# Malala Yousufzai, Teenage Pakistani Girl Activist, Attacked By Taliban



## High_Gravity

Malala Yousufzai, Teenage Pakistani Girl Activist, Attacked By Taliban









> MINGORA, Pakistan -- A Taliban gunman walked up to a bus taking children home from school in Pakistan's volatile Swat Valley on Tuesday and shot and wounded a 14-year-old activist known for championing the education of girls and publicizing atrocities committed by the Taliban, officials said.
> 
> The attack in the city of Mingora targeted 14-year-old Malala Yousufzai, who is widely respected for her work to promote the schooling of girls  something that the Taliban strongly opposes. She was nominated last year for the International Children's Peace Prize.
> 
> The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, calling Malala's work "obscenity."
> 
> "This was a new chapter of obscenity, and we have to finish this chapter," said Taliban spokesman Ahsanullah Ahsan by telephone. "We have carried out this attack."
> 
> The school bus was about to leave the school grounds in Mingora when a bearded man approached it and asked which one of the girls was Malala, said Rasool Shah, the police chief in the town. Another girl pointed to Malala, but the activist denied it was her and the gunmen then shot both of the girls, the police chief said.
> 
> Malala was shot twice  once in the head and once in the neck  but her wounds were not life-threatening, said Tariq Mohammad, a doctor at the main hospital in Mingora. The second girl shot was in stable condition, the doctor said. Pakistani television showed pictures of Malala being taken by helicopter to a military hospital in the frontier city of Peshawar.



Malala Yousufzai, Teenage Pakistani Girl Activist, Attacked By Taliban


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## Peter Dow

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngAIoxzIBzM]Malala Yousufzai - Free Pakistan - Kill the Taliban - YouTube[/ame]

AfPak military strategy blog


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## Sallow

Sick, depraved and absolutely disgusting.

This asshole even has a "spokesperson".


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## adeel_sami

Talibans are gone mad here, but this is just not a single person we only should think about. There are thousands of more people to think about as well. Many get killed everyday and media here, just show up the # of people killed without airing the name.


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## strollingbones

what fear this young one must have instilled in these brave men......i would love to see the taliban eradicated from this world


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## High_Gravity

strollingbones said:


> what fear this young one must have instilled in these brave men......i would love to see the taliban eradicated from this world



Me too, I hate those fucking cockroaches.


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## High_Gravity

Malala Yousufzai Shooting: Attack On Pakistani Teen Activist Sparks Outrage 








> ISLAMABAD -- Schools shut their doors in protest and Pakistanis across the country held vigils Wednesday to pray for a 14-year-old girl who was shot by a Taliban gunman after daring to advocate education for girls and criticize the militant group.
> 
> The shooting of Malala Yousufzai on Tuesday in the town of Mingora in the volatile Swat Valley horrified Pakistanis across the religious, political and ethnic spectrum. Many in the country hoped the attack and the outrage it has sparked will be a turning point in Pakistan's long-running battle against the Taliban, which still enjoys considerable public support for fighting U.S. forces in neighboring Afghanistan.
> 
> Top U.S. officials condemned the attack and offered to help the girl.
> 
> A Taliban gunman walked up to a bus taking children home from school and shot Malala in the head and neck. Another girl on the bus was also wounded. Pictures of the vehicle showed bloodstained seats where the girls were sitting.
> 
> Malala appeared to be out of immediate danger after doctors operated on her early Wednesday to remove a bullet lodged in her neck. But she remained in intensive care at a hospital in the northwestern city of Peshawar, and Pakistan's Interior Minister said the next 48 hours would be crucial.
> 
> Small rallies and prayer sessions were held for her in Mingora, the eastern city of Lahore, the southern port city of Karachi and the capital of Islamabad. In newspapers, on TV and in social media forums, Pakistanis voiced their disgust with the attack, and expressed their admiration for a girl who spoke out against the Taliban when few dared.



Malala Yousufzai Shooting: Attack On Pakistani Teen Activist Sparks Outrage


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## BecauseIKnow

Thanks for putting it where it belongs. And yeah the Taliban has gone mad. What a wierd organization. If a girl had been shot by a al Qaeda wanna be in Gaza, Hamas would run them down in 5 hours every single member would be arrested. I don't see why Pakistan isn't running after them, well I kind of see they need some calm. But the tribal areas aren't happy.


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## waltky

Pray for Malala...

*Pakistani girl 'satisfactory' after attack*
_Oct. 13,`12 (UPI) -- A 14-year-old Pakistani girl noted for her campaign for girls' education was on a ventilator Saturday after being shot in the head earlier in the week._


> Malala Yousufzai was wounded Tuesday as she left her school, Dawn News reported.  The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the shooting, charging the teen was pro-Western and opposed the Taliban.  A spokesman for President Asif Ali Zardar Saturday asked about the health of two girls identified only as Shazia and Kainat also wounded when a gunman boarded their school bus in Mingora. Zardari said the government would pay for the girls' medical treatment.
> 
> Malala's condition was described as "satisfactory" in a military update, which said a board of doctors was monitoring her condition, The News International reported.  On Friday, Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf visited Malala.  "It was not a crime against an individual but a crime against humanity and an attack on our national and social values," he told reporters.
> 
> Schools opened Friday with a prayer for Malala, who was known internationally for a blog she wrote for the BBC in which she detailed her attempts to get an education in a region controlled by the Taliban.  A reward of more than $100,000 has been offered by Pakistani authorities for capture of her attackers.
> 
> Read more: Pakistani girl 'satisfactory' after attack - UPI.com



See also:

*Editorial: Outrage over video but not shooting of 14-year-old girl?*
_Friday, Oct. 12, 2012_


> After the Taliban eagerly claimed credit for shooting 14-year-old Malala Yousafzai, The New York Times reported that Pakistanis reacted with outrage to the attack on the girl, whose eloquent and determined advocacy of girls education had made her powerful symbol of resistance to Taliban ideology.
> 
> While government and Pakistani army leaders condmned the attack, The Washington Post reported that religious parties and mosque leaders were largely silent. The perception in America remains that Muslims were more outraged by an obscure YouTube video than by the attempted murder of a child and the Talibans promise to try again. The issue is complicated; American troops are in Afghanistan and have struck into Pakistan, including attacks that mistakenly killed children. But we reject any notion that the primary burden for attitude adjustment falls on Americans.
> 
> Wars kill children. Cults kill children. Whenever it happens, it is sick and unjust. No group that does it is religious. The word when it happens intentionally is evil.
> 
> Jac Wilder VerSteeg for The Palm Beach Post Editorial Board
> 
> Source


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## waltky

Huge demonstration for Malala...

*Thousands rally for Pakistani girl shot by Taliban*
_Oct 14,`12 -- Tens of thousands rallied in Pakistan's largest city Sunday in the biggest show of support yet for a 14-year-old girl who was shot and seriously wounded by the Taliban for promoting girls' education and criticizing the militant group._


> The Oct. 9 attack on Malala Yousufzai as she was returning home from school in Pakistan's northwest horrified people inside and outside the country. At the same time, it gave hope to some that the government would respond by intensifying its fight against the Taliban and their allies.  But protests against the shooting have been relatively small until now, usually attracting no more than a few hundred people. That response pales in comparison to the tens of thousands of people who held violent protests in Pakistan last month against a film produced in the United States that denigrated Islam's Prophet Muhammad.
> 
> Demonstrations in support of Malala - and against rampant militant violence in the country in general - have also been fairly small compared with those focused on issues such as U.S. drone attacks and the NATO supply route to Afghanistan that runs through Pakistan.  Right-wing Islamic parties and organizations in Pakistan that regularly pull thousands of supporters into the streets to protest against the U.S. have less of an incentive to speak out against the Taliban. The two share a desire to impose Islamic law in the country - even if they may disagree over the Taliban's violent tactics.
> 
> Pakistan's mainstream political parties are also often more willing to harangue the U.S. than direct their people power against Islamist militants shedding blood across the country - partly out of fear and partly because they rely on Islamist parties for electoral support.  One of the exceptions is the political party that organized Sunday's rally in the southern port city of Karachi, the Muttahida Quami Movement. The party's chief, Altaf Hussain, criticized both Islamic and other mainstream political parties for failing to organize rallies to protest the attack on Malala.
> 
> He called the Taliban gunmen who shot the girl "beasts" and said it was an attack on "the ideology of Pakistan."  "Malala Yousufzai is a beacon of knowledge. She is the daughter of the nation," Hussain told the audience by telephone from London, where he is in self-imposed exile because of legal cases pending against him in Pakistan. His party is strongest in Karachi.  Many of the demonstrators carried the young girl's picture and banners praising her bravery and expressing solidarity.
> 
> MORE


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## High_Gravity

Pakistan Sends Girl Shot by Taliban to U.K. for Care








> (ISLAMABAD)  akistan airlifted a 14-year-old activist who was shot and seriously wounded by the Taliban to the United Kingdom for treatment Monday, a move that will give her access to the specialized medical care she needs to recover and also protect her from follow-up attacks threatened by the militants.
> 
> The attack on Malala Yousufzai as she was returning home from school in Pakistans northwest a week ago has horrified people both across the country and abroad. It has also sparked hope the government would respond by intensifying its fight against the Taliban and their allies.
> 
> Over 100 Taliban militants attacked a police station near the main northwest city of Peshawar late Sunday night, sparking a gunbattle that lasted several hours, police said. Six policemen were killed during the clash, including two who were beheaded.
> 
> Malala was targeted by the Taliban for promoting girls education and criticizing the militant group. Two of Malalas classmates were also wounded in the attack and are receiving treatment in Pakistan.
> 
> The Taliban said they attacked Malala because she was promoting Western thinking and have threatened to target her again until she is killed.
> 
> Malala was flown out of Pakistan on Monday morning in a specially equipped air ambulance provided by the United Arab Emirates, said the Pakistani military, which has been treating the young girl at one of its hospitals.



Read more: Pakistan Sends Girl Shot by Taliban to U.K. for Care | World | TIME.com


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## waltky

Pakistanis pray for Malala's recovery...

*Standing with Malala: Pakistani teen inspires others to fight for education*
_Mon October 15, 2012 - Malala Yousufzai is a 14-year-old Pakistani activist fighting for the right of girls to go to school; Yousufzai was shot in the head by the Taliban for blogging against them; Nonproft organizations are working in Pakistan to help girls gain access to education; Sign the "I Am Malala" petition or submit an iReport to show your support for Yousufzai_


> "I have rights. I have the right of education," Malala Yousufzai boldly asserted during an interview with CNN last year.  Now the 14-year-old girl from Pakistan is slowly recovering after being shot in the head by the Taliban for blogging against them and defending the right of girls to go to school.  Her plight has inspired people far beyond her home in the Taliban-heavy Swat Valley. Large crowds are rallying around the world to show support for Yousufzai and her cause.  Before the attack, Yousufzai was in the process of starting a charity, the Malala Education Development Organization, to promote female education in northern Pakistan. Other organizations are also working in the region to turn her dream into a reality for all girls in Pakistan.
> 
> UNICEF condemned the assault, calling Yousufzai a "courageous voice" who speaks for millions of girls "desperate to receive and education." To make a donation to UNICEF's Stand with Malala campaign and support education programs in Pakistan, visit the organization's website.  The Citizens Foundation has worked to improve education in Pakistan since 1995 and started 830 schools, according to the organization's website. The group says it encourages girls to enroll in its schools and works to ensure that approximately half of its students are female. Go online to make a donation.
> 
> Developments in Literacy also operates schools and provides teacher training in Pakistan. The organization says that more than 17,000 students are enrolled in its schools, approximately 68% of them girls, according to its website. To make a donation in honor of Yousufzai, visit the group's website. Be sure to write "Malala" in the notes.  "I Am Malala" is an online petition honoring Yousufzai and calling for Pakistan and countries worldwide to ensure all children have access to the education. The initiative was launched by the Office of the U.N. Special Envoy for Global Education. To sign the petition, visit the website.  You can also share your story and promote girls' education on CNN iReport. Girls + Education = #BasicMath is spreading the message that educating girls in developing nations can change the world.
> 
> Standing with Malala: Pakistani teen inspires others to fight for education - CNN.com


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## High_Gravity

Attack on Pakistani schoolgirl galvanizes anti-Taliban feeling



> Swat Valley, Pakistan (CNN) -- A week ago today, a Pakistani schoolgirl who dared to speak out against the Taliban took a bullet to the head for her act of defiance.
> 
> Now, as Malala Yousufzai lies in a hospital bed in Birmingham, England, the shock and outrage among her countrymen have given way to a new sentiment: What will the government do about this?
> 
> While the Pakistani news media debate how the country should respond to the attack, thousands of people nationwide have joined in rallies in support of the wounded 14-year-old.
> 
> The shooting has prompted an unusually strong and united reaction of disgust and anger among many Pakistanis, analysts say.
> 
> General describes attack on Malala "There is a groundswell of sympathy for her and also a very strong demand for the Pakistani state to do something about this issue," said Raza Rumi, director of policy and programs at the Jinnah Institute, a Pakistani research organization.
> 
> Much of the discontent is directed toward the Pakistani Taliban, the extremist group that has claimed responsibility for the shooting and said it will seek to kill Malala if she recovers from her injuries.
> 
> "This has created a very bad feeling for the Taliban," said Saleem Khan, an executive with a paper manufacturing company in the city of Lahore.
> 
> Khan said he was "crying and weeping" after hearing of the attack on Malala, who had defied extremists in the northwestern Swat Valley by insisting on the right of girls to go to school.



Attack on Pakistani schoolgirl galvanizes anti-Taliban feeling - CNN.com


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## waltky

Uncle Ferd glad Madonna lendin' her support, Granny says dat's trashy...

*Madonna strips for Malala Yousafzai*
_Oct. 15, 2012 - The world looked on in horror as a 14-year-old Pakistani activist for girls' education fought for her life after she was twice shot in an assassination attempt by Taliban gunman. At her concert in Los Angeles on the day of the attack, pop star Madonna weighed in with support for Malala in a way that had the crowd cheering--but others weren't on board._


> The October 9 attack on 14-year-old Pakistani activist--shot in the head and neck on the school bus for her outspoken advocacy for girls' education--was a genuinely horrifying incident.  A Taliban spokesman readily claimed responsibility for the attack, and the assassination attempt was immediately met by worldwide outrage.  Most of the outpouring of anger took the form of protests, furiously written op-eds, and even a public denunciation of the gunmen by a group of 50 Pakistani Islamic clerics.  But pop star Madonna, never one to shy from weighing in on the issue of the day, expressed her disgust in a way only Madonna can.
> 
> In the midst of a performance of her song "Human Nature" song at the Staples Center the day of the attack, the outspoken singer took a pause from stripping down into her bra and a thong to give the crowd her thoughts.  Stenciled on her back, the world "Malala" was spelled out in black ink.  "It's a lot easier to show your ass than it is to show your feelings, at least in this town" she said, with her back to the audience (although with her pants re-zipped.
> 
> In Pakistan, a 14-year-old girl was shot in the neck for writing a blog about the importance of being educated as a female. She was shot on her school bus because she wrote a blog about how passionate she was about going to school. She's in a hospital right now. Let's all pray she's going to make it. Her name is Malala, and this is for all girls around the world who deserve to have a voice.  With her shirt still off, Madonna went into a slow and acoustic version of "Like a Virgin," rolling on the floor of the stage and laying on top of the upright black piano on stage.  (*This video contains some mild nudity.*)
> 
> While the crowd seemed to enjoy the performance, others were uncomfortable with the conjunction of the songs she sang on either side of her speech, her state of undress and her sexualized movements with the topic of a young girl in a country where women are held to the highest standards of modesty.  "Human Nature" includes lyrics such as "You wouldn't let me say the words I longed to say/ You didn't want to see life through my eyes/ (Express yourself, don't repress yourself)/ You tried to shove me back inside your narrow room/ And silence me with bitterness and lies," which fit nicely with a positive message in support of Malala.  Although "Human Nature" is explicitly about sex, and may be offensive to some Muslims, it reinforces a positive image of feminine independence. "Like a Virgin" may not be so redeemable.
> 
> Read more: Madonna strips to support Malala Yousafzai, Pakistani girl shot by Taliban - UPI.com



See also:

*Official: Shot Pakistani girl is moving her limbs*
_October 17, 2012  &#8212; A 14-year-old girl shot in the head by the Taliban for promoting female education has been doing better since she was airlifted to England for specialized treatment and has been moving her limbs, a Pakistani official said Wednesday._


> Although it's difficult to gauge what such an improvement might mean given that the exact nature of Malala Yousufzai's brain injuries have yet to be made public, one expert said the news was good.  "Any progress is hopeful," Dr. Jonathan Fellus, chief scientific officer at the New Jersey-based International Brain Research Foundation, said. "This is the natural course of recovery that we would expect."  The Pakistani official, who spoke anonymously because he wasn't cleared to talk on the record about the case, said he had been briefed by doctors and that Malala's condition was "definitely much better" since she arrived in England on Monday. He added that the girl was moving her limbs, although he didn't elaborate.
> 
> Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, where Malala is being treated, released a statement Wednesday saying Malala was in "stable condition and continued to impress doctors by responding well to her care," but didn't go into detail. The hospital's acting head of communications, Carole Cole, said there would be no further news on the case until Thursday. Malala's family, which the hospital said was still in Pakistan, could not be reached for comment.
> 
> Malala was returning home from school in Pakistan last week when she was targeted by the Taliban for promoting female education and criticizing the militant group's behavior when they took over the Swat Valley, where she lived. The attack, in which two of her classmates were also wounded, has horrified many in Pakistan and across the world.
> 
> The Taliban have threatened to target Malala again, because she promotes "Western thinking."  Fellus said in a phone interview that physical abilities were often the first to return in cases of traumatic brain injury, and that didn't mean that the teen would necessarily make a full recovery.  Still, he said, "the earlier you start to see recovery, the better."
> 
> http://cnsnews.com/news/article/official-shot-pakistani-girl-moving-her-limbs


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## High_Gravity

Doctors Say Shot Pakistani Girl Malala Yousufzai Is Improving








> (LONDON)  Doctors treating 15-year-old Pakistani shooting victim Malala Yousufzai said Friday that she is able to stand with help and to write, though she still shows signs of infection.
> 
> The girl is well enough that shes agreed that shes happy, in fact keen, for us to share more clinical detail, said Dr. Dave Rosser, medical director at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham,
> 
> She is also keen that I thank people for their support and their interest because she is obviously aware of the amount of interest and support this has generated around the world.
> 
> The infection is probably related to the track of a bullet that grazed her head when she was attacked by Taliban gunmen, he said.
> 
> She is not out of the woods yet, Rosser said.
> 
> Having said that, shes doing very well. In fact, she was standing with some help for the first time this morning when I went in to see her.
> 
> Malala was shot and critically wounded on Oct. 9 as she headed home from school in the northwest Swat Valley. The Taliban said they targeted Malala, a fierce advocate for girls education, because she promoted Western thinking and was critical of the militant group.
> 
> Malala was flown from Pakistan to Birmingham on Monday for advanced medical treatment and for security protection. The medical briefing Friday offered the first real indication of her progress. Earlier briefings were quite limited out of respect for the girls privacy.
> 
> She is in Britain alone. Hospital officials have been in touch with her family in Pakistan.
> 
> Rosser said the girl is communicating very freely, she is writing but not speaking because she has a tracheotomy tube in her throat.
> 
> We have no reason to believe that she would not be able to talk once this tube is out, maybe in the next few days, Rosser said.
> 
> Scans have revealed some physical damage to her brain, but at this stage were not seeing any deficit in terms of function, Rosser said.
> 
> She seems able to understand. Shes got motor control, shes able to write.
> 
> Whether theres any subtle intellectual or memory deficits down the line is too early to say, he added.



Read more: Doctors Say Shot Pakistani Girl Malala Yousufzai Is Improving | World | TIME.com


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## RoadVirus

Shooting an unarmed 14 year old girl....a new low for the big tough warriors of Jihad.


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## waltky

After all, she was standing up for children's education...

*Malala for Nobel Peace Prize: Why not?*
_October 21, 2012 Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe  HG Wells._


> Sick and tired of the supposedly negative propaganda being pedalled against hardline Muslims by a 14-year-old girl, members of the Pakistani Taliban decided to do something about it. They shot her in the head. Malala Yousufzais crime was to advocate girls education. That, and her admiration for US President Barack Obama, led the Talibans chief spokesman to describe her as a symbol of the infidels and of obscenity. His organisation has in the past busied itself blowing up dozens of girls schools and beheading ideological opponents, presumably in the cause of piety and decency.
> 
> The attack on Malala, who has now been flown to Britain for emergency treatment, has galvanised moderate opinion in Pakistan. Mass rallies have been held to pray for her recovery and many of Pakistans leading religious groups have joined in condemning the attack. The outpouring is reminiscent of the national shock that greeted images of Taliban flogging women in the Swat valley three years ago and support for a subsequent military assault against extremists.
> 
> Before she was flown to the UK, General Ashfaq Parvaiz Kayani, Chief of the Army Staff, visited Malala in the Peshawar hospital where she was being treated. General Kayani, who called the attack a heinous act of terrorism, said: Islam guarantees each individual  male or female  equal and inalienable rights to life, property and human dignity. Given the circumstances, he would have done well to add education.
> 
> It has taken the bravery and eloquence of a 14-year-old girl to highlight a crucial development issue: Female education. A 2004 study on girls education, titled A Scorecard on Gender Equality and Girls Education in Asia 1990-2000, found that Pakistan ranked at the bottom among 17 Asian countries. The study measured four criteria, including girls enrolment and five-year survival rates at primary school. Of a possible rating of 100, achieved by Japan, South Korea and Singapore, Pakistan scored just 20. That put it below Laos, at 26, and Myanmar, at 34.
> 
> MORE


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## waltky

Afghanistan had problems with Taliban first...

*As world helps shot Pakistani girl, Afghans ask "what about us?"*
_ Sun Oct 21, 2012 - The global attention bestowed on a Pakistani schoolgirl shot by the Taliban has sparked outcry amongst many Afghans dismayed by what they say is the unequal response to the plight of their women and children._


> Malala Yousufzai, shot by Taliban gunmen for advocating girls' education, was flown from Pakistan to Britain to receive treatment after the attack this month which drew widespread condemnation and an international outpouring of support.  "Every day an Afghan girl is abused, raped, has acid thrown on her face and mutilated. Yet no one remembers or acknowledges these girls," Elay Ershad, who represents the nomadic Kuchi people in Afghan parliament, told Reuters.
> 
> Echoing concerns of other prominent Afghan women, Ershad said the government took no real interest in women's rights, instead using the issue for political gain and currying favor with Western backers, a claim Kabul has dismissed as untrue.  President Hamid Karzai has repeatedly condemned Yousufzai's shooting, even using it to address women's rights in his country: "The people of Afghanistan ... see this attempt not only against (Yousufzai) but also against all Afghan girls," he said last week.
> 
> The closest Karzai has come this year to condemning violence against women in Afghanistan, as seen on the scale he has done with Yousufzai, was in July when gunmen publicly executed a 22-year-old woman, named Najiba, for alleged adultery, which prompted an international outcry.  "If the president does not care about Afghan women in general, why does he suddenly care about Malala?" Ershad asked. "No one (here) ever seeks justice once the television cameras are turned off."
> 
> The United Arab Emirates provided the plane taking Yousufzai to Britain, while British officials said the Pakistani government was footing the bill for her lengthy treatment in Birmingham.  Karzai has told Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari that the attack was proof the two needed to tackle a common enemy, a move widely seen as an attempt to soothe ties between the neighbors amid bickering over Pakistani shelling across the countries' lawless border.
> 
> "WE BETTER UNDERSTAND MALALA'S SITUATION"


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## waltky

Will Malala be just another lost opportunity to deal with militants?...

*Malala Yousafzai: Has Pakistan missed the chance to move on militancy?*
_26 October 2012 - The attempted murder of Malala Yousafzai horrified most Pakistanis and created a brief national consensus against militancy_


> The shooting of Malala Yousafzai by the Taliban shocked the world and sparked rare public outrage against Islamist militants in Pakistan. So why has Pakistan's leadership been unable to seize the opportunity to take decisive action against Taliban sanctuaries? BBC World Service South Asia Editor Shahzeb Jillani explains.
> 
> For a while, the wave of revulsion seemed like a turning point for a country whose state institutions appear ambivalent towards rising extremism.  Leading commentators urged the Pakistani leadership that this was the time to move decisively against the militants.  But within days, the country's hardline Islamists staged a determined fight back.
> 
> Day-to-day bickering
> 
> The religious right accused its critics of "hijacking" the Malala incident to further their western, secular objectives - declaring it a ploy to justify a possible army offensive in the Taliban-controlled tribal region of North Waziristan.  At the same time, the Taliban turned their guns on the Pakistani and foreign media.
> 
> Leading journalists were threatened for their extensive coverage of the wounded schoolgirl.  Warnings were issued to news organisations that they would be attacked if they did not change their editorial stance.  Soon afterwards, Malala was flown to Britain for specialised hospital treatment and her story started slipping down the news agenda of Pakistani news channels.
> 
> More BBC News - Malala Yousafzai: Has Pakistan missed the chance to move on militancy?


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## waltky

Teen recovers; $1M bounty offered...

*As teen recovers from Taliban hit, Pakistanis demand answers*
_October 16, 2012 -- Interior Minister offers $1 million bounty for Pakistani Taliban spokesman; Teen blogger arrives in Britain for treatment; Malala Yousufzai has galvanized worldwide support for girls' education; Malala was shot by Taliban gunmen who were enraged that she wanted an education_


> A Pakistani teenage activist shot in the head by the Taliban for demanding an education has left her beloved country for specialized medical treatment in Britain.  The Taliban's attempted assassination last week of Malala Yousufzai, 14, has sparked outrage inside Pakistan and around the world, transforming the young blogger into an international symbol of defiance against the radical Islamist group that continues to wield influence in parts of Pakistan.
> 
> After Tuesday's attack, Malala was treated immediately by Pakistani doctors who later removed a bullet lodged in her neck. She was airlifted Monday to a hospital in Birmingham, England, that treats the country's war casualties. There she will be treated by neurosurgery specialists. Her recovery could take months, doctors said.  Authorities in Pakistan said they are moving forward with their investigation into the attack. The country's interior minister, Rehman Malik, offered a $1 million bounty Monday for Pakistani Taliban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan.
> 
> Most Pakistanis consider the Taliban murderous ideologues, and the young girl's willingness to risk her life to attend school -- despite the Taliban's opposition to education for girls-- has struck a nerve.  One of the largest rallies supporting Malala took place Sunday in Karachi, Pakistan's largest city, where men, women and their children held signs that said, "Shame on you, Taliban." Others held signs condemning terrorism.
> 
> Massive posters and billboards said, "Malala, our prayers are with you." At another rally in the capital of Islamabad, protesters held candles and prayed for the girl's recovery.  Malala began gaining international attention in 2009 as the Taliban gained a foothold in her home region of Swat, a Taliban-heavy valley in northwest Pakistan near the border with Afghanistan. Malala's father operated one of the few schools that defied the Taliban by keeping its doors open to girls.
> 
> MORE


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## adeel_sami

Guys, our media has forgotten her. It's no more a hot-trending news now.


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## waltky

Was Malala the victim of a Pakistani gov't. plot?...

*Schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai could be victim of government plot, Labour peer claimed*
_Sunday 04 November 2012 - A 15-year-old school girl shot after campaigning for girls education in Pakistan, could be the victim of government assassins, a Labour peer has suggested._


> Lord Ahmed said he believed Malala Yousafzai, who is awaiting reconstructive surgery at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, could have been shot as part of a plot to discredit the Taliban.  The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for trying to kill the schoolgirl, who was shot in the head at point blank range, on the day of the shooting and later said it would try again.  But Lord Ahmed told the meeting in Willesden, North London the following evening that he believed the young girl may have been shot as an excuse to launch a military assault in the Taliban stronghold of Waziristan.  He claimed similar incidents had happened in London and compared the crime to Jimmy Saviles sex assaults, during a speech at a community meeting in North London.
> 
> In a video obtained by the Daily Telegraph, Lord Ahmed spoke in a mixture of Urdu and English.   He said he had visited Mingora, the town where Malala lived with her family in the Swat Valley and there was no danger whatsoever from militants.  I don't know why it happened and one reason could possibly be theres an operation in Waziristan [which] may possibly be on the cards or some other sort of action, he told the meeting.  It could have also been to build and increase public opinion and support in favour of a Waziristan operation and God forbid, she could have been caught as a tool in that conspiracy.
> 
> Comparing the incident to crimes in London, he added: One lone accident should not be generalised and this could have taken place in London and has done so in the past too.  So we should not imply that this area is under the control of Tehreek-e-Taliban [the Pakistani Taliban] in anyways just because of this incident.  Criminal activity can even take place inside the BBC and crimes have been committed by people smoking cigars, which the police are now investigating.  I live in East London and it is possible that somebody may have been mugged there today, showing that one incident alone is not enough to brand an entire area.
> 
> Lord Ahmed said he had made the comments before the full facts were clear.  If I said that, thats what I said, although I never mentioned the government of Pakistan, he added.  This is not a British matter, its a Pakistani matter, she is a Pakistani girl and I was repeating opinions which had been expressed in the Pakistani parliament.  On this particular day, I had no idea what happened. Three or four days later when the facts were clear I made a speech at the Pakistan Press Club condemning the Taliban.
> 
> MORE


----------



## adeel_sami

Yup, rumoring at a larger scale. People are up saying govt. did it to dim the focus of nation on other things for awhile.


----------



## waltky

Pakistan honors Malala...

*Pakistanis Honor School Girl Shot by Taliban*
_ November 10, 2012 - Pakistani students and rights activists are honoring the 15-year-old Pakistani girl who was shot and seriously wounded by the Taliban a month ago._


> The United Nations designated Saturday to be "Malala Day" as a global tribute to Malala Yousafzai, who was targeted by gunmen for promoting the right of girls to attend school and for documenting Taliban atrocities.  In her hometown of Mingora in the northwestern Swat Valley, hundreds of students prayed for her early recovery and vowed to continue her mission.  Her supporters also gathered in Karachi and other Pakistani cities.  Taliban gunmen shot Malala Yousafzai in the head and neck in the Swat Valley.  She was internationally recognized for her work.  She is now recovering from her wounds at a hospital in Britain.
> 
> On Friday, former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown presented Pakistan's government with a petition with more than one million signatures in support of Malala.  Mr. Brown, the U.N.'s envoy for global education, says a new foundation has been created to honor Malala.  The Malala Foundation will do the work the teenager told her friends just weeks before she was shot that she wanted to do -- campaign for the 32 million girls around the world who are not in school.
> 
> Nearly 90,000 people have signed another petition to have Malala nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.  Also Friday, Malala's father paid tribute to those around the world who have shown her support.  Ziauddin Yousafzai spoke from Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, England, where Malala is being treated.  He said she is recovering well and wants everyone to know she has been inspired and humbled by the thousands of cards, messages and gifts she has received.
> 
> Source


----------



## waltky

Zadari finally visits Malala...

*Pakistani president visits schoolgirl activist in UK*
_Mon, Dec 10, 2012 - PINT-SIZED PEACE PRIZE: The 15-year-olds was shot by the Taliban for her rights campaigning and many say her efforts are deserving of the Nobel Prize for peace_


> Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday visited the Pakistani schoolgirl recovering in a British hospital after she was shot by the Taliban for campaigning for girls education.  Zardari also met 15-year-old Malala Yousafzais family at the specialist Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, England, where Malala was flown from Pakistan in October following the brutal attack on her school bus.  President Zardari, accompanied by his daughter Asifa Bhutto, met with clinicians who have been treating Malala since her admission to the hospital, the hospital said in a statement. They were brought up to date on the 15-year-olds medical progress and her future treatment plan.
> 
> In an attack that shocked the world, Malala was shot in the head on Oct. 9 as punishment for the crime of campaigning for Afghan girls rights to receive an education.  She miraculously survived the murder attempt, but requires reconstructive surgery because the bullet grazed her brain, coming within centimeters of killing her.  Photographs released by the hospital on Saturday showed Malala sitting with Zardari and his daughter, wearing a blue headscarf and a pink jumper.  She is also pictured standing with the Pakistani president, in contrast to earlier photos of her lying in her hospital bed.  There have been many calls for the teenager to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, while the UN declared a global Malala Day last month to show support for her female education campaign.
> 
> Pakistan is paying for her care at the Queen Elizabeth hospital, which also treats British soldiers seriously wounded in Afghanistan. Malala has received thousands of goodwill messages from around the world and has said she is overwhelmed by the outpouring of support.  She rose to prominence aged just 11, writing a blog for the BBC Urdu service describing life under the Talibans hardline rule in the Swat Valley in northwestern Pakistan.  She was awarded the Pakistani governments first national peace award and was also nominated for the International Childrens Peace Prize.
> 
> Pakistani president visits schoolgirl activist in UK - Taipei Times


----------



## waltky

Malala likely to transfer to school in the UK...

*Malala's father given diplomatic role in UK*
_Jan 2,`13  -- The father of a teenage Pakistani activist shot in the head by Taliban for advocating girls' education has been given a diplomatic post in the U.K._


> Malala Yousufzai has been recovering at a hospital in Birmingham, England, after she was shot in October in Pakistan. The Taliban have vowed to target her again.
> 
> Pakistan's High Commissioner to Britain, Wajid Shamsul Hasan, confirmed a BBC report Wednesday saying that Malala's father, Ziauddin, has been appointed Pakistan's education attache in Birmingham.
> 
> The position - with an initial 3-year commitment - virtually guarantees Malala will remain in the U.K.
> 
> Malala's case won worldwide recognition for the struggle for women's rights in Pakistan. In a sign of her reach, the 15-year-old made the shortlist for Time magazine's "Person of the Year" for 2012.
> 
> Source


----------



## Peter Dow

waltky said:


> Malala likely to transfer to school in the UK...


It doesn't say that.

It says she is likely to stay in the UK. It doesn't say she is well enough to go to school.


----------



## waltky

Peter wrote: _It doesn't say that.

It says she is likely to stay in the UK. It doesn't say she is well enough to go to school._

What then?...

... she just gonna drop out...

... rather than transfer to school in the UK...

...  now that her father has been appointed to a diplomatic job there?

... ya putz.


*Pakistani girl shot by Taliban leaves UK hospital*
_Jan 4,`13  -- Three months after she was shot in the head for daring to say girls should be able to get an education, a 15-year-old Pakistani hugged her nurses and smiled as she walked out of a Birmingham hospital._


> Malala Yousufzai waved to a guard and smiled shyly as she cautiously strode down the hospital corridor talking to nurses in images released Friday by the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham.  "She is quite well and happy on returning home - as we all are," Malala's father, Ziauddin, told The Associated Press.  Malala, who was released Thursday, will live with her parents and two brothers in Britain while she continues to receive treatment. She will be admitted again in the next month for another round of surgery to rebuild her skull.
> 
> Experts have been optimistic that Malala, who was airlifted from Pakistan in October to receive specialized medical care, has a good chance of recovery because the brains of teenagers are still growing and can better adapt to trauma.  "Malala is a strong young woman and has worked hard with the people caring for her to make excellent progress in her recovery," said Dr. Dave Rosser, the medical director for University Hospitals Birmingham. "Following discussions with Malala and her medical team, we decided that she would benefit from being at home with her parents and two brothers."
> 
> The Taliban targeted Malala because of her relentless objection to the group's regressive interpretation of Islam that limits girls' access to education. She was shot while returning home from school in Pakistan's scenic Swat Valley on Oct. 9.  Her case won worldwide recognition, and the teen became a symbol for the struggle for women's rights in Pakistan. In an indication of her reach, she made the shortlist for Time magazine's "Person of the Year" for 2012.
> 
> The militants have threatened to target Malala again because they say she promotes "Western thinking," but a security assessment in Britain concluded the risk was low in releasing her to her family. British police have provided security for her at the hospital, but West Midlands Police refused to comment on any security precautions for Malala or her family going forward.  Pakistani doctors removed a bullet that entered her head and traveled toward her spine before Malala's family decided to send her to Britain for specialized treatment. Pakistan is paying.
> 
> MORE


----------



## Peter Dow

waltky said:


> Peter wrote: _It doesn't say that.
> 
> It says she is likely to stay in the UK. It doesn't say she is well enough to go to school._
> 
> What then?...
> 
> ... she just gonna drop out...
> 
> ... rather than transfer to school in the UK...
> 
> ...  now that her father has been appointed to a diplomatic job there?
> 
> ... ya putz.


People who are too sick to go to school are not described as "going to drop out" as if by choice - you silly ape.

Just because her father has a job in the UK doesn't make her well enough to attend school.



waltky said:


> *Pakistani girl shot by Taliban leaves UK hospital*
> _Jan 4,`13  -- Three months after she was shot in the head for daring to say girls should be able to get an education, a 15-year-old Pakistani hugged her nurses and smiled as she walked out of a Birmingham hospital._
> 
> 
> 
> Malala Yousufzai waved to a guard and smiled shyly as she cautiously strode down the hospital corridor talking to nurses in images released Friday by the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham.  "She is quite well and happy on returning home - as we all are," Malala's father, Ziauddin, told The Associated Press.  Malala, who was released Thursday, will live with her parents and two brothers in Britain while she continues to receive treatment. She will be admitted again in the next month for another round of surgery to rebuild her skull.
> 
> Experts have been optimistic that Malala, who was airlifted from Pakistan in October to receive specialized medical care, has a good chance of recovery because the brains of teenagers are still growing and can better adapt to trauma.  "Malala is a strong young woman and has worked hard with the people caring for her to make excellent progress in her recovery," said Dr. Dave Rosser, the medical director for University Hospitals Birmingham. "Following discussions with Malala and her medical team, we decided that she would benefit from being at home with her parents and two brothers."
> 
> The Taliban targeted Malala because of her relentless objection to the group's regressive interpretation of Islam that limits girls' access to education. She was shot while returning home from school in Pakistan's scenic Swat Valley on Oct. 9.  Her case won worldwide recognition, and the teen became a symbol for the struggle for women's rights in Pakistan. In an indication of her reach, she made the shortlist for Time magazine's "Person of the Year" for 2012.
> 
> The militants have threatened to target Malala again because they say she promotes "Western thinking," but a security assessment in Britain concluded the risk was low in releasing her to her family. British police have provided security for her at the hospital, but West Midlands Police refused to comment on any security precautions for Malala or her family going forward.  Pakistani doctors removed a bullet that entered her head and traveled toward her spine before Malala's family decided to send her to Britain for specialized treatment. Pakistan is paying.
> 
> MORE
Click to expand...

That however made the main evening news here in Britain tonight and it was really nice to see!


----------



## Mr. H.

Pakistani girl shot by Taliban to have skull reconstructed - Yahoo! News

She'll be bok.


----------



## Peter Dow

Mr. H. said:


> Pakistani girl shot by Taliban to have skull reconstructed - Yahoo! News
> 
> She'll be bok.


Come on Malala! 







[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqOMuR5Z530]It's Getting Better - Cass Elliot - YouTube[/ame]


----------



## Peter Dow

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlWprzgSwqA]Malala Yousafzai - getting better every day - YouTube[/ame]

The first part of the video is a Sky News report detailing the scheduled reconstructive surgery planned to be carried out on Malala Yousafzai at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, England.

A titanium plate is to be fitted to Malala's skull and a cochlear implant to help her recover hearing in her left ear.

The second part of the video is news footage of Malala set to the music "It's getting better" sung by Cass Elliot.

The video concludes with the following end message from me Peter Dow for my AfPakMission channel video as follows.

We love Malala.
We hate the Taliban.
We are the good people.
The Taliban are evil.

The good people of Pakistan and all the world wish Malala
to get better every day.
Our military should kill every Taliban and help the world
to get better every day.

First the victory prize by wiping out the Taliban.

Then there will be peace 
and time for peace prizes.
We have a war to win first.​


----------



## waltky

Malala comes out of surgery awake & talking...

*Wounded Pakistani schoolgirl talks about surgery, new girls' fund*
_February 4, 2013  -- Two videos were released Monday showing Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousufzai speaking publicly for the first time since she was shot by the Taliban in October for campaigning for female education._


> The first, recorded by a public relations company on Jan. 22, days before the 15-year-old underwent complex cranial and auricular reconstruction surgery at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, features Malala announcing the launch of a special fund for girls education in Pakistan. She speaks clearly with some stiffness on one side of her face.  Today you can see that I am alive and I can speak," she said. "I can see you, I can see everyone and today I can speak. I am getting better day by day ... because of the prayers of people, because of the men, the women, the children.  This is a second life, this is a new life and I want to serve, I was to serve the people, and I want every girl, every child to be educated and for that reason we have organized the Malala fund.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A British hospital released this image from a video of an interview with Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai after surgery to repair wounds she received when she was shot by the Taliban.
> 
> She repeated her messages in English, Urdu and Pashtu.  In a later video, recorded Sunday, 24 hours after her cranial reconstruction surgery, she is seen talking to an intensive-care doctor about the five-hour operation, in which a titanium plate was installed in her skull. She again spoke of her mission to help people.  God gave me a new life ... because of the prayers of people and because of the talent of doctors, she said to Dr. Mav Manji, a critical care consultant.  At a news conference Monday, Dr. David Rosser, the hospital's medical director, and Dr. Anwen White, Malalas neurosurgeon, told reporters she needed no further operations.  White said the teen would probably be released in a few days and should make a full recovery.
> 
> They doctors described the placement of the titanium plate and the insertion of a cochlear implant to restore hearing in her left ear. The cochlear implant will not be switched on for about a month, they said.  She was very keen to have the titanium plate put in. She is a very happy and very enthusiastic young woman, White said. In response to a question about Malala's status as a woman in Pakistan, White said: It does seem incredibly unjust as a woman in Britain I can be a consultant neurosurgeon, whereas a woman in Malalas situation would struggle to achieve the same job.
> 
> Source



See also:

*Hospital: Pakistani teen activist Malala awake, talking after successful surgeries*
_Mon February 4, 2013 - Operations to repair Malala's skull and help her hearing "were a success," the hospital says; Queen Elizabeth Hospital: She is stable, "awake and talking to staff and members of her family"; Saturday's five-hour surgery is the latest step on a long road to recovery for the teen activist; In October Taliban gunmen shot her in the head and neck_


> Pakistani teen activist Malala Yousufzai was in stable condition at a British hospital on Sunday after undergoing surgeries to repair her skull and help her hearing, officials said.  "Both operations were a success and Malala is now recovering in hospital. Her medical team are 'very pleased' with the progress she has made so far," the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham said in a statement. "She is awake and talking to staff and members of her family."  Saturday's five-hour surgeries were the latest step on a long road to recovery for Malala, who was shot in the head and neck by Taliban gunmen in October for speaking out in favor of education for Pakistani girls.
> 
> Last week doctors said they would use a titanium plate to cover an opening in her skull, and give her a cochlear implant to partially restore hearing in her left ear.  The plate was necessary to replace a section of her skull about the size of a hand, which doctors removed to relieve swelling after the shooting. And the inner ear implant will restore some function to her damaged ear, doctors said last week.  The 15-year-old became an international symbol of courage after she was shot by Taliban gunmen last fall for her crusade about girls going to school.  She had blogged fearlessly about girls' education and accused the Taliban of thriving on ignorance. The Taliban forbid girls in the classroom and have threatened to kill anyone who defies them.
> 
> Malala was in a school van on October 9 when the gunmen stopped the vehicle and shot her at point-blank range.  She was flown to the British hospital six days later.  Doctors there discharged her last month, and she has been recovering with her family at a temporary home nearby. Her father, who had been an educator in Pakistan, is now employed at the Pakistani Consulate in Birmingham.  On Sunday, officials said Malala would remain hospitalized until she is well enough to be discharged.
> 
> Hospital: Pakistani teen activist Malala awake, talking after successful surgeries - CNN.com


----------



## Peter Dow

Malala's World 



Support the Malala Fund | Vital Voices


----------



## RoadVirus

If anyone deserves the Nobel Peace Prize, it's this brave girl


----------



## waltky

Angelina Jolie launches charity to honor Malala Yousafzai...

*Malala Yousafzai and Angelina Jolie launch school fund*
_4 April 2013 - Hollywood star Angelina Jolie has honoured Pakistani schoolgirl activist Malala Yousafzai, who has launched a charity to fund girls' education._


> In New York, Ms Jolie said Malala would be "in charge" of the Malala Fund. Malala, 15, said in a video the launch was "the happiest moment of my life".  The charity's first grant will fund the education of 40 girls in Pakistan.
> 
> Malala was shot in the head by the Taliban in October in retribution for campaigning for girls' education.  She now attends school in Birmingham, England following her recovery from the shooting and has signed a book deal worth about $3m (£2m) for her memoir.
> 
> The book, titled I am Malala, is scheduled for publication in the autumn.  "Announcing the first grant of the Malala Fund is the happiest moment in my life," Malala said in a video message at the Women in the World conference in New York.  "I invite all of you to support the Malala Fund and let us turn the education of 40 girls into 40 million girls."
> 
> The teenager started school again in mid-March following surgery to fit a titanium plate and cochlear implant into her skull.
> 
> BBC News - Malala Yousafzai and Angelina Jolie launch school fund


----------



## waltky

Malala's retort to the Taliban...

*Malalas defiant riposte to Pakistani Taliban militants*
_Sun, Jul 14, 2013 - When the Taliban sent a gunman to shoot Malala Yousufzai in October last year as she rode home on a bus after school, they made clear their intention: to silence the teenager and kill off her campaign for girls education._


> Nine months and countless surgical interventions later, she stood up at the UN on her 16th birthday on Friday to deliver a defiant riposte.  They thought that the bullet would silence us, but they failed, she said.  As 16th birthdays go, it was among the more unusual. Instead of blowing out candles on a cake, Malala sat in one of the UNs main council chambers in the central seat usually reserved for world leaders.  She listened quietly as UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon described her as our hero, our champion; and as the former British prime minister and now UN education envoy Gordon Brown uttered what he called the words the Taliban never wanted her to hear: Happy 16th birthday, Malala.  The event, dubbed Malala Day, was the culmination of an extraordinary four years for the girl from Mingora, in the troubled Swat valley of Pakistan.
> 
> She was thrust into the public glare after she wrote a pseudonymous, but later celebrated blog for the BBC Urdu service describing her experiences struggling to get an education under the rising power of Taliban militants.  By 11, she was showing exceptional determination, calling personally on then-US envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke to use his influence to combat the Talibans drive against education for girls. By 14, she was on the radar of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who put her forward for the international childrens peace prize, and by 15 she became the youngest Nobel Peace Prize nominee in history.  However, such dizzying global attention came at a price. Death threats followed her growing recognition, and on Oct. 9 last year, following a meeting of Pakistani Taliban leaders, the gunman was dispatched to remove what they called the symbol of infidels and obscenity.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Malala Yousufzai speaks at the UN headquarters in New York, New York, on Friday.
> 
> Multiple operations in Pakistan and the UK followed the attack on the bus, including the fitting of a titanium plate on her left forehead, and a cochlear implant to restore her hearing. She now lives with her family in Birmingham and does what the Taliban tried to stop her doing: She goes to school every day.  I am not against anyone, she said in the UN chamber, having taken this day out from the classroom. Neither am I here to speak in terms of personal revenge against the Taliban or any other terrorist group.  Malala responded to the violence of the Taliban with her own countervailing force: words against bullets.  I do not even hate the Talib who shot me. Even if there is a gun in my hand and he stands in front of me, I would not shoot him, she said.
> 
> She spoke confidently, with only an injured eye and a slightly drooping left side of her face to hint at such fresh traumas. There was one other unstated allusion to the horror of her past: She wore a white shawl belonging to a woman who was also targeted by extremists, but who, unlike Malala, did not survive to tell the tale: former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto.  The extremists are afraid of books and pens, the teenager said. The power of education frightens them. They are afraid of women. The power of the voice of women frightens them.
> 
> MORE


----------



## Vikrant

*
Pakistan&#8217;s Malala Problem: Teen Activist&#8217;s Global Celebrity Not Matched at Home
*

Read more: Pakistan's Malala Celebrated Abroad, Inspires Mixed Feelings at Home | TIME.com


----------



## freedombecki

waltky said:


> Malala's retort to the Taliban...
> 
> *Malalas defiant riposte to Pakistani Taliban militants*
> _Sun, Jul 14, 2013 - When the Taliban sent a gunman to shoot Malala Yousufzai in October last year as she rode home on a bus after school, they made clear their intention: to silence the teenager and kill off her campaign for girls education._
> 
> 
> 
> Nine months and countless surgical interventions later, she stood up at the UN on her 16th birthday on Friday to deliver a defiant riposte. They thought that the bullet would silence us, but they failed, she said. As 16th birthdays go, it was among the more unusual. Instead of blowing out candles on a cake, Malala sat in one of the UNs main council chambers in the central seat usually reserved for world leaders. She listened quietly as UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon described her as our hero, our champion; and as the former British prime minister and now UN education envoy Gordon Brown uttered what he called the words the Taliban never wanted her to hear: Happy 16th birthday, Malala. The event, dubbed Malala Day, was the culmination of an extraordinary four years for the girl from Mingora, in the troubled Swat valley of Pakistan.
> 
> She was thrust into the public glare after she wrote a pseudonymous, but later celebrated blog for the BBC Urdu service describing her experiences struggling to get an education under the rising power of Taliban militants. By 11, she was showing exceptional determination, calling personally on then-US envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke to use his influence to combat the Talibans drive against education for girls. By 14, she was on the radar of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who put her forward for the international childrens peace prize, and by 15 she became the youngest Nobel Peace Prize nominee in history. However, such dizzying global attention came at a price. Death threats followed her growing recognition, and on Oct. 9 last year, following a meeting of Pakistani Taliban leaders, the gunman was dispatched to remove what they called the symbol of infidels and obscenity.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Malala Yousufzai speaks at the UN headquarters in New York, New York, on Friday.
> 
> Multiple operations in Pakistan and the UK followed the attack on the bus, including the fitting of a titanium plate on her left forehead, and a cochlear implant to restore her hearing. She now lives with her family in Birmingham and does what the Taliban tried to stop her doing: She goes to school every day. I am not against anyone, she said in the UN chamber, having taken this day out from the classroom. Neither am I here to speak in terms of personal revenge against the Taliban or any other terrorist group. Malala responded to the violence of the Taliban with her own countervailing force: words against bullets. I do not even hate the Talib who shot me. Even if there is a gun in my hand and he stands in front of me, I would not shoot him, she said.
> 
> She spoke confidently, with only an injured eye and a slightly drooping left side of her face to hint at such fresh traumas. There was one other unstated allusion to the horror of her past: She wore a white shawl belonging to a woman who was also targeted by extremists, but who, unlike Malala, did not survive to tell the tale: former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto. The extremists are afraid of books and pens, the teenager said. The power of education frightens them. They are afraid of women. The power of the voice of women frightens them.
> 
> MORE
Click to expand...

 This young woman's story reminds me why privacy is very, very important, especially in international matters. If her hiding place is known by the Talibanis, through someone who stupidly shares states secrets, they will pay for the information and go after her.

States secrets should be respected and never used by anyone. It just results in people who have so few civil rights being attacked to kill, maim, or mutilate in some way.

I'm glad to hear Angelina Jolie took care of her. Looks do matter when a criminal tries to take them away.


----------



## Peter Dow

freedombecki said:


> I'm glad to hear Angelina Jolie took care of her. Looks do matter when a criminal tries to take them away.


We ought to train up a whole army of Pakistani & Afghan Lara Crofts to raid the Taliban and bury them in their tombs.


----------



## Vikrant

I have always maintained that looking beautiful is the most basic human right of a woman.


----------



## waltky

Taliban retort to Malala...

*Taliban's letter to Malala Yousafzai: this is why we tried to kill you*
_Wednesday 17 July 2013 > Adnan Rasheed tells schoolgirl she was targeted because Taliban believed she was running smear campaign_


> A senior member of the Pakistani Taliban has written an open letter to Malala Yousafzai  the teenager shot in the head as she rode home on a school bus  expressing regret that he didn't warn her before the attack, but claiming that she was targeted for maligning the insurgents.  Adnan Rasheed, who was convicted for his role in a 2003 assassination attempt on the country's then-president Pervez Musharraf, did not apologise for the attack, which left Malala gravely wounded, but said he found it shocking.  "I wished it would never happened [sic] and I had advised you before," he wrote.
> 
> Malala was 15 when she and two classmates were targeted by a masked gunman who picked them out on a school bus as they went home from school in Pakistan's northwest Swat valley last October.  She was seriously injured in the attack, and was flown to Britain to receive specialist treatment from doctors in Birmingham, where she and her family now live.  Last week, she celebrated her 16th birthday by delivering a defiant speech at the United Nations in New York, in which she called on world leaders to provide free schooling for all children.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Malala Yousafzai has received a rambling letter from a Taliban commander, claiming she was targeted for maligning it.
> 
> In the letter, Rasheed claimed that Malala was not targeted for her efforts to promote education, but because the Taliban believed she was running a "smearing campaign" against it.  "You have said in your speech yesterday that pen is mightier than sword," Rasheed wrote, referring to Malala's UN speech, "so they attacked you for your sword not for your books or school."  The rambling four-page letter, in patchy English, citing Bertrand Russell, Henry Kissinger and historian Thomas Macaulay, was released to media organisations in Pakistan.
> 
> In it, Rasheed  a former member of Pakistan's air force, who was among 300 prisoners to escape jail in April last year  advises Malala to return to Pakistan, join a female Islamic seminary and advocate the cause of Islam.  He admitted that the Taliban are "blowing up" schools, but justified the attacks on the grounds that the Pakistani army and the paramilitary Frontier Corps use schools as hideouts.  Hundreds of schools have been targeted in Pakistan's north-west: activists say some had been used by the military, but many attacks were motivated by the Taliban's opposition to girls' education.
> 
> More Taliban's letter to Malala Yousafzai: this is why we tried to kill you | World news | The Guardian


----------



## Peter Dow

It really annoyed me the way the news media, both sides of the Atlantic promoted the views of the evil Taliban like they were sponsored by "THE FRIENDS OF THE TALIBAN".

I don't want to know what their sick excuses are for shooting at Malala.

I don't care what they think now or how they might behave if this or that.

I want the Taliban dead. Them all.

Meanwhile if anyone can find a spokesperson for the Taliban - don't quote him, kill him. 

This is war. 

Thanks.


----------

