Malala Yousafazai is an amazing role model to people everywhere; her speeches on educational rights for children, and women's rights have influenced millions of people to take a stand against these civil malfeasances. In 2007, Taliban militants began asserting control over the Swat valley, imposing strict religious rules, limiting women's rights and enforcing harsh public punishments, and killings of anyone who stepped out of line. In January 2009, the Taliban militants declared a ban on all education for women. Malala's father ran one of the many schools in the region that educated young girls. While many schools closed down due to the threats and civic killings, Ziauddin resolved himself to continue. He wanted to set an example for his people by standing up for the rights of girls to be educated, even when his kith and kin began to flee. His daughter Malala chose not to give into her presentiment, but to overcome it by setting an example. .
She delivered a moving speech at the United Nations General Assembly July of 2013 speaking out against the transgression against women and children everywhere, stating; "We realized the importance of pens and books when we saw the guns. The extremists are afraid of books and pens, They thought that the bullets would silence us, but they failed. Out of the silence came thousands of voices. The terrorists thought they would change my aims and stop my ambitions. But nothing changed in my life except this: Weakness, fear, and hopelessness died; strength, fervor, and courage were born.". Malala knows the Taliban would still like to extirpate her, but she says she hopes to return to Pakistan one day. "First, I need to empower myself with knowledge, with education. I need to work hard, and when I am powerful, I will go back to Pakistan, inshallah [God willing].".
She used Malala Day as an opportunity to commemorate the thousands of people who have been killed or injured by terrorists and to call for education for the 57 million children around the world who cannot go to school.
