PAKISTANI
EDUCATION ADVOCATE WINS LIBERTY MEDAL
A Pakistani girl who survived being shot by the
Taliban because she advocated education for girls has won the Liberty Medal from the National Constitution Centre in Philadelphia.
Malala Yousafzai
was just 15 when she was shot in the head while returning from school in
Mingora, Pakistan, in October 2012.
She had angered the fundamentalist Muslim group by writing about life under the
Taliban for the BBC, and arguing that girls should be allowed to pursue an
education.
"It's an honour to be awarded the Liberty Medal," Yousafzai, now 17,
said on Sunday.
"I accept this award on behalf of all the children around the world who
are struggling to get an education."
The medal has been awarded annually since 1989,
when Polish Solidarity founder Lech Walesa
received it first.
Since then, recipients have included Muhammad Ali, former President Jimmy
Carter, and, last year, then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Yousafzai will receive the award at a ceremony at the centre on October 21.
After surviving the attack, Yousafzai continued to be an outspoken advocate on
education, prompting Gordon Brown, the United Nations Special Envoy for Global
Education, to petition the agency to recommit to a goal of universal primary
education for children around the world.
The petition gained more than 3 million signatures and helped lead Pakistan to
pass a Right to Education bill, a first in that country.
"Malala's courageous fight for equality and liberty from tyranny is
evidence that a passionate, committed leader, regardless of age, has the power
to ignite a movement for reform," said Florida Gov Jeb Bush, the chairman
of the National Constitution Centre.
"Every day, around the world, individuals like Ms Yousafzai are being
threatened for asserting the same fundamental rights of speech and religious
conscience that are inherent in all people," said Jeffrey Rosen, the
centre's president and chief executive officer.
"Yet she is undeterred in her quest. She is an inspiring voice for liberty
across the globe."
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