Malala Yousafzai brief biography
Malala Yousafzai was born on July 12, 1997 in the Swat Valley of Pakistan. When she was eleven years old, she began writing a blog about life under the repressive occupation of the Taliban. She continued her courageous public defiance of the Taliban, especially their efforts to prevent girls from receiving an education. Tragically, a Taliban gunmen tracked her bus down while she was returning home from school and shot her in the head. Yousafzai was just fifteen years old, but she amazingly survived the attempted murder. The events drew international attention and Yousafzai has since become a reknowned education activist. In 2014, at the age of 17, Yousafzai became the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.
The Pen and the Sword
The following text is the narration to the above video:
Of Pashtun tribal ethnicity and Pakistani nationality
Few expected this girl to become such an empowered personality
For here the birth of a girl, unlike that of a boy
Is not marked by celebration, pride, or even particular joy
Boldly, her parents chose “Malala” as her given name
After Malalai of Maiwand, a heroine of Afghan fame
During the Second Anglo-Afghan War this woman would tend
To the Afghan troops who against the British invasion did defend
As the British advanced and the Afghan flag bearer fell
Malalai lifted her veil and commensed a battle cry to yell
She was killed in the battle but her brave act and rousing oratory
Inspired the Afghans to reverse the tide and on to victory
Like her namesake, Malala would make her own heroic stand
And one day raise her voice against an oppressive demand
Islamic fundamentalists seized power in her part of her beloved nation
Encouraging Sharia law, including depriving girls of education
To Malala this was an Islamic faith grave misinterpretation
So she resisted in action and speech with strong determination
For her efforts, she would one day take a bullet to the head
But her courageous voice was not silenced but rose instead
Her defiant stand against oppression and her miraculous survival
Put her on an international stage and offered us all a revival
Of the old adage that refuses to be ignored
Perhaps the pen is indeed mightier than the sword!
Of Pashtun tribal ethnicity and Pakistani nationality
Few expected this girl to become such an empowered personality
For here the birth of a girl, unlike that of a boy
Is not marked by celebration, pride, or even particular joy
Boldly, her parents chose “Malala” as her given name
After Malalai of Maiwand, a heroine of Afghan fame
During the Second Anglo-Afghan War this woman would tend
To the Afghan troops who against the British invasion did defend
As the British advanced and the Afghan flag bearer fell
Malalai lifted her veil and commensed a battle cry to yell
She was killed in the battle but her brave act and rousing oratory
Inspired the Afghans to reverse the tide and on to victory
Like her namesake, Malala would make her own heroic stand
And one day raise her voice against an oppressive demand
Islamic fundamentalists seized power in her part of her beloved nation
Encouraging Sharia law, including depriving girls of education
To Malala this was an Islamic faith grave misinterpretation
So she resisted in action and speech with strong determination
For her efforts, she would one day take a bullet to the head
But her courageous voice was not silenced but rose instead
Her defiant stand against oppression and her miraculous survival
Put her on an international stage and offered us all a revival
Of the old adage that refuses to be ignored
Perhaps the pen is indeed mightier than the sword!
Malala's namesake – the Afghan heroine Malalai of Maiwand
Malalai of Maiwand tends to an injured Pashtun soldier during the Battle of Maiwand during the Second Anglo-Afghan War.
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After the flag bearer was killed in battle, Malalai picked up the flag and rallied her Afghan compatriots to defeat the invading British forces. She died in the battle.
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