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Biography

Malala Yousafzai was born to Ziauddin and Toor Pekai Yousafzai on 12 July 1997 in the Swat Valley region of Pakistan. She was called Malala after Malalai of Maiwand, an Afghan folk hero and poet. Her Pashtun, Sunni Muslim family raised her in Mingora alongside two younger brothers, Khushal and Atal.

Malala was educated by her father Ziauddin, an educational activist, from an early age. She is fluent in Pashtun, Urdu, and English.

In 2008, at age 11, following the Taliban occupation of the region, Malala began blogging under a pseudonym for the BBC Urdu about daily life.

The Yousafzai family was displaced during the Second Battle of Swat in May 2009 and could not return to Mingora until July 2009. Ziauddin and Malala were gaining international attention for their activism, and both began being interviewed more frequently.

Malala's BBC blogging identity was revealed in December 2009. This was followed by her appointment as chair of the District Child Assembly of the Khpal Kor Foundation, 2009-2010, nomination for International Children's Peace Prize in 2011 and awarding of Pakistan's National Youth Peace Prize in December 2011.

As Malala's public profile increased, so did threats against her by the Taliban. On 9th October 2012, Malala was shot by a Taliban gunman while on the bus returning home after an exam. Her attempted murder was covered by international media and followed by an outpouring of world-wide support and protests. As Malala recovered in Pakistani and then British hospitals, notable figures around the world decried the attack and gave support to women's education in Pakistan.

By 2013, following her recovery, Malala was recognized worldwide as an activist. She spoke before the UN in July of that year at an event named "Malala Day," followed by an audience with Queen Elizabeth II. In September, she spoke at Harvard University and in October met with US President Barack Obama. In December 2013, she addressed the Oxford Union at Oxford University.

Publication of a memoir, documentary, and various speaking engagements and awards followed, culminating in the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize announced 10 October 2014. Malala became the youngest Nobel laureate and second Pakistani laureate as co-recipient of the award with Indian activist Kailash Satyarthi.

From 2017, she has attended Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, reading for PPE (Philosophy, Politics, and Economics).

Sources

• 'Malala Yousafzai: Her Father's Daughter' BBC News. 6 Nov 2015.
• Biography.com: Malala Yousafzai
• Malala's Story. The Malala Fund.
• Malala Yousafzai. Encyclopedia Britannica.

See also:

• Wikipedia: Malala Yousafzai
• Wikidata:Item Q32732,en:Wikipedia

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