Angelina Jolie supports Malala Yousafzai
Famous American actress and United Nations Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie has joined the worldwide campaign to support teenage Pakistani peace activist, Malala Yousafzai, who is currently being treated at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham in United Kingdom.
14-year-old Malala Yousafzai, who earned the global eminence for her work to promote the schooling of girls in her hometown Swat Valley during the Taliban oppression three years ago, was shot in head by Taliban along with two classmates on October 9 when she was on her way from school.
Writing an opinion piece in defense of Malala Yousafzai’s struggle in Daily Beast, the actress whose six children are Maddox, 11, Pax, eight, Zahara, seven, Shiloh, six, and four-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne, wrote:
“I felt compelled to share Malala’s story with my children. It was difficult for them to comprehend a world where men would try to kill a child whose only crime was the desire that she and others like her be allowed to go to school.”
“Our 8-year-old (Pax) suggested that the world build a statue for Malala, and fittingly create a reading nook near it. Our 6-year-old asked the practical question of whether Malala had any pets, and if so, who would take care of them? She also asked about Malala’s parents and if they were crying,” she further stated.
“Shiloh also asked about Malala’s parents and if they were crying. We decided that they were, but not only for their daughter, also for children around the world denied this basic human right.”
“As girls across Pakistan stand up to say, ‘I am Malala,’ they do not stand alone,” Angelina wrote. “Mothers and teachers around the world are telling their children and students about Malala, and encouraging them to be a part of her movement for girls’ education.”
And as the Nobel committee meets to discuss the annual award of the Peace Prize, she wrote, “I imagine brave Malala will be given serious consideration.”
At just 11-years-old, Malala Yousafzai started publishing a diary for the BBC about the hostile situation of Swat during the military operation and unveiled the atrocities committed by the Taliban. She was honoured with International Children’s Peace Prize by Advocacy Group Kids Rights Foundation in 2011.
Last week American music diva Madonna had paid tribute to Malala Yousafzai by dedicating her a song in concert in Staples Center, Los Angeles.
