Nobel Peace Prize for Malala?
Could Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani school girl who survived a gun attack by the Taliban, be the youngest person to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize?
On 9 October 2012, 15-year-old Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman. This was in response to her campaign against the destruction of girls' schools in Pakistan. After initial surgery in Pakistan she was flown to a specialist trauma unit in the UK, where doctors say she is making good progress.
Although there have been many tragedies in Pakistan and in the Middle East at the hands of the Taliban's strigent rule, Malala was a symbol of perseverance. Women all over the world stood up and said, 'Wow, what an inspiration, we want to stand behind her!' Following her progress and incredible strength, the rest of the world is saying she deserves recognition. Tens of thousands of people around the world have signed an online petition calling for this Pakistani school girl to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
She may be young but Malala is already well known for petitioning for girls' right to an education. In early 2009 she wrote an anonymous diary for BBC Urdu about life under the Taliban, who had banned all girls in her area from attending school. Recently she has spoken out on behalf of all those who are denied an education purely on the basis of their gender.
Ziauddin, Malala's father told BBC that his daughter stands for human dignity, tolerance and pluralism. 'She has drawn with her sacred blood a clear line between barbarity and human civilisation. Her voice is the voice of the people of Pakistan and all downtrodden and deprived children of the world,' he said.
The Nobel Peace Prize is given every year to a someone who has made the greatest contribution to promoting peace. A nomination may only be submitted by specific people such as a member of national assembly. Past winners include American president Barack Obama and local hero, Nelson Mandela. If she was to be nominated and then win, Malala would be the youngest person to ever recieve the honour.
For more information on signing the petition visit change.org or follow #Nobel4Malala for developments on Twitter.
Do you think Malala deserves to be nominated for a Nobel peace prize? Let us know in the comments section below.
Yourcomment
Comments - 1 comment so far
Joan Muller
Yes, Yes, Yes! There is no question about it. Malal should not only be nominate, but she should awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Malala, imagine if we had more young people like you, what an amazing world order we could have. Your courage gives me faith and courage for the future. I am holding you up as an example to our young people in South Africa of what is possible when we stand up for what we believe in: a better world for all. I salute and love you.