Malala Yousafzai Honored as Harvard’s Humanitarian of the Year

On Friday,Malala Yousafzai , the 16-year-old Pakistani girl who was shot in the head last October by Taliban militants, was honored as Harvard University’s humanitarian of the year.

Ever since making a stunning recovery from her gunshot wound, Malala has become an outspoken advocate for girls’ education, which is why Harvard gave her its 2013 Peter J. Gomes Humanitarian Award. After being introduced by the university’s president Drew Gilpin Faust, Malala offered the crowd at Harvard a pretty moving speech about why she feels compelled to speak out for women’s rights and show the people who hurt her that they can’t use fear to keep girls from gaining equal access to education.

From the CBS report:

The so-called Taliban were afraid of women's power and were afraid of the power of education," she told hundreds of students, faculty members and well-wishers who packed Harvard's ornate Sanders Theater for the award ceremony.
Malala highlighted the fact that very few people spoke out against what was happening in her home region.
"Although few people spoke, but the voice for peace and education was powerful," she said.

Pakistani teenager honoured by Amnesty International

 Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani teenager shot by the Taliban last year for campaigning for girls' education, has been honoured by Amnesty International in Dublin.
The 16-year-old shared the Ambassador of Conscience Award with US singer Harry Belafonte for his work on human rights and social justice.
Recipients are selected for showing exceptional leadership in the fight to protect and promote human rights and conscience.
The presentation ceremony took place in the Mansion House in Dublin where Malala called for education to be used as a weapon against war.
The teenager urged governments around the world to take action against inequality.
"With this powerful weapon of knowledge and education, we can fight against wars, terrorism, child labour and inequality," Malala said.
"The only tools that are needed are a pen and a book to get us on our way to an enlightened future for one and all."

She said war continues to be waged and human rights neglected all over the world and children are suffering from child labour and trafficking."You may be asking yourselves, 'what is the solution?"' she added."I believe the only solution is education, education, education.”
The 16-year-old schoolgirl was flown from Pakistan to the UK for emergency treatment last October after being shot in the head by a Taliban gunman.
She was targeted after campaigning for girls' rights to attend school.
Following the speech, Bono told the crowd Malala had to make a quick getaway from the ceremony to catch a flight home to make it to school on time tomorrow.
"Tonight we're not standing," he added.
"We're not standing because we're floored. We're floored because we're in the presence of this once in a century kind of courage."
The singer said Malala's courage was moving the world forward in its journey towards equality.
American singer Harry Belafonte was also honoured for his work on human rights and social justice. Pink Floyd's Roger Waters and singer, Petula Clark presented the King of Calypso with the honour.
The Ambassador of Conscience award is the human rights group's most prestigious award and recipients are selected for showing exceptional leadership in the fight to protect and promote human rights and conscience.
Amnesty said this year's winners have "used their individual voice to speak out on the part of many and, while separated by age, background and geography, they are united in their dedication to using education and art to overcome ignorance and brutality".
The award was inspired by a poem written for Amnesty by the late Seamus Heaney, called From the Republic of Conscience, and it aims to promote Amnesty's work by association with the life, work and example of its ambassadors.
The Nobel laureate, who died suddenly at the end of last month, had been due to attend the ceremony and read the poem.
Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani teenager shot by the Taliban last year for campaigning for girls' education, has been honoured by Amnesty International in Dublin.
The 16-year-old shared the Ambassador of Conscience Award with US singer Harry Belafonte for his work on human rights and social justice.
Recipients are selected for showing exceptional leadership in the fight to protect and promote human rights and conscience.

The text of Malala Yousafzai’s speech at the United Nations

In the name of God, The Most Beneficent, The Most Merciful.
Honourable UN Secretary General Mr Ban Ki-moon,
Respected President General Assembly Vuk Jeremic
Honourable UN envoy for Global education Mr Gordon Brown,
Respected elders and my dear brothers and sisters;
Today, it is an honour for me to be speaking again after a long time. Being here with such honourable people is a great moment in my life.
I don't know where to begin my speech. I don't know what people would be expecting me to say. But first of all, thank you to God for whom we all are equal and thank you to every person who has prayed for my fast recovery and a new life. I cannot believe how much love people have shown me. I have received thousands of good wish cards and gifts from all over the world. Thank you to all of them. Thank you to the children whose innocent words encouraged me. Thank you to my elders whose prayers strengthened me.
I would like to thank my nurses, doctors and all of the staff of the hospitals in Pakistan and the UK and the UAE government who have helped me get better and recover my strength. I fully support Mr Ban Ki-moon the Secretary-General in his Global Education First Initiative and the work of the UN Special Envoy Mr Gordon Brown.  And I thank them both for the leadership they continue to give. They continue to inspire all of us to action.
Dear brothers and sisters, do remember one thing. Malala day is not my day. Today is the day of every woman, every boy and every girl who have raised their voice for their rights. There are hundreds of Human rights activists and social workers who are not only speaking for human rights, but who are struggling to achieve their goals of education, peace and equality. Thousands of people have been killed by the terrorists and millions have been injured. I am just one of them.
So here I stand...    one girl among many.
I speak – not for myself, but for all girls and boys.
I raise up my voice – not so that I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard.
Those who have fought for their rights:
Their right to live in peace.
Their right to be treated with dignity.
Their right to equality of opportunity.
Their right to be educated.
Dear Friends, on the 9th of October 2012, the Taliban shot me on the left side of my forehead. They shot my friends too. They thought that the bullets would silence us. But they failed. And then, out of that silence came, thousands of voices. The terrorists thought that they would change our aims and stop our ambitions but nothing changed in my life except this: Weakness, fear and hopelessness died. Strength, power and courage was born.  I am the same Malala. My ambitions are the same. My hopes are the same. My dreams are the same.
Dear sisters and brothers, I am not against anyone. Neither am I here to speak in terms of personal revenge against the Taliban or any other terrorists group. I am here to speak up for the right of education of every child. I want education for the sons and the daughters of all the extremists especially the Taliban.
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. This is the compassion that I have learnt from Muhammad-the prophet of mercy, Jesus christ and Lord Buddha. This is the legacy of change that I have inherited from Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Muhammad Ali Jinnah. This is the philosophy of non-violence that I have learnt from Gandhi Jee, Bacha Khan and Mother Teresa. And this is the forgiveness that I have learnt from my mother and father. This is what my soul is telling me, be peaceful and love everyone.
Dear sisters and brothers, we realise the importance of light when we see darkness. We realise the importance of our voice when we are silenced. In the same way, when we were in Swat, the north of Pakistan, we realised the importance of pens and books when we saw the guns.
The wise saying, “The pen is mightier than sword” was true. The extremists are afraid of books and pens. The power of education frightens them. They are afraid of women. The power of the voice of women frightens them. And that is why they killed 14 innocent medical students in the recent attack in Quetta. And that is why they killed many female teachers and polio workers in Khyber Pukhtoon Khwa and FATA. That is why they are blasting schools every day.  Because they were and they are afraid of change, afraid of the equality that we will bring into our society.
I remember that there was a boy in our school who was asked by a journalist, “Why are the Taliban against education?” He answered very simply. By pointing to his book he said, “A Talib doesn't know what is written inside this book.” They think that God is a tiny, little conservative being who would send girls to the hell just because of going to school. The terrorists are misusing the name of Islam and Pashtun society for their own personal benefits. Pakistan is peace-loving democratic country. Pashtuns want education for their daughters and sons. And Islam is a religion of peace, humanity and brotherhood. Islam says that it is not only each child's right to get education, rather it is their duty and responsibility.
Honourable Secretary General, peace is necessary for education. In many parts of the world especially Pakistan and Afghanistan; terrorism, wars and conflicts stop children to go to their schools. We are really tired of these wars. Women and children are suffering in many parts of the world in many ways. In India, innocent and poor children are victims of child labour. Many schools have been destroyed in Nigeria. People in Afghanistan have been affected by the hurdles of extremism for decades. Young girls have to do domestic child labour and are forced to get married at early age. Poverty, ignorance, injustice, racism and the deprivation of basic rights are the main problems faced by both men and women.
Dear fellows, today I am focusing on women's rights and girls' education because they are suffering the most. There was a time when women social activists asked men to stand up for their rights. But, this time, we will do it by ourselves. I am not telling men to step away from speaking for women's rights rather I am focusing on women to be independent to fight for themselves.
Dear sisters and brothers, now it's time to speak up.
So today, we call upon the world leaders to change their strategic policies in favour of peace and prosperity.
We call upon the world leaders that all the peace deals must protect women and children's rights. A deal that goes against the dignity of women and their rights is unacceptable.
We call upon all governments to ensure free compulsory education for every child all over the world.
We call upon all governments to fight against terrorism and violence, to protect children from brutality and harm.
We call upon the developed nations to support the expansion of educational opportunities for girls in the developing world.
We call upon all communities to be tolerant – to reject prejudice based on cast, creed, sect, religion or gender. To ensure freedom and equality for women so that they can flourish. We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back.
We call upon our sisters around the world to be brave – to embrace the strength within themselves and realise their full potential.
Dear brothers and sisters, we want schools and education for every child's bright future. We will continue our journey to our destination of peace and education for everyone. No one can stop us. We will speak for our rights and we will bring change through our voice. We must believe in the power and the strength of our words. Our words can change the world.
Because we are all together, united for the cause of education. And if we want to achieve our goal, then let us empower ourselves with the weapon of knowledge and let us shield ourselves with unity and togetherness.
Dear brothers and sisters, we must not forget that millions of people are suffering from poverty, injustice and ignorance. We must not forget that millions of children are out of schools. We must not forget that our sisters and brothers are waiting for a bright peaceful future.
So let us wage a global struggle against illiteracy, poverty and terrorism and let us pick up our books and pens. They are our most powerful weapons.
One child, one teacher, one pen and one book can change the world. 
Education is the only solution. Education First.