https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgmnQor2x_s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z91V2EfAKTU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkCkxAb4na0
Malala, your courage has inspired us
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/malala-your-courage-has-inspired-us/The 2013 TIME 100
Malala Yousafzai
Activist, 15
People whose courage has been met by violence populate history. Few, though, are as young as Malala was when, at 15, a Taliban gunman boarded her school bus in northwestern Pakistan and shot her and two other girls, attempting to both kill Malala and, as the Taliban later said, teach a “lesson” to anyone who had the courage to stand up for education, freedom and self-determination, particularly for girls and women. Or as young as 11, when Malala began blogging for the BBC’s Urdu site, writing about her ambition to become a doctor, her fears of the Taliban and her determination to not allow the Taliban — or her fear — to prevent her from getting the education she needed to realize her dreams.
Malala is now where she wants to be: back in school. The Taliban almost made Malala a martyr; they succeeded in making her a symbol. The memoir she is writing to raise awareness about the 61 million children around the world who are not in school indicates she accepts that unasked-for responsibility as a synonym for courage and a champion for girls everywhere. However Malala concludes her book, her story so far is only just beginning.
Clinton is a special correspondent for NBC
http://time100.time.com/2013/04/18/time-100/slide/malala-yousafzai/
Malala Yousafzai’s Courage: Student Discussion Guide
An assassination attempt was not enough to curtail the human-rights work of teenage activist Malala Yousafzai. In fact, her brush with death at the hands of the Taliban only served to strengthen her resolve and led to her consideration for the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize.
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| Yousafzai follows in the footsteps of women's rights pioneer Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan's first--and so far, only--female prime minister, assassinated in 2007. |
The 16-year-old Pakistani rose to prominence as a vocal advocate for girls’ right to education. The Taliban, which ardently disagrees with Yousafzai’s position, was fearful that her activism would inspire others to act. The group planned to silence the teen, and while she rode a school bus, a Taliban gunman shot her in the head.
Yousafzai was flown to England, where she received emergency care and eventually recovered from her injuries. Rather than go into hiding, she remained steadfast in her attempts to provide Pakistani girls with the right to an education. In October 2013 shevisited the U.S. to share her story.
Her work, including her best-selling book I am Malala, landed her on the shortlist of Nobel candidates. Despite being the odds-on favorite to win the award, Yousafzai was edged out by Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, a watchdog group that conducts investigations into the use of chemical weapons.
The Nobel Committee’s decision was met with criticism from some, but praise from the Taliban. In a statement published by NBC News, the Taliban said that the committee was correct in “not selecting this immature girl for this famous award,” according to spokesman Shahidullah Shahid. “If we get another chance, we will definitely kill her, and that will make us feel proud,” Shahid said.
For her part, Yousafzai has vowed to continue her work.
Student Discussion Questions
- If you were a 16-year-old girl in Pakistan, could you have imagined doing what Malala did?
- What do you admire most about Malala? Why are her actions significant in terms of the worldwide struggle for human rights (in particular, women's rights)? If you could have spoken to the Nobel Prize committee, what would you have said in her support?
- Malala gave an address to the United Nations. Choose a quote from her address and explain why it’s particularly meaningful or memorable.
- What are some of the serious women’s rights issues in Pakistan and around the world? Read more here (but be aware that this source contains disturbing images and descriptions of violent acts; be careful to review prior to sharing with students).
- The Swat Taliban are a subgroup of the wider Pakistani Talibanmovement based in South Waziristan, in Pakistan’s Swat District. What was the political situation in Swat District at the time of the attack on Malala?
- How do you explain Malala’s attack in the context of Pakistan’s history? See this comprehensive timeline.
- What complex impact have Malala’s experience and story had in Pakistan?
- What progress has been made in terms of women’s rights in Pakistan
