Wanted! 200,000 signatories for Malala

Germany, UK, France, US route for Malala

As the 15-year old girl, Ms Malala Yousafzai continued to recuperate from the injuries sustained on October 9, this year when she was attacked by members of Taliban group in her home country, Pakistan in a United Kingdom hospital, the world has risen in her defense to support her advocacy for girl-child to have education, especially in other parts of the world like Pakistan by seeking 200,000 online signatories to validate petition in this regard at Change.org.

DigitalSENSE Business News recalls that on October 9, 2012, Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman and her crime was the resolve to go to school and campaign in Pakistan to help girls gain access to education.

It was also gathered that Malala has been an activist for years. For instance, when she was 11, she worked as an anonymous blogger for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in effort to expose information about her Taliban-ruled area of Pakistan.

Presently, as she recovers from the shot in the head, Malala shows no sign of perturb, insisting that she wanted is to get educated. “All I want is an education. And I’m afraid of no one,” she declared.

But in effort to encourage Malala’s extraordinary courage, people all over the world led by advocates from Germany, France, United Kingdom and United States, are calling for her to be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.

The most recent being Bonnie Lloyd, a professor of sociology in Rochester, New York, who started in his petition on Change.org asking Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and Condoleezza Rice to nominate Malala for the Nobel Peace Prize.

DigitalSENSE Business News further gathered that the Nobel Peace Prize has been used for decades to bring global attention to important issues, from landmines to apartheid to the US civil rights movement. Prof. Bonnie, thus, believes the time has come and is right to focus on girls being denied the right to go to school, by way of honouring Malala’s bravery and campaign, is a great way to do that.

“The hopes and dreams of girls throughout the world are no longer hidden – yet there is much to do, as Malala’s wounds attest,” Bonnie said of her petition, stressing that by nominating Malala Yousafzai, “these global leaders will send a clear message: We stand with Malala and with girls everywhere in their fight for the right to equal opportunity through education,” she urged.

She pointed out that as two of the highest ranking women in the history of US government, a nomination for Malala from Secretaries Clinton and Rice would be a strong signal to the global community that Malala’s fight is important to people in the US and the world at large.

DigitalSENSE Business News recollects that Secretary Clinton responded to petitions on Change.org last year, when she publicly declared support for Saudi women’s right to drive for the first time and credited a Change.org petition.

Prof. Bonnie, therefore, believes that if enough people sign her petition, Secretaries Clinton and Rice will take a stand to support Malala and girls all over the world who just want to go to school.

In his petition in support of Malala Yousufzai, the petitioner Mr. David Kurtz, from Springfield, described her as the 14 years old, who lives in Pakistan. Noting, a few days ago, she was shot in the head for speaking out against the fact that under the Pakistani Taliban, women are not educated.

“I think that the Nobel Prize committee should give the Peace Prize to Malala Yousufzai. Nobody has done or sacrificed more than she has,” he said, urging people of the world to join him in showing support for this extraordinary young woman.

One of the lead online petitioners, and a resident of Islamabad, Pakistan, Talat Hayat, posited that Malala Yousafzai, a 14 years old girl from Swat valley of Pakistan is a symbol of hope, resistance, struggle, bravery and courage who refused to bow down in front of the militants to get education and women rights.

Also Hayat described Malala as someone who kept on struggling for peace in her militancy hit hometown of Swat by Writing, and Speaking at every forum she could get.

She came to prominence through a blog she wrote for the BBC, detailing her life under the Taliban regime and their attempts to take control of the valley. Yousafzai has since been nominated for several awards, including International Children’s Peace Prize, and has won Pakistan’s first National Peace Prize.

According to Hayat, she was threatened and pressurized and ultimately shot critically by extremist elements on Tuesday 09 October 2012 while returning from school along with two other girls. She was first treated in a Pakistani Military Hospital till her stabilized substantially to give enough room to take her abroad after which she was transferred to UK where currently under treatment at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham.

Malala for Hayat is a girl with a symbol of hope and courage for the whole world and she deserves the Nobel Peace prize for all that she has done and all that she has endured in the path of her struggle at such a tender age.

Although the 200,000 signatories was gained like yesterday on October 23, 2012, the eventual signatories received was 237; it will be good to highlight some of the reasons some of the petition supporters gave thereof.

For Jim D’Ancona New York, says “She needs to know how PROUD we are of her, and that she is LOVED!” While Simon Gregg from Cambridge, United Kingdom, noted that this young lady has spoken out fearlessly in spite of the thugs with guns. “She has spoken on behalf of others who may not have her courage. She deserves the ultimate recognition for her efforts and sacrifice.”

Raj Kaur based in Walsall, United Kingdom “Because every individual deserves the right to an education regardless to their gender, ethnicity, cultural background etc.”

Suzan Last who supported from Victoria, Canada, said it is crucial to show Malala and the world that decent, right-thinking people support her and her ideas of equality and freedom, and we will not let the backwards-thinking thugs with guns terrorize her or others like her into submission.

From Flemington, Australia, Alexandra Rodda wrote in her reasons for supporting petition to make Malala a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, asserting that education of girls and women is a way out for the poverty trap in third world countries.

Then comes Deb Radloff of Duvall, W.A., “Because I saw the look in her eyes in the Hospital bed...she isn’t ready to give up on a girls’ right to an education.” Just as Rodolfo Cardona who lives in Chestnut Hill, said because she knows what is important not only for women in her country (and culture), but for everyone, everywhere, regardless of sex, religion or nationality. And for Charlotte Gem, a resident of Jersey Channel Islands, United Kingdom, Malala’s mission is so important, she needs recognition for championing the rights of women.

Just as Donna Sitterding Winchester, California, said, Malala represents what is good and right about humanity. The Taliban represents what is sick and wrong with humanity. She is a symbol of hope and love and courage for the future of all of us!

As at the time of filing this report, Bonnie’s petition alone attracted over 175,492 support and signatories at Change.org. But the most important issue at hand is that the over 200,000 required signatories were achieved in a shortwhile.

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