Malala Yousafzai Celebrates Her 16th Birthday with a Speech at the United Nations

Celebrating her 16th birthday away from home, Malala Yousafzai delivered her first formal speech on Friday at the United Nations. Malala became a target of the Taliban when she fought for the rights of girls to go to school and has since become a symbol of hope for women and children in Pakistan and around the world.

In her stirring address to the UN, Malala expressed her immense gratitude for having been given the honor to speak in front of the whole world. The young activist started her speech by giving thanks to God and to everyone who prayed for her swift recovery.

The pink shawl

Malala Yousafzai stood out from amongst the crowd at the UN with her vibrant pink shawl. She told everyone listening that the pink shawl she was wearing once belonged to a Pakistani prime minister who was assassinated in a bombing on December 2007. For this important event, she chose to wear a shawl that once belonged to Benazir Bhutto, the 11th prime minister of her beloved country.

It was October 9, 2012 when Taliban gunmen made an attempt on Malala’s life. They raided the school bus she was in and shouted her name out loud. Two other girls were injured by gunshots while Malala got a bullet on her left forehead. “They thought that the bullets would silence us, but they failed,” Malala said in her speech. According to the 16 year old girl, she never wanted revenge, even though her life is still being threatened by the Taliban.

Awareness at a young age

Malala was only 11 years old when she started defending the right of Pakistani girls for equality in education. At that time, the Taliban issued an act that all girls are banned from school in Malala’s town. Without any remorse and fear, her father continued to operate an all-girls’ school. Malala praised her father for his courage and beliefs by writing an anonymous blog for the BBC.

The blog became Malala’s haven and she constantly wrote of the terror lurking just outside their doorstep. She also found peace in books. A number of western journalists and media personnel from across the globe followed Malala’s blog. In an interview in 2011, she expressed her deep wanting of having the right to be educated. She considers this right to be as inherent and believed that every child is entitled to it. The same eagerness and tone became visible in her speech at the UN on Friday. For many, her speech exuded an even stronger impact than her written commentaries.

Continued violence and attacks on teachers and children

The failed attempt at Malala’s life was followed by continued attacks on teachers and children in Pakistan. Still, Malala harbored no feeling of hatred or contempt for those who have done her and her country harm. In her speech, she said that the terrorists continue failing in changing their aims and ambitions. Instead, weakness, fear and hopelessness were replaced by strength, power, and courage.

Malala boldly told the world leaders in the audience that the children of the world are “really tired of these wars.” She called upon them to focus instead on providing compulsory and free education for every child. Malala insisted that the Taliban extremists “were and are afraid of the education” which is based partly on their own lack of education.

Photo Credit: Pakistani women exercise their right to proper education – one of the goals that Malala Yousafzai seeks to solidify.