being imposed upon us by the terrorists, rising up against that became very important, essential'" (Malala Yousafzai). She has the courageous mind to say "You know what? Let's take a chance." So she goes for it, and inspires many to go against the law and stand for what they want. Malala knows right from wrong, and she even takes the risk of telling the world on TV, not knowing what's going to happen, "'I have the right of education,' she told CNN in 2011."I have the right to play. I have the right to sing. I have the right to talk. I have the right to go to market. I have the right to speak up." Though her initial aspiration was medicine, Yousafzai said she wanted to enter politics. In 2012 she led activists for children's rights when they spoke to Peshawar politicians" (Malala Yousafzai). Malala knows what she is doing; she knows that there is a chance Taliban will see that she is taking a stand for her rights. Malala isn't scared, though. In her mind, it is better to die taking a chance for your rights, than to live helpless, quietly.

Malala is as determined as a starving tiger. She sees her prayer, and she will go for it with all of her might, all of her strength. The young tiger tells a news reporter just how determined she really is: "'Sometimes I imagine I'm going along and the Taliban stop me,' Malala said on television.'I take my sandal and hit them on the face and say, "What you're doing is wrong. Education is our right, don't take it from us." There is this quality in me -- I'm ready for all situations. So even if (God let this not happen) they kill me, I'll first say to them, "What you're doing is wrong"'" (Shackle). She imagines herself being killed. and she STILL says she would tell them that they are wrong. Imagine her scared out of her mind, about to die, but still thinking of other people and how she can help them. Not only does this show how determined she is to do what she has set her mind to, but she is also an extremely kind-hearted tiger. Unfortunately, last October, 2 men approached her on her school bus and attacked her, shooting her in the head and leaving her in critical condition. Malala was then transferred to hospital in England so she could recover in safety. "She was interviewed about her experience there when she vowed to herself, and all of the girls and women in Pakistan that she will return to the town to keep fighting for what is right" (Mascia, Crilly, Yousufzai). After being shot, and almost dying, she still wants to go back, to help others! She is a very hungry, dangerously great, tiger.

Needless to say, she has made an amazing impact on the world. And even better, she is still so young, and can be even greater. News of Malala's brave acts quickly spread around the country, "On Wednesday October 11th, a group of schoolgirls marched through an affluent area of Kara - chi, holding banners and placards that read: "We are all Malala." Residents of such areas seldom walk the streets, as they fear robbery or kidnap, so it was a striking move. From Lahore to Islamabad to Peshawar, similar scenes played out all over Pakistan. Both women and men held processions, candlelit vigils and public prayer sessions for Malala" (Samira). This proves how much girls and women look up to Malala as support. She has touched their souls with inspiration to speak out, and fight for your human rights. Malala hasn't only gotten enough support from all over the world, but something even more exciting is coming her way, "A record of 259 nominations have been received for this year's Nobel Peace Prize, with candidates including a Pakistani girl, Malala Yousafzai, shot by the Taliban and U.S. soldier Bradley Manning accused of leaking classified material to WikiLeaks. Fifty of the nominations were for organizations" (Malala Yousafzai). Malala must be very proud of herself, and the rest of the nominees. Breaking a record for Nobel Peace Prize isn't an easy task! If she was to be awarded the N.P.P. then she would unfortunately be an even bigger of a target to the Taliban but in all, she knows it's worth it to sacrifice herself for her fellow girls and women. We all thank her for that.

I don't believe 'hero' is the right word for Malala; I think she is more than that. She has the courage to put women first and the determination to do what it takes to get it her way, and she leaves us all inspired and in awe of her selfless acts. Malala does the unthinkable to help others with courage, and has taught me to not just think what could happen to you, but what you can accomplish. Not to say that she is fearless because everyone has fear of some kind, but she can imagine the unthinkable and inspire up with her ambitious mind. Malala Yousafzai is going to keep fighting, and she will have the support of thousands of people, including me, who call her our hero.

Works Cited Baker, Aryn. "Runner-Up: Malala Yousafzai, the Fighter." Gale Virtual Reference Library. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2013. Fryer, Jane. "Humbling Courage of Teenage Girl Who Took on the Taliban; Just 14, She Was Shot by the Taliban for Championing Girls' Education. JANE FRYER Tells of Her Breathtaking Defiance in the Face of Death." Daily Mail [London] 11 Oct. 2012: n. pag. EBSCO ERIC. Web. 7 Mar. 2013. "Malala Yousafzai." Biography in Context. Detroit: Gale, 2012. N. pag. Gale Biography in Context. Web. 7 Mar. 2013. Mascia, Kristen, Rob Crilly, and Ashfaq Yousufzai. "Malals YousafzaiHer Brave Recovery." People 2 Jan. 2013: 140+. EBSCO Middle Search. Web. 7 Mar. 2013. Quinn, Ben. "Taliban Victim Malala Yousafzai Starts School in UK." Guardian. Guardian News and Media Limited, n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2013. Shackle, Samira. "The Girl Who Played with Fire." News Statesman. N.p.: n.p., 2012. 28-31. EBSCO Literary Reference Center. Web. 7 Mar. 2013. Wilmore, Kathy. "Meet Malala: A Pakistani Teen Rallies Girls Everywhere to Pursue Their Dreams." Junior Scholastic/Current Events. 115.15 (Mar. 4, 2013): P6. from Academic OneFile. N.p.: n.p., 2012. N. pag. Gale Biography in Context. Web. 7 Mar. 2013.