NOBEL
PEACE PRIZE FOR MALALA!
Our friend, Tarek Fatah, a
Karachi-born Canadian writer, broadcaster and a secular Muslim activist against
Islamic fundamentalism and terrorism, founder of the Canadian Muslim Congress,
has recently started an online petition http://www.change.org/petitions/nobel-peace-prize-for-malala
appealing for the award of Nobel Prize to the intrepid,
selfless, child rights activist Malala Yousufzai, the Gul Makai of Swat Valley, Pakistan, now recuperating in Birmingham’s
Queen Elizabeth Hospital after her miraculous survival from a deadly attack by
the Taliban fundamentalist terrorists in Pakistan. Gul Makai (Malala’s
pen name meaning ‘corn flower’) is
also a messenger of peace between nations as evidenced by her spirited speech on
15 April 2012 appealing to both India and Pakistan to shun costly and useless conflicts
and forge amity and peace for all round development of the people. Already
about 1, 50, 000 persons including several luminaries signed this
online petition and we expect the numbers to cross a million before the end of
this year. It is remarkable that the United Nations has also declared a Malala
Day on 10 November for the education and protection of girl child which has
been widely celebrated, with the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon declaring, “Malala
Yousafzai is a global symbol of every girl’s right to an education. Education
is a fundamental human right. It is a pathway to development, tolerance and
global citizenship.”
Also Education is the single largest protector of girl children against the
evils of child marriage, trafficking, etc. We fully agree with Tarek Fatah that
“in the face of terror, Malala risked her life to speak out for the
rights of girls everywhere. Malala's bravery has sparked a global movement and
we believe the Nobel Foundation should give her the Nobel Peace Prize.” As the Pakistani-British woman Shahida
Choudary, herself a victim of abuse of child rights, leading a campaign for
Nobel Prize to Malala stated, “Malala doesn’t just represent one young woman;
she speaks out for all those who are denied an education purely on the basis of
their gender.” Who else deserves better the Nobel Peace Prize
this time, to be the youngest person ever to be so awarded, than this
dedicated, daring 'little angel for Peace', this self-sacrificing fighter for
the cause of education and health for all? §§§
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