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Malala Yousafzai is an activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner who advocates for education rights. When she was 17, she became the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner in history for her advocacy for every child's right to education. Malala's activism began in 2008 when, at age 11, she delivered a speech at a local press club in Peshawar, protesting the Taliban's ban on girls' education. Malala was shot on October 9, 2012, when a Taliban gunman shot her on her way home from school in Swat Valley.

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"I speak not for myself but for those without voice... those who have fought for their rights... their right to live in peace, their right to be treated with dignity, their right to equality of opportunity, their right to be educated."

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Photo of Swat Valley (Where Malala Grew Up)

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Photo of Swat Valley (Where Malala Grew Up)

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Learn how Malala began her fight for girls — from an education activist in Pakistan to the youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate — and how she continues her campaign through Malala Fund.

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Mingora is not only the administrative capital of Swat Valley; it is also the main center of social, cultural and economic activities in the Malakand region. It's a beautiful city with moderate weather and tourist attractions. Since the time of the Swat State (1915-1969) tourists from inside and outside the country stayed in Mingora before moving to the upper valleys of Swat. The city is also home to rare Buddhist ruins and stupas.

According to 1998 census 175,000 people reside in Mingora.

Apart from the local Yousafzai tribe of the Pashtuns (predominantly Muslim), Hindu and Sikh families also live in the city-giving diversity to its cultural life.

The rise of the Taliban insurgency in 2007 changed the traditional pattern of life in Mingora. Fazlullah, a former lift operator turned militant commander, launched a pirated FM channel in Mamdheri village, at a distance of barely 5 KM from Mingora. In 2008 his campaign against girls' education, anti-polio treatments and liberal expressions of life left the city and its residents with serious challenges for their survival.

The Green Square of the city, once the hub of social and cultural activities, turned into a ''bloody square'' where the dead bodies of Taliban opponents, police and civil society workers were hung from electricity poles. The Taliban also killed Shabana, a female dancer from the city's Banr Street; they threw her body in the main square so that others could learn a lesson.

After immense international pressure, Pakistan launched a military offensive against the Taliban in 2009. The conflict between the security forces and the Taliban displaced 2.5 million people from Malakand, of which Swat is a district. The city became a battleground and, by the end of the year, a number of buildings were destroyed. The power supply center had been bombed by the Taliban.

The military operation pushed the Taliban to the mountainous area along the Pak-Afghan border close to the upper Dir district and Bajaur tribal agency. The displaced people returned to their homes and complained that in their absence their houses were looted and their properties damaged.

(After two years of conflict and instability, Shaheen Buneri visits this area under a fellowship from the Pulitzer Center to report on the post-Taliban social, political, economic and security situation. These photos, focusing mainly on activities of the residents of Mingora city, were taken during his month-long stay in Swat valley.)

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Mingora is not only the administrative capital of Swat Valley; it is also the main center of social, cultural and economic activities in the Malakand region. It's a beautiful city with moderate weather and tourist attractions. Since the time of the Swat State (1915-1969) tourists from inside and outside the country stayed in Mingora before moving to the upper valleys of Swat.

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"I raise up my voice – not so that I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard."

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"I don't want to be remembered as the girl who was shot. I want to be remembered as the girl who stood up."

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When Malala was growing up, women's rights were limited. Female babies were often shunned, while male were thrown elaborate celebrations. Malala's dad made sure that she always felt valued, and celebrated the first-born child's birth.

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"One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world,"

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BACKGROUND

The Taliban is a Sunni Islamist nationalist and pro-Pashtun movement founded in the early 1990s that ruled most of Afghanistan from 1996 until October 2001. The movement's founding nucleus-the word "Taliban" is Pashto for "students"-was composed of peasant farmers and men studying Islam in Afghan and Pakistani madrasas, or religious schools. The Taliban found a foothold and consolidated their strength in southern Afghanistan.

By 1994, the Taliban had moved their way through the south, capturing several provinces from various armed factions who had been fighting a civil war after the Soviet-backed Afghan government fell in 1992. The Taliban's first move was to institute a strict interpretation of Qur'anic instruction and jurisprudence. In practice, this meant often merciless policies on the treatment of women, political opponents of any type, and religious minorities.

Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is an alliance of militant networks formed in 2007 to unify opposition against the Pakistani military. TTP's stated objectives are the expulsion of Islamabad's influence in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and neighboring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province in Pakistan, the implementation of a strict interpretation of sharia throughout Pakistan, and the expulsion of Coalition troops from Afghanistan. TTP leaders also publicly say that the group seeks to establish an Islamic caliphate in Pakistan that would require the overthrow of the Pakistani Government. TTP historically maintained close ties to senior al-Qa'ida leaders, including al-Qa'ida's former head of operations for Pakistan.

Baitullah Mehsud, the first TTP leader, died on 5 August 2009, and his successor, Hakimullah Mehsud, died on 1 November 2013. TTP's central shura in November 2013 appointed Mullah Fazlullah as the group's overall leader. Fazlullah is staunchly anti-Western, anti-Islamabad, and advocates harsh tactics underscored by his ordering the November 2012 attempted assassination of education rights activist Malala Yousafzai. TTP since 2008 has repeatedly publicly threatened to attack the US homeland, and a TTP spokesman claimed responsibility for the failed vehicle-bomb attack in Times Square, New York City, on 1 May 2010. In June 2011, a spokesman vowed to attack the United States and Europe in revenge for the death of Usama Bin Ladin. A TTP leader in April 2012 endorsed external operations by the group and threatened attacks in the United Kingdom for its involvement in Afghanistan.

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National Counterterrorism Center | Groups

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Contains many features across the full range of issues pertaining to international terrorism: terrorist groups, wanted terrorists, and technical pages on various threat-related topics

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Throughout Pakistan, as in most agrarian societies, family organization is strongly patriarchal, and most people live with large extended families, often in the same house or family compound. The eldest male, whether he is the father, grandfather, or paternal uncle, is the family leader and makes all significant decisions regarding the family and its members. Traditionally, a woman's place in society has been secondary to that of men, and she has been restricted to the performance of domestic chores and to fulfilling the role of a dutiful wife and mother. However, in the Punjab, cotton picking is exclusively a woman's job, and women may keep the money thus earned for their own purposes.

In wealthy peasant and landowner households and in urban middle-class families, the practice of keeping women in seclusion ( purdah) is still common; when women leave their houses, they typically cover their heads. Among the rural poor, women have duties on the farm as well as in the house and do not customarily observe purdah. Houses of those who practice purdah have a men's section ( mardānah) at the front of the house, so that visitors do not disturb the women, who are secluded in the women's section () in the rear. Women's subordinate status in Pakistan also is evident in the practice of " honour killings," in which a woman may be killed by a male relative if she is thought to have brought dishonour on the family or clan.

Among the wealthiest Pakistanis, Western education and modes of living have eliminated purdah, but, in general, even among that group, attitudes toward women in society and the family often have been viewed by outsiders as antiquated. Change has occurred most rapidly among the urban middle-income group, inspired by increasing access to the West as well as by the entry of women into the workforce and into government service. An increasing number of middle-class women have stopped observing purdah, and the education of women has been encouraged. Some women have gained distinction in the professions; some of Pakistan's leading politicians, journalists, and teachers have been women, and a woman has served as prime minister and as speaker of parliament.

In traditional parts of Pakistan, social organization revolves around kinship rather than around the caste system that is used in India. The ( berādarī; patrilineage, literally "brotherhood") is the most important social institution. Endogamy is widely practiced, often to a degree that would be considered inappropriate in Western society; the preferred marriage for a man within many Pakistani communities is with his father's brother's daughter, and among many other groups marriages are invariably within the baradari. The lineage elders constitute a council that adjudicates disputes within the lineage and acts on behalf of the lineage with the outside world-for example, in determining political allegiances. In contemporary Pakistan, the question of class distinction based on historic patterns of social interaction has become blurred by the tendency to pretend that one has lineage to a nobler ancestor. However, irrespective of the questionable authenticity of a claim to a particular title, the classification of social status persists.

Pakistani clothing styles are similar in many ways to those found in India. The - kamiz combination-a long knee-length shirt ( kamiz, camise) over loose-fitting pants ( shalwar)-is the most common traditional form of attire. As a more formal overgarment, men wear a knee-length coat known as a ; women frequently wear a light shawl called a dupatta. Among conservative Muslim communities, women sometimes wear the burqa, a full-length garment that may or may not cover the face. In earlier generations, the fez hat was popular among Muslim men, but more often the woolen, boat-shaped Karakul hat (popularized by Mohammed Ali Jinnah) is associated with Pakistan; however, many other hat styles are worn, especially in tribal areas. Western clothes are popular among the urban young, and combinations of Western and Pakistani styles can be seen in the streets.

Pakistani cuisine also has affinities with that of India. Curry dishes are common, as are a variety of vegetables, including potatoes, eggplant, and okra. Each region (and, often, each household) has its own preferred mixture of spices-the term is used to describe such a mixture. In addition to the many spices that are also associated with other countries of South Asia, yogurt is a common ingredient. Favourite meats include chicken, mutton, and lamb. Lentils are a standard dish, and various types of wheat bread are the national staple. The most common breads are chapati (unleavened flat bread) and naan (slightly leavened). Pakistanis drink a great deal of hot tea (chai), and (a type of yogurt drink), sherbet, and lemonade are popular. As in most Muslim countries, alcoholic beverages are considered culturally inappropriate, but there are several domestic breweries and distilleries.

Muslim Pakistanis celebrate the two major Islamic holidays, Eid al-Fitr (which marks the end of Ramadan) and Eid al-Adha (which marks the end of the hajj), as well as the Prophet Muhammad's birthday (the religious holidays are based on a lunar calendar and vary from year to year). Mohammed Ali Jinnah's birthday (December 25) is a celebrated holiday. Independence Day is August 14, and Pakistan Day is March 23 (celebrating the Lahore [Pakistan] Resolution of 1940). There are a number of other major and minor holidays.

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Pakistan - Culture, Cuisine, Traditions: Throughout Pakistan, as in most agrarian societies, family organization is strongly patriarchal, and most people live with large extended families, often in the same house or family compound. The eldest male, whether he is the father, grandfather, or paternal uncle, is the family leader and makes all significant decisions regarding the family and its members.

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Malala Yousafzai: Speech at the United Nations General Assembly

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Malala Yousafzia was born in Mingora, Pakistan on July 12, 1997. In 2008, her father ran a school for girls in the village Malala lived in. In October 2012, a man boarded Malala's bus and shot her. She woke up 10 days later in Birmingham, England. She later came to become a women's rights activist and graduated from Oxford College. Malala Yousafzia won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014. The Taliban Told all of the girls that they should not go to school. However, Malala's father did not like that. He ran one of the last girl's schools, that continued to run even though it was not supposed to. Because of this, he was targeted. Malala spoke out about what the government was doing. When Malala was 11 years old, she gave her first speech. It was about her opinion that she should be allowed to attend school. Because Malala did not want to get into trouble, she started writing using a fake name. She wrote articles on the internet for a famous British news company, the BBC. She would write about what it is like living with such a strict government. She thought that she was safe because her identity was a secret, but someone found out and she was targeted. She did not believe that the Taliban would hurt her. On October 9, 2012, Malala was shot in the head by a Taliban soldier. She was hospitalized in Pakistan and then flown to England for specialized treatment. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014, becoming the youngest person to win a Nobel Peace Prize.

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Kerri Lee Alexander, NWHM Fellow | 2018-2020

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As an outspoken proponent for girls’ right to education, Malala Yousafzai was often in danger because of her beliefs. Even after being shot by the Taliban, she continued her activism. Discover more at womenshistory.org.

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Diary of Gul Makai The September 11th attacks on America had dramatically effected Afghanistan and Pakistan. The leader of the attacks was living in nearby Afghanistan and America needed Pakistan's help to hunt him down and stop the Taliban. Eventually, the Taliban spreads from

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Map of the places where the Taliban took over

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Map of the places where the Taliban took over