MALALA YOUSAFZAI’S SPEECH TO THE UNITED NATIONS – 2013

MALALA YOUSAFZAI’S SPEECH TO THE UNITED NATIONS – 2013

INTRODUCTION:

Malala Yousafzai was born on 12^th July 1997 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. On 9^th October 2012, a Taliban gunman shot her when she rode home on a bus after taking an exam. This received worldwide media coverage. When she was just 16 years old, she spoke at the UN to call for worldwide access to education. On 10^th October 2014, she was the co-recipient of the 2014 Nobel peace prize. She is an active proponent for education as a fundamental, social and economic right.

MALALA’S GRATITUDE:

She began her speech by thanking the most merciful, God. Then she thanked every person who had prayed for her fast recovery. She thanked all the children whose words had encouraged her. Then she thanked the doctors and staff of the hospitals in Pakistan, UK and the UAE government for their support.

She showed her gratitude to the members of UN.

MALALA DAY:

She said “MALALA DAY” is not her day. It is the day of everyone who had raised their voice for their rights. She said that she is one among the thousands of people who were killed and injured by the terrorists. She had raised her voice not that because she can shout but those without a voice can be heard and also for those who have fought for peace, dignity, equality and education.

THE TRAGEDY:

On 9^th October 2012, a Taliban shot her on the left side of her forehead along with her friends thinking that the bullet would silence them but out of that silence came thousands of voices. The terrorists thought that this would change their aims and ambition but her “weakness, fear and hopelessness” has only changed into “strength, power, and courage”.

MALALA’S TEACHERS:

She says that she speaks for the education of the daughters of the Taliban too. She said that she would not shot the Taliban who shot her even if she had a gun. She says that this is the compassion that she had learnt from Muhammad- the – Prophet, Jesus Christ and Lord Buddha. This is the legacy that she had inherited from Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Mohammad Ali Jinnah. This is the philosophy of non-violence from Gandhiji, Bacha Khan and Mother Teresa. This is the act of forgiveness that she had learnt from her father and mother.

TALIBAN’S ATTACK:    

The extremists are afraid of the power of education and voices of women, which bring changes in the society. That’s why they had killed 14 medical students, female teachers, and polio workers and are blasting schools every day. They think that God is a tiny being who send girls to hell if they go to school. They are misusing Islam and Pashtun society for their personal benefits. She points out that Islam says that the right to education is the duty and responsibility of every child.

GLOBAL SUFFERAGE:

Globally women and children are suffering in many ways. In Pakistan and Afghanistan they are suffering from terrorism. The Afghan people are suffering due to the hurdles of extremism for many decades. Young girls are forced to do domestic labor and get married at early age.  In India they are suffering from child labor. Many schools are destroyed in Nigeria. She says that poverty, ignorance, injustice, racism and the deprivation of basic rights are the main problems faced by both men and women.

MALALA’S REQUEST:

She asks the women to fight against these by themselves instead of calling men activists to do for them. She calls all the global leaders to change the strategic policies in favor of peace and prosperity to protect women and children’s rights. She requests all the governments to ensure compulsory education, fight against terrorism and violence. She called the developed nations to help the educational opportunities of girls in the developing nation. She called upon all the communities to be tolerant to reject prejudice based on caste, creed, sect, religion and gender.

EDUCATION IS THE SOLUTION:

She stresses that education and schools are necessary for every child’s bright future. We should strive hard to achieve peace and education for everyone. We should believe in the power and strength of our words. As we are united for the cause of education let us all empower ourselves with knowledge and shield by unity. She wants us to wage a global struggle against illiteracy, poverty and terrorism.

CONCLUSION:

She concludes her speech by saying that we have to fight against the evil with our books and pens. They are the most powerful weapons. “ONE CHILD, ONE TEACHER, ONE PEN AND ONE BOOK” can change the world. Education is the only solution. Education first. This is what she stresses again and again.