Friday, October 12, 2012

Blog 7: Taliban attack seriously wounds teen blogger


Taliban attack wounds teen activist blogger

 

Tuesday afternoon, Taliban militants sought out 14 year-old Malala Yousufzai, an activist for the education of young girls in Pakistan.  Taliban militants stopped a van carrying the Malala and three other students from school.  They asked the girls to identify her and out of fear they pointed to Malala.  Once she had been identified, they opened fire shooting her in the neck and only slightly injuring the other passengers before the driver could speed away.  The young girl was targeted for her internet blog speaking out against extreme Taliban rule prohibiting the education of women in their country.  Living in one of the more conservative regions of Swat Valley, Pakistan, Malala was considered to be defiant and bold.  The valley was under Taliban rule restricting female education up until 2009.  At times, there would be raids on their homes to monitor the activities of families.  Malala told CNN, that sometimes she would have to hide her books under the bed in fear that she would be punished for reading.  To others in the Swat Valley region, she was considered a hero the rights of many young girls. Her online blogs got her awarded Pakistan’s first National Peace Prize last November.  President Asif Ali Zardari strongly condemned the attack on the young blogger. 

The attack on such a young girl is outrageous and unacceptable by the Taliban.  This attack shows how much respect they have for the women of their country.  Justice must be received for Malala Yousufzai to restore the rights of the women of Pakistan. 

No comments: