At the age of 17, Malala Yousafzai became the youngest ever recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. This is an excerpt of her remarks in accepting the award.
Malala Yousafzai, Nobel Laureate: I’m proud, but in fact I’m very proud to be the first Pashtun, the first Pakistani, and the youngest person to receive this award. Along with that, along with that I’m pretty certain that I’m also the first recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize who still fights with her younger brothers. I want there to be peace everywhere, but my brothers and I are still working on that. I’m also honored to receive this award together with Kailash Satyarthi who has been a champion for children’s rights for a long time. Twice as long, in fact, than I have been alive.
I’m proud that we can work together. We can work together and show the world an Indian and a Pakistani, they can work together and achieve their goals of children’s rights. Dear brothers and sisters, I was named after the inspirational Malala of Maiwand who is the Pashtun Joan of Ark. The word Malala means grief stricken, sad. But in order to lend some happiness to it my grandfather would always call me “Malala: The Happiest Girl in the World” and today I’m very happy that we are together fighting for an important cause.
This award is not just for me, it is for those forgotten children who want education. It is for those frightened children who want peace. It is for those voiceless children who want change. I’m here to stand up for their rights; to raise their voice. It is not time to pity them. It is not time to pity them! It is time to take action, so it becomes the last time, the last time, so it becomes the last time that we see a child deprived of education.
I have found that people describe me in many different ways. Some people call me “The Girl Who was Shot by the Taliban” and some “The Girl who Fought for her Rights”. Some people call me a Nobel Laureate now, however, my brothers still call me their annoying, bossy sister. As far as I know I’m just a committed and even stubborn person who wants to see every child getting quality education, who wants to see women having equal rights, and who wants peace in every corner of the world.
1. Malala Yousafzai was the _______________ Nobel Laureate.