Stains of blood on my school bag are no different than the drops of blood circulating in your body
My each breath has the perfume of desire to be free
And it is no different than perfume of freedom in every human soul
My voice rises for my right for education
And it is no different than the unheard voices of countless girls in my world
A dream sparkles in my eyes for a respectable life
And it is no different than the sparkle in all human eyes
So what is my crime? Why is the punishment?
Listen! who are alive like me, listen!
We have a moment of decision in front of us now
We must not shy away this time
We must honour our honour this time
The cold blooded killers. the blind, the abominable Talibans
We must not give them any chance, this time
We must not let their feet firm on the ground, this time
We must bring the dagger of our courage, this time
And force it fully into their heart, this time!
Shariq Ali
10/10/12
Students hold a placard during a rally to condemn the attack on Malala Yousufzai in Peshawar, Pakistan (Reuters)
In December, when the United Nations declared October 11 as the date for an annual “International Day of the Girl Child,” it said attention needed to be focused on promoting girls’ rights. On October 11, when the newly minted UN day made its debut, global attention was focused on Malala Yousafzai — the 14-year-old schoolgirl from Pakistan’s
northwestern Swat Valley who was shot this week by the Pakistani Taliban for defending her right to an education.
The Pakistani Taliban (TTP) expected to silence her campaign, which she had carried out since the age of 11 through an online diary she wrote for the BBC. Instead, they created an international icon for girls’ rights and made her known the world over simply as “Malala.”
