Malala Yousafzai
Appearances
Global News Podcast
Zelensky offers exchange of North Korean soldiers
recognize the Taliban regime as perpetrators of gender apartheid. Do not legitimize them. Do not make compromises on our faith.
The Daily Show: Ears Edition
TDS Time Machine | Jon Interviews Trailblazing Women
We are human beings, and this is the part of our human nature, that we don't learn the importance of anything until it's snatched from our hands. And when, in Pakistan, when we were stopped from going to school, at that time, I realized that education is very important, and education is the power for women. And that's why the terrorists are afraid of education.
The Daily Show: Ears Edition
TDS Time Machine | Jon Interviews Trailblazing Women
They do not want women to get education, because then women would become more powerful.
The Daily Show: Ears Edition
TDS Time Machine | Jon Interviews Trailblazing Women
Taliban came in 2004, but at that time they were quite good. They did not show their terrorism and they did not blast any school at that time. But they started the real terrorism in 2007. They have blasted more than 400 schools in Swat. They have slaughtered people. And in the month of January 2009, they used to slaughter even two, three people every night. and they have flogged women.
The Daily Show: Ears Edition
TDS Time Machine | Jon Interviews Trailblazing Women
We have seen the barbaric situation of the 21st century, and we have seen, like, the cruelty, and we have seen harsh days in our life and those we regarded as the darkest days of our life. So it was really hard for us at that time.
The Daily Show: Ears Edition
TDS Time Machine | Jon Interviews Trailblazing Women
My father was a great encouragement for me because he spoke out for women's rights. He spoke out for girls' education. And at that time, I said that why should I wait for someone else? Why should I be looking to the government, to the army, that they would help us? Why don't I raise my voice? Why don't we speak up for our rights? The girls of Swat, they spoke up for their rights.
The Daily Show: Ears Edition
TDS Time Machine | Jon Interviews Trailblazing Women
I started writing a diary. I spoke on Twitter. every media channel that I could, and I raised my voice on every platform that I could. And I said, I need to tell the world what is happening in Swat, and I need to tell the world that Swat is suffering from terrorism, and we need to fight against terrorism.
The Daily Show: Ears Edition
TDS Time Machine | Jon Interviews Trailblazing Women
When in 2012, I was with my father and someone came and she told us that, have you seen on Google that if you search your name and the Taliban have threatened you? And I just could not believe it. I said, no, it's not true. And even after the threat, when we saw it, I was not worried about myself that much.
The Daily Show: Ears Edition
TDS Time Machine | Jon Interviews Trailblazing Women
I was worried about my father because we thought that the Taliban are not that much cruel that they would kill a child because I was 14 at that time. But then later on, I started thinking about that. And I used to think that the Taliban would come and he would just kill me. But then I said, if he comes, what would you do, Malala?
The Daily Show: Ears Edition
TDS Time Machine | Jon Interviews Trailblazing Women
Then I would reply myself that, Malala, just take a shoe and hit him. But then I said... But then I said, if you hit a talib with your shoe, then there would be no difference between you and the talib. You must not treat others that much with cruelty and that much harshly. You must fight others, but through peace and through dialogue and through education.
The Daily Show: Ears Edition
TDS Time Machine | Jon Interviews Trailblazing Women
Then I said, I'll tell him how important education is and that I even want education for your children as well. And I would tell him, that's what I want to tell you. Now do what you want.
The Daily Show: Ears Edition
TDS Time Machine | Jon Interviews Trailblazing Women
When the Taliban came, they were trying to convince people. And they were just misusing the name of Islam. And they were telling people that we would just set up another court for you. And we would provide you justice on time. Because usually, in courts in Pakistan, people dies and their case is not yet resolved in the courts. So that's what is happening in the courts of Pakistan.
The Daily Show: Ears Edition
TDS Time Machine | Jon Interviews Trailblazing Women
So people just said, like, if the Taliban are doing it, why don't we support them? But then they were that much cruel that they started slaughtering people. And they even blasted a generator of electricity. And it was the month of Ramadan in which we keep fast, in which we don't eat on the day, in which we don't drink for the whole day.
The Daily Show: Ears Edition
TDS Time Machine | Jon Interviews Trailblazing Women
They blasted the electricity generators, which was providing electricity to the whole city of Mingora. And we could not have water because electricity is related to water supply as well. And people were sitting in the dark. People could not buy electricity generators. People were just sitting in the light of candles. And people were just dying of thirst at that time.
The Daily Show: Ears Edition
TDS Time Machine | Jon Interviews Trailblazing Women
But my father is a great father because he bought generator for the school to create electricity and to provide water to the street and to that community. But still, many people were suffering from that hard situation. And other than that, our freedom was taken from us, the women's freedom. We could not go to market. We were not allowed to go to school. We were just kept imprisoned.
The Daily Show: Ears Edition
TDS Time Machine | Jon Interviews Trailblazing Women
We were just limited to the four walls of our house. Women's rights were denied at that time, and that's why I spoke. Because I believe in equality, and I believe that there is no difference between a man and a woman. I even believe that a woman is more powerful than men.
The Daily Show: Ears Edition
TDS Time Machine | Jon Interviews Trailblazing Women
The first thing is that they were really cruel. They had Kalashnikovs, they had guns in their hand. And if I have a gun in my hand and I tell you something, do this. You have to do that because it's for your life. So there was fear all around. That's why people could not say anything. Then the second thing was that they were misusing the name of Islam.
The Daily Show: Ears Edition
TDS Time Machine | Jon Interviews Trailblazing Women
They were telling people that we are doing this for Islam, we are doing this for Allah, we are doing this for Prophet, peace be upon him. So as well as they were using religion for their own personal benefit. So that's also the reason. But then later on, People try to realize this, and the girls are very brave.
The Daily Show: Ears Edition
TDS Time Machine | Jon Interviews Trailblazing Women
And girls in our school, like we were, at that time we were just 11 or 12 years old, but we spoke of our rights to every media channel, to every newspaper that we could. And we did not know at that time that our small interview would have an impact or not, but it had. because we were raising up our voice and we were speaking up for our rights. And we were speaking for peace in Swat.
The Daily Show: Ears Edition
TDS Time Machine | Jon Interviews Trailblazing Women
We wanted to live a normal life because Swat is like a paradise on earth. I believe in two paradises. One I'll get after death, but the other one that is on earth, for me, that is Swat because Swat is really beautiful. And you would be astonished when you see the lush green hills and when you see the tall mountains and the And the rivers that we have, the crystal clear water.
The Daily Show: Ears Edition
TDS Time Machine | Jon Interviews Trailblazing Women
And you can find trout. So it's really beautiful. You'll love Swat.
The Daily Show: Ears Edition
TDS Time Machine | Jon Interviews Trailblazing Women
Thank you so much. It's an honor for me.
The Daily Show: Ears Edition
TDS Time Machine | Jon Interviews Trailblazing Women
I think that the people of America, the United States, they truly support peace and they say that we must not fight against war through war. They believe that dialogue is the best way and we must try to find a solution for it. And in my opinion, the solution that would work to fight all these wars and all these problems that people are facing is only education. Because
The Daily Show: Ears Edition
TDS Time Machine | Jon Interviews Trailblazing Women
You can stop war for a second, but you don't know it would start again or not. We have seen First World War. We have seen Second World War. And I think Third World War is coming. But I believe that we must stop it now. I don't want to see a Third World War in this world again. And the best way to fight against this war is education because...
The Daily Show: Ears Edition
TDS Time Machine | Jon Interviews Trailblazing Women
As we can see, the children are suffering from terrorism. They are suffering from child labor and child trafficking. They're also suffering from the cultural norms and traditions. There is not only one issue that we are facing. There are many others as well. So I think education is the best way.
The Daily Show: Ears Edition
TDS Time Machine | Jon Interviews Trailblazing Women
People will be thinking, just going to school, learning about chemistry and physics and math, and that's it. Going to school is not only learning about different subjects. It teaches you communication. It teaches you how to live a life. It teaches you about history. It teaches you about how science is working.
The Daily Show: Ears Edition
TDS Time Machine | Jon Interviews Trailblazing Women
And other than that, you learn about equality because students are provided the same benches. They sit equally. It shows us equality. It teaches students how to live with others together, how to accept each other's language, how to accept each other's traditions and each other's religion. It also teaches us justice. It also teaches us respect. It teaches us how to live together.
The Daily Show: Ears Edition
TDS Time Machine | Jon Interviews Trailblazing Women
So that's why I support the idea of sending children to school, because it is the best way to fight terrorism. And I want people to support us in this cause. And through Malala Foundation, we want to work for education of girls in the developing countries, especially in Syria now. They are suffering. They are homeless now.
The Daily Show: Ears Edition
TDS Time Machine | Jon Interviews Trailblazing Women
We want to help children in Afghanistan, because they have been suffering from terrorism for decades. We want to help the children of India as well because they are victims of child labor. So I think issues and problems are enormous, but the solution is one, and that is simple. That is education.