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Teen Shot for Her Advocacy is “the Daughter of the Whole World,” Dad Says (950L)

tiny pieces from the gunshot at close range. She has endured numerous surgeries.

Notes on my thoughts,

reactions and questions as I

But apart from top-notch medicine, sheer force of will that has aided in Malala's

read:

recovery. Her attitude has won over people worldwide. In February she was walking,

and talking -- and saying she was going to get back to her advocacy for girls' education.

"God has given me this new life," she said at the time in her first on-camera interview.

"I want to serve the people. I want every girl, every child, to be educated."

Ziauddin Yousafzai was an educator for many years and first inspired his daughter to

take a stand. But how likely will Malala's work and physical sacrifice actually lead to

greater access to quality education for girls in Pakistan? It's unlikely for her own safety

that Malala will ever be able to return there, and unlikely for her father as well, say

observers who know Pakistan well.

CNN put that question to Ziauddin. Pakistan's government has appointed him education

attaché in the Pakistani Consulate in the United Kingdom. Ziauddin responded to the

question by first pointing out that before his daughter was attacked, regular Pakistanis

would call and tell him that they'd seen Malala speaking out on television and, inspired,

enrolled their daughters in school. She'd received a huge amount of global attention,

especially from western media, after writing a blog for the Guardian when she was 11.

She described her fear that the Taliban would keep her from learning.

After Malala was shot, stirring international condemnation, Ziauddin was heartened.

"When this tragic incident happened, small kids, they had posters, banners [with

Malala's face and message] and they [related to and knew about] Malala," Ziauddin

said. "I think it was a big change."

There have been developments in Pakistan, but it's difficult to call them victories. A

university in Pakistan changed its name to include Malala, but then students protested

out of fear that Malala's name would draw unwanted and potentially dangerous

attention. Malala asked them to remove it. In March, two of Malala's friends were

honored -- but those honors would not have been granted had they not been on that bus

with Malala. In an interview with CNN, one girl, Shazia Ramzan, said "God forbid

something like that would happen again." She said she cannot go to visit her uncles or

aunts like I used to." But both girls said they want to be doctors and are going to

continue their studies.

Time

This year, Pakistan will observe Malala's 16th birthday as "Malala Day."

magazine selected her to be runner-up in this year's Person of the Year.

Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown joined Ziauddin in the interview. Brown,

now the United Nations special envoy on global education, has been pushing Pakistani

authorities to follow through in meaningful, practical ways that will improve girls'

access to quality education. When asked, Brown stated, in his own words, about girls'

education in Pakistan "I was there in Pakistan at the time [of Malala's shooting]," Brown

said. "I think 2 million people have signed a petition calling for universal free

education."

Fantz, A., Teen shot for her advocacy is “the daughter of the whole world,” dad says, CNN News, March 8, 2013.

Teen Shot For Her Advocacy Is "The Daughter Of The Whole World," Dad Says (950l) - Middle School Reading Article Worksheet Page 2

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