Pakistani student Malala Yousafzai speaks before the United Nations Youth Assembly July 12, 2013 at UN headquarters in New York. PHOTO: AFP
“They thought the bullet would silence us. But they failed. Out of that silence came thousands of voices. Terrorists thought they could change our aims and our ambitions. Nothing changed, but this: weakness, fear and hopelessness died. Strength, courage and fervour was born."
On October 9, 2012 the Taliban had shot Malala and two of her school friends. The National Youth Peace prize winner was left with a bullet wound on the left side of her forehead.
“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,” she said in a determined manner.
Not against anyone
But Malala insisted that her purpose for being at the UN was not hate or to seek revenge.
"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."
"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 dreams are the same," she said.
Malala's injuries had left her in hospital for over three months in two countries. Despite that, she said that he has no quest for revenge, not even from the person who shot her. "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."
"I want education for the sons and the daughters of all the extremists especially the Taliban."
'Education is the only solution'
Citing the age old phrase that the pen is mightier than the sword, Malala pointed out that 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."
"Education is the only solution. One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world."
Malala got a standing ovation after her speech.
'Terrorists are misusing Islam for personal motives'
Malala said that Islam was a religion of peace and equality, but some elements were using it for personal gains.
"They think that God is a tiny, little conservative being who would send girls to hell just because of going to school. The terrorists are misusing the name of Islam and the Pashtun society for their own personal benefits. Pakistan is peace-loving democratic country. Pashtuns want education for their daughters and sons," she said in her speech.
"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."
Malala Day
July 12, which also marks Malala's birthday is being observed as Malala Day.
"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. Thousands of people have been killed by the terrorists and millions have been injured. I am just one of them," she said.
COMMENTS (97)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
1731054157-0/amish-(1)1731054157-0-405x300.webp "article")
1729668165-0/Jaden-Smith-(1)1729668165-0-165x106.webp "article")
1731051730-0/BeFunky-collage-(33)1731051730-0-165x106.webp "article")
1731055578-0/BeFunk_§_]-(54)1731055578-0.jpg "if us wishes it can exchange imran khan for dr aafia siddiqui rana sanaullah")
1731054909-0/Untitled-design-(24)1731054909-0-270x192.webp "pm shehbaz to attend arab islamic summit in riyadh")
We r really proud of u. May Allah bless u all the time. I want to be like u. My name is Faizan.
@BP and @Insaan Comprehension issues ? Read the damn statement from BP I responded to, a very negative, ignorant and retarded statement. Stop making weak arguments and connections. What kind of assertation is this, "People of Pakistan will never change" ?
very excellent and couragious speech by a ppakistani daughter.
A great honour for Pakistan and for the children of KP that Malala spoke at a global forum. Sadly most people unable to achieve anything themselves will only trash Malala. Like the Taliban these home-based useless creatures will remain just that and have no effect on Malala's achievements and the impact of her efforts!
I am not accusing Malala or her father but I hope the following blast of the past raise some questions in any sensible mind.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nayirah_(testimony)
Plus somebody update me if anyone is talking about Malala Day in Latin America, Russia, Syria, Iraq or Palestine etc....I guess that would be interesting to know.
Hope we'll get a better picture few years down the road.
Just read this article one more way to look at the situation http://willyloman.wordpress.com/2012/10/17/the-staged-malala-yousafzai-story-the-making-of-malala-the-cfr-mockingbird-reporter-and-the-charter-school-owner-father/
Whoever thinks Malala is an angel just look at both sides of the story. I don't hate her the speech she delivered was awesome and each word was well said. But what did she do she tarnished the image of Pakistan the country by which she is represented. Why didn't she point out the drone attacks ? Talibans are not only the sole reason the children in the world are not getting educated. What about Israiel ? the children there ? well furthermore just get read though this article amazing points ! http://willyloman.wordpress.com/2012/10/17/the-staged-malala-yousafzai-story-the-making-of-malala-the-cfr-mockingbird-reporter-and-the-charter-school-owner-father/
@Syed A. Mateen: Educate them and take them with you as the elderly people now wants to shift the responsibilities of Pakistan on your shoulders
She can't take them all to UK.
great Speech about the education but I wonder why did not she mention about the drone attacks which killed thousand of muslim innocene children and people of north wazirstan are not they human this is the united nation where you can talk about the humunity wake up pakistan pleasee I m not the hater of malala nor i m the fan of malala I just wonder about the children of north wazirstan they also have right for education why did not she mention about their bright future ?????
She even invoked Gandhiji. That's very nice of her :)
To all those who are saying you need guts to stand up for your religion and country in front of the UN, I'm pretty sure each one of us would do the same, given the chance. And as for Malala, no doubt she is a brave young girl who is standing up for the right thing but being a spectator is easy and sitting under the protection of the Western world and letting them take the advantage of her story, in my eyes, isn't the right thing. She should prove her braveness by coming back to her country. By sitting there and talking, she's just giving the world another example to pile on the reasons Pakistan is considered one of the most dangerous nations of today. She is hardly under any life threat sitting there. Juzzz' sayinnnn.
Its Benazir all over again. 'Jamhuriat kay lyay qurbani' is now 'taleem kay lyay qurbani'. Thats how the propaganda machines work. Getting shot at is not an achievement. We don't even know the name of the school teacher who escaped the burning vehicle and then came back and died trying to save the children. We don't know the name of the 23 year old girl who stood in front of an Israeli bulldozer and got run over. We don't know the names of these heroes because they don't serve the purpose of the people who own the global propaganda machine. 'It is easier to fool people than convince them that they have been fooled.' - Ameer Hamza
This is against Islam. Islam girls should be wearing burqa always and not go to school. We are following the path of infidels and are promoting obscenity.
@H Chaudhry: They have suffered the most.
You have a government which will go and bomb pakistani Jihadis just to show "they are fighting terrorism" to get more zakat and weapons from Western countries.
You are suffering because of your own government which uses terrorism to gain strategic depth in Afghanistan. Don't forget Afghans are Muslims too and they can do the same in Pakistan. Paki ciitizens are blind to what their country is doing in neighboring country. Afghans have power to make Pakistan into an Islamic Emirates of Pakistan.
@wth: Malala is a hijabi. Where do you get these picturs of her with her hair showing. They have been all over ET lately.
I guess you are having hard times, seeing Malala's hair.
Great speech by a confident girl whom i had a chance to meet in Mingora once...really proud of her
@Waqas: Completely agree with your comments. Generally the Pakistan nation has proved itself as a null-head. While the TTP kill their country men they keep asserting on some "foreign conspiracy" or blame America for droning the innocent TTP who in retaliation kill their country men. This is complete non-sense!! I support drones since they target the terrorists and those "innocents" who give them asylum.
This speech is a slap on the face of TTP and all the Malala haters in Pakistan. God elevates the righteous and no matter how much force and abuse is used to degrade this brave girl, she will always remain above the terrorists. May God bless her and she succeeds in achieving her dream of education for all.
@Adil Uddin Well I don't think saddam needed any defamation, he himself was used by America nd he did war crimes no one can imagine of doing. But my point is that how can someone argue that her injury is fake when taliban have claimed the responsibility, nd if they don't kill children nd innocent y don't they deny it? They always take pride in kiling, they r killer's nd nothing more. If you have a choice between malala nd taliban who would you choose? I guess I don't any doubts who is better
@ Naveen I watched the link you provided and was truly amazed. What amazed me was your statement that you were actually impressed by this simpletons understanding of the workings of a modern state. Their simple world view appeals to those who themselves have a simple world view. Religious extremism has been routed out of power in the West and it is inevitable that the same will happen in the East even if it takes a generation or two. Islam survived before the Taliban came on the scene and will be just fine long after the Taliban are gone and the poor and the religious will be all the better off when they're gone.
@Waqas:
I don't doubt her intentions but 20 years back a Kuwaiti girl was used the same way in order to defame Saddam Hussain's regime in Iraq. The Kuwaiti girl did a drama as it was revealed afterwards.
@Arastu:
I don't doubt her intentions if genuine but she's being used as a justification for drone strikes. What about children who got killed due to drone strikes and USA's bombings in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya? 20 years back another girl did the same sort of speech where she accused Iraqi soldiers of committing crimes in Kuwait after the attack but it was all turned out to be a drama and I hope no one needs to know how USA committed a genocide of millions of innocent Iraqis afterwards. They shamelessly even produced a movie named Devil's Double in order to justify the horrible atrocities they committed on Iraqis. So suspicion over UN and USA also sounds genuine.
Someone correct me if I am saying anything wrong about Operation Desert Storm.
Malala is now a sixteen years old girl, from the land of swat, the home of Yousaf Zais Pashtuns, who defied Emperor Aurangzeb might and refused to pay any tributes or taxes. What she has said in her speech about Islam in the New York world Forum, no other muslim leadere has said it before;
ISLAM IS A RELIGION OF PEACE; HUMANITY AND BROTHERHOOD; EDUCATION IS THE SOLUTION:
Rex Minor
Have high hopes from this dedicated teenager. I have a tiny bit of problem, though. If she talked about MLK and Mandela, she must have also mentioned Gandhi as both these leaders followed Gandhian policy of peace and non-violence. If she didn't, then she has already been politicized. I wish she can be free and talk for the world! We all will support her.
@Aam Paki: Look at her picture, look at the blinded eye, and then look yourself up in the mirror. If yours are both working properly, thank the heavens for it.
@H Chaudhry: Dude don't cry TRUTH is TRUTH but you people don't like TRUTH. what do you know about Pakistan's people?? then why blasts everyday? why OBL upto 10 year? why IMF for loan? in Pakistan.why Pakistan called as FAILED STATE??
Malala for senate 2023 then PM ! Love u girl ! Now you have defeated the conspiracy theorists also !
Her speech gives me hope for a better future for Pakistan. Now let us see what the Politicians would deliver including Khan Sahib and Mian Sahib
All those Criticising Malala despite her immense courage are cynics. Its strange - a moment when the entire country should be proud of her that a Pakistani - let alone a teenager- gets a standing ovation on a World forum. How many people are able to do that. She is there becuse of her bravery. and courage. People who hate her have a strange sense of envy/jealousy/hate that why is she there and not them. When they themselves are too scared to stand up to the truth. We are a strange nation-happy to pull down our own people in front of the world.
@Naveen: see the other headline in the paper.
I hope Malala's dream comes true and that forces of evil in established circles and illiterates do not stop her and other quiet achievers that just want quality education for all especially the poor and disadvantaged so they can make wise decisions in their lives.
I agree with everything a speech writer wrote for her.. But am I the only one who think shes too young to say such huge things ?
And here come the conspiracy theorists, how did she recover from a bullet wound? Well she was initially treated by Pakistani doctors and they confirmed that she had a fractured skull and i guess MRI's and X-Ray reports cant be forged. Many dignitaries visited her including the pro-taliban Imran khan, and if she was not injured someone could have pointed that out. And i guess its only a waste of time explaining so called educated ppl that a 16 yr old girl promoting the positive image of our nation and religion in the biggest international forum is a thing we should all be proud of rather than trying to prove she is a CIA agent. No wonder extremists love pakistan, they come from all over the world to live here, we have alot of educated, un-educated supporters of their mindset who will support them even if they kill innocent ppl in mosques and other places
@ Aam Paki
Imagination is a good thing but please for the sake of sanity stop labelling what happened to Malala as a conspiracy theory! Not everything that goes wrong in Pakistan happens because of a conspiracy theory, its time we owned up to the problems we have instead of blaming them on "conspiracy theories." As it is our nation is going backwards and with mindsets like this we will slump more into the dark ages!
Since nobody has replied, I am assuming that most people here have no clue of what's going on at the ground and Why Taliban Movement continues to gather support at grassroot level. The problems of Pakistan (or infact any other country) can never be solved by UN or other foreign country. A change in Pakistan will ultimately depend upon Pakistanis living in Pakistan - particularly the deprived lot as they form majority.
@Charlie Chapatti: "The Taliban stand no chance whatsoever. It’s only a matter of time till they are consigned to the dustbin of history"
As they say, never underestimate the adversary. Taliban and the clique are not just a crazy lot. For the poor and religious minded people fed up with Corruption all around, Taliban offer a very compelling world vision that the State has failed to match with. One may debate as to what that means for development of rationalism, minority rights, women's rights and so on in Pakistan; but to say that it is failed by design is wishful thinking. Without getting into much detail I'll share with you a youtube video explaining Talibanic worldview ->
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEmI4_nTSx4
I found the above guy's knowledge about how modern States function as nothing short of remarkable (though I do have disagreements with the reforms he suggests).
@wth: Is her hair and Hijab all you could notice?! Then, I would advise you to please get your head out of the sand it is buried in.
@Aam Paki: "The biggest conspiracy ever…. How 1 girl took the bullet literally to the head and is shown perfectly fine in a matter of weeks and no sign of any bullet wound to the head… and then this same girl becomes the face of Pakistan liberalism, quite interesting."
Gabrielle Giffords, an American congresswoman, also survived getting shot in the head. Survival depends on velocity of the bullent and angle of entry, and of course the competence of surgeons.
Great - just great!
Malala said that Pakistan is a Great Democracy @ UN. Can you believe it ? She lost her credibility completely....
@Aam Paki: agree with you 100%
If she is brave then go to Pakistan in her village and live there. Speaking and living in west is easy. They have all got nationality of UK I think and that's it, she will be running an NGO in the future and make money.
Malala, You are my honor, you are my pride.
She is courageous nd bright star in darkness. I hope she continues to inspire many people around the world....especially women fighting for education nd equal rights.
@BP Stop with this hate mongering here. You dont know People of Pakistan. They have suffered the most. Who are you to make senseless claims about them ?
@csmann: Accept Indians. What a shameful attitude.
The biggest conspiracy ever.... How 1 girl took the bullet literally to the head and is shown perfectly fine in a matter of weeks and no sign of any bullet wound to the head... and then this same girl becomes the face of Pakistan liberalism, quite interesting.
Long live Malala. Down with religious fascists.
She is a star
Does the world know that she gt shot by the good or bad Taliban? Also does the world agree the good Taliban is good as compared to the bad Taliban?
Malala Beti, You brought tears in my eyes! We Salute you & love you. Hope we have more Malala's in PK who have the courage to fight these terrorists. Thanks for showing the soft face & image of PK.
Happy birthday to you Malala, may you have many more inshAllah!!!
Here goes her speech in full.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5X70VyjU0g
only Pakistani worth being mentioned.
@Salman: If Pakistan truly thought of her as its daughter she would not have to escape to UK on pain of death. A couple of weeks back the other girl who had been shot also took asylum in UK because she was getting death threats. You cannot take credit for her individual brilliance when as a country you could not protect her. Even Rimsha had to escape to Canada.
@Aysha M: Malala is indeed a role mode But not sure why you say she is a modern face of Islam. The values she stands for are universal and not limited to any one religion.
May God Bless you Malala! The prayers of millions of Pakistanis are with you and other girls like you. One can only hope that the tyrant fundamentalists will be eradicated from our land one day and innocent girls like you will have the opportunity to receive education. Inshallah.
Malala, you are great. I am sure one day your dreams will be materialized. I pray for your decoration with the Nobel Peace Prize. The cause you are fighting for is invaluable.
U Wonderful Girl
This is against islam
watch the speech here: http://webtv.un.org/watch/malala-yousafzai-addresses-united-nations-youth-assembly/2542094251001/?utmsource=twitterfeed&utmmedium=twitter
Can anybody share how Malala is perceived in her own locality and province nowadays?
Malala has done more to raise the tattered image of Pakistan than all the politicians, leaders and conspiracy theorists combined. The Taliban stand no chance whatsoever. It's only a matter of time till they are consigned to the dustbin of history.
Malala is a blessing. Only those who are cursed can't see it. To attribute motives, to see a conspiracy and to deny her simple, decent acknowledgement for her struggles can be done only by those who are lost in their own dark labyrinth!
Being an Indian, I'd never have thought likes of Malala suffer for no mistake of theirs. I'd have never known there is spirit of defiance and spirit of modernity even in backward regions of Paksitan.
And without Malala world wouldn't know there is a large section of people in Pakistan who oppose the idea of Taliban bitterly. Her achievement is no less than folks who work for decades to create same level of awareness.
Hope she grows to be somewhat of a path breaker and a path maker for Pakistan.
A very inspirational speech. Don't be jealous all the conspirators, you can never achieve what she has achieved, today whole world is with her, UN gives her standing ovation. You conspirators, even a dog won't clap for you leave humans. Conspirators should be ashamed of themselves. One correspondent of CNN equated the words of her speech with that of Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King, an amazing speech. Pakistan really needs boys and girls like her. hats off
Islam is the religion of love and peace and it promotes education for both men and women. Really liked Malala's speech. Brave and Courageous girl. Live Long Malala
Shame on the people who act as the umbilical chord for the merchants of death and provide justification for their acts of crime and violence. Enough of the nonsense that counter terrorism and drone attacks create terrorists. We have not seen the 50000 victims of acts of violence, or their loved ones turning into terrorists and taking law in their own hand, even after seeing that state institutions including agencies and judiciary have failed them completely. They still have a message of peace and hope. And Malala represents them.
The world is listening to you . You have the capability where other have failed to make sure eduction for all children in Pakistan become reality.
Keep up the good work we are proud of you.
Congratulations on her 16th birthday. Indeed, a woman worthy of praise and a source of pride. We hope that she will, in the future, continue to be an inspiration to us all.
Ali Khan DET - U.S. Central Command
Malala the face of modern Islam
salutes and love for u, daughter of Pakistan.
@csmann: https://www.youtube.com/results?searchquery=Malala+speech+at+UN&oq=Malala+speech+at+UN&gsl=youtube.3...172.2534.0.3061.12.8.0.0.0.0.0.0..0.0...0.0...1ac.1.11.youtube.
@wth: Malala is a hijabi
You are so wrong. Look at the background. This is the UN.
"Neither am I here to speak in terms of personal revenge against the Taliban or any other terrorists group.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.” Just imagine the consequences if a politician said this. The media would have no mercy and question them on their pro-taliban stance.
here is a part of the speech https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrasFcGqM_s
Afia Siddiqui is the real daughter of the nation
Most of our conspiracy theory loving fellow Pakistanis doubt her integrity but in my opinion regardless of that the content of her speech was powerful and one needs to see what is being said rather than who is saying it .
Most of our conspiracy theory loving fellow Pakistanis doubt her integrity but in my opinion regardless of that the content of her speech was powerful and one needs to see what is being said rather than who is saying it .
Last year she almost died with a bullet in head. Today she's addressing the UN General Assembly. A moment of pride for Pakistan and everyone around the globe who supports equal human rights and education. Love you Malala. The whole world is with you.
Its sad how we Pakistanis have treated her, and continue to talk trash about her. Pakistan is the only country in the world where more people are hating on her than supporting her cause of education for all.
A very good speech that essentially humiliated Taliban and all the extremists who are against girls education and want to impose their fossilized mindset on others. Malala deserved this honor that she earned the hard way. Pakistan will become a much better place, should every Pakistani girl start thinking like Malala. May Allah bless you, Malala.
"one-child-one-teacher-one-book-and-one-pen-can-change-the-world" is good statement
But the sad news - in Pakistan its never happened or going to happen for Pakistan one-CHILD-one-GUN-one-BOMB-and-one-BLAST-can-change-the-world Pakistanis peoples never change.
Malala, I agree that "Education is the only solution. One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world".
Let's begin this from Pakistan where percentage of illiteracy is increasing day by day in the far flung areas of Pakistan due to the influence of Taliban.
The future of Pakistani children lies in thie own hsnds if they want to acquire education.
The challenges ahead can only be solved though acquiring education and not by following the foot steps of Taliban.
There are uncounted children standing behind you.
You are the leader of young children.
Educate them and take them with you as the elderly people now wants to shift the responsibilities of Pakistan on your shoulders and of on the shoulders of those children who are walking behind you.
Take Pakistan's Flag in your hand and become Pakistan's leader of tomorrow.
May Al-Mighty Allah save you and be always with you. Ameen.
Pakistan's Daughter and Real Hero.
God Bless This Child. I see world future in Her.
BRAVE!!!! Indomitable Spirit. Hats off to Malala. True Inspiration to girls all over the world especially in South Asia.
The whole world is proud of this girl. A beacon of light to the oppressed women anywhere. Hope somebody /ET puts a video of her speech online or give a link to one
Well Done Malala,We are Proud of you
All I heard in her speech was equal opportunity, education for all, Islam is a religion of peace, Taliban use it for their own benefit, etc.
Tell me if any of her demands was wrong. Yes she has made headlines everywhere but someone has to even if there are hundreds like her.
And, here come the conspiracy theorists.
Malala really inspiration for others
Malala is a hijabi. Where do you get these picturs of her with her hair showing. They have been all over ET lately.