Common Reading Program

Awarded National Youth Peace Prize by Pakistani government, 2011.

Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai was an eager student, never without a stack of books nearby. The militant Taliban, however, decreed that girls were not to be educated. Yousafzai was determined to receive an education and defied the Taliban by both attending school and writing a blog on which she declared her intention to be educated. On October 9, 2012, a Taliban gunman boarded Yousafzai's school bus and shot her in the head. She was treated for her wounds and vowed to continue fighting for her rights. She won the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize for her activism, becoming the youngest person ever to receive the award. She shared the 2014 Nobel with Kailash Satyarthi, an Indian activist for children's rights.

Family Devotion to Education

Malala Yousafzai was born on July 12, 1997, in Mingora in the Swat Valley of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Yousafzai, whose name means "grief stricken," wanted to be a doctor. Her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, was an educator who ran several private schools. Her mother is Toor pekai Yousafzai. The region of northwest Pakistan where she and her brothers--Khushal Khan and Apal Khan--grew up was well known for its beauty and was a popular honeymoon vacation area.

The Taliban, a militant Islamic fundamentalist group, waged war in many parts of Pakistan. The group enforced Sharia law, denied education to girls and women, and enforced strict rules about women's activities and behavior. From 2007 to 2009, militants burned and demolished schools in the Swat Valley region. By early 2009, Taliban militants had seized control.

Defied Taliban Rule

The Taliban immediately outlawed education for girls. Yousafzai's father kept a school for girls open long after the order was given to close them. Yousafzai was terrified but spoke out against the restrictions. She began writing a blog for BBC Urdu under a pseudonym, Gul Makai, in 2009. Yousafzai, who spoke and wrote perfect English, described her fears, including her concerns that her school would be forced to close or she might be killed on the way home from school.

Several months later, Yousafzai and her family fled to Abbottabad. That summer the Pakistan Army routed many of the militants, and residents slowly returned home. Subsequent reports indicated, however, that members of the Taliban were trickling back into the Swat Valley. Yousafzai continued to write her blog, and later in 2009 she began speaking publicly. She also appeared on television.

Advocate of Education

Yousafzai was recognized as a voice for children, education, and women's rights. Her father, too, defied fundamentalists by keeping his schools open, and he often received death threats. In 2011 the KidsRights Foundation nominated Yousafzai for the International Children's Peace Prize. That same year, she received the National Youth Peace Prize from the Pakistani government.

"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.

Assassination Attempt and Aftermath

On the afternoon of October 9, 2012, Yousafzai, then 15, was on the school van going home. Gunmen stopped the bus and boarded, demanding to know which of the girls was Yousafzai. The men shot her in the head and neck and wounded two other girls as well. The girls were rushed to a hospital.

Yousafzai, who was severely injured, was placed on a ventilator. A Taliban spokesman quickly claimed responsibility for the assassination attempt and vowed militants would kill her if she survived. Doctors removed the bullet and gave the girl a good prognosis. Across Pakistan, protests against the Taliban erupted. Young girls carried pictures of Yousafzai and declared "I am Malala." Parents demanded protection for their children and schools. Teachers led their students in prayers for Yousafzai.

Yousafzai was transferred to a hospital in Great Britain six days after the shooting. Her family followed and visited her in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. She was recovering, but she would need more surgeries. Three weeks after the shooting, a spokesman for the Pakistani government said Yousafzai was asking for her school books.

The girl's efforts were recognized in many ways. The National Youth Peace Prize was renamed the National Malala Peace Prize in her honor. November 10, 2012, a month after the assassination attempt, was named a day of global action--Malala and the 32 Million Girls Day. The goal of the event was to promote education for girls around the world.

In March of 2013, following another surgery, Yousafzai began attending school in Birmingham. In April of 2013, actress Angelina Jolie helped Yousafzai establish the Malala Fund, a charity to fund the education of girls. Yousafzai also signed a $3 million book deal for her memoir, titled I Am Malala, which was published in October of 2013.

In September of 2014, a group of men allgedly involved in the attempted assassination of Yousafzai were arrested in Pakistan. The arrest was carred out by cooperation between the local police, army, and national intelligence agencies. According to the Pakistani Army, the ten men arrested were Taliban working under Maulana Fazullah, the current head of the Taliban.

On October 10, 2014, the Nobel committee announced that Yousafzai had been selected to receive the 2014 Peace Prize. Yousafzai became the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner for her "heroic struggle" in speaking out for the right of girls to education. She would share the honor with Indian children's rights activist Kailash Satyarthi. The shared award was significant, showing the world that a Muslim girl from Pakistan and a Hindu man from India are both committed to bringing education to children at risk of violence or exploitation. The award ceremony took place on December 10, 2014.

In late April of 2015, ten people were brought to justice for the 2012 attack on Yousafzai. The individuals were linked to the Pakistan Taliban, the organization that claimed responsibility for wounding her; they were sentenced to life in prison.

"Malala Yousafzai." Gale Biography in Context. Detroit: Gale, 2012. Biography in Context. Web. 29 Feb. 2016.