On Saturday, events were held in Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia, Mexico, Sierra Leone, and many other countries.
Earlier this week, the United Nations declared November 10 Malala Day in honor of the Pakistani human rights campaigner and peace activist, who was shot in the head by the Taliban last month in northern Pakistan.
On October 9, Malala Yousafzai was shot by Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants in the town of Mingora for speaking out against the fanatics and promoting education for girls and women in her home region, the Swat Valley of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
“This Saturday (November 10th) will see Malala Day, a global event to show the world that people of all creeds, all sexes, all backgrounds, and all countries stand behind Malala,” former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who is UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Envoy for Global Education, said on Friday.
“We are Malala — this is Malala day; the world to walk in the footsteps of this girl of courage. Malala Yousafzai has become a global icon of hope, an international symbol of courage, a schoolgirl who has won the hearts of millions through her bravery,” Brown stated.
“Malala’s dream is a Pakistan where she, her friends and future generations of girls could attend school, walk freely into a classroom, learn and reach their full potential,” he added.
Over one million people around the world have signed petitions calling on Islamabad to pay stipends to families who put their girls in school in honor of Malala.
“Malala’s dreams represent what is best about Pakistan,” Brown said as he presented the petitions to Pakistani President Ali Asif Zardari on Friday in Islamabad.
Malala is recovering in Britain. She was flown to Britain on October 15 for specialist care at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham after Pakistani doctors said she needed treatment for a damaged skull and “intensive neuro-rehabilitation.”
Over the past month, tens of thousands of people in Pakistan, the United States, and Britain have held demonstrations and prayer vigils to express their support for Malala and the efforts to provide universal education for women and girls.
(Press TV)
