Malala speech: in the name of the most kind, compassionate God

Dear UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the distinguished President of the General Assembly, Mr. Jeremić, the distinguished UN Special Envoy for Global Education, Mr. Gordon Brown, the distinguished elders and my dear brothers and sisters: I wish you peace.

After a long period of time, I am honored to speak again today. Being able to gather with respectable people here is an important moment in my life, and I am honored to wear the shawl of the late Benazir Bhutto. I don't know where to start my speech. I don't know what people would expect me to say, but first, thank God for making us all equal, and everyone who prayed for me to see me recover quickly and live a new life. I can't believe people show me so much love. I received thousands of greeting cards and gifts from around the world. Thanks everyone. Thanks to the children, their innocent words encouraged me. Thanks to my elders, their prayers have made me stronger. I would like to thank the nurses, doctors and staff who took care of me in the hospitals of Pakistan, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates to help me recover and regain strength.

I fully support the global education priorities of the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, as well as the work of the United Nations Global Education Special Envoy Gordon Brown and the distinguished President of the General Assembly, Mr. Jeremić. I am grateful for their continued leadership. They constantly motivate us to practice. Dear brothers and sisters, please remember one thing: Maladay is not my day. Today is every woman who has spoken for her rights, every boy and every girl.

Hundreds of human rights activists and social workers not only speak for their rights, but also strive to achieve the goals of peace, education and equality. Thousands of people have been killed by terrorists and millions of people have been injured. I am only one of them. For this I am standing here, a girl, between the crowds. I am not talking for myself, but for those who cannot hear their voices. Those who fight for their rights. They can live peacefully. They can be treated with dignity. They have the right to equal opportunities. They can accept the right to education.

Dear friend, on October 9, 2019, the Taliban fired at my left hand. They also shot my friends. They thought that the bullets would silence us, but they failed. Thousands of voices were heard in that silence. The terrorists thought they could change my goals and stop my ideals. But my life has not changed, except: the weakness, fear and helplessness that have passed away. Firmness, strength and courage were born. I am still the same Malala. My ideal is still there. My hopes are also the same. And my dream remains the same. Dear sister brother, I am not against anyone. My speech here is not against the Taliban or other terrorist organizations for reporting personal hatred. I am here to speak for the right of every child to receive education. I hope that the Taliban, all terrorists and children of extremists can be educated. I don't even hate the Taliban who shot me.

Even if I have a gun in my hand and he stands in front of me, I won't shoot him. This is the compassion I learned from the Prophet Muhammad, Jesus and the Buddha. This is the legacy of the transformation I learned from Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

This is the non-violence philosophy I learned from Gandhi, Pasha Khan and Mother Teresa. This is the forgiveness I learned from my parents. This is what my soul told me: love peace, love everyone.

Dear sisters and brothers, seeing the darkness, we recognize the importance of light. In silence we recognize the importance of sound. Similarly, when we were in Swat in northern Pakistan, we realized the importance of pens and books when we saw firearms. "The pen is better than the sword front". This is true. Extremists are afraid of books and pens. They are afraid of the power of education. They are afraid of women. They are afraid of the power of women's voices. This is why they killed 14 innocent students in the recent invasion of Quetta. This is also why they killed female teachers. This is why they blow up schools every day because they have been afraid of the changes and equality we can bring to society from the past. I remember a little boy in the school. The reporter asked him, "Why is the Taliban opposed to education?" He simply pointed to his book and answered: "The Taliban do not know what is written in this book."

They thought that Allah was a tiny conservative who would point the gun at the head of the person who went to school. These terrorists abuse the name of Islam for their own benefit. Pakistan is a country that loves peace and democracy. Pashtuns want their daughters and sons to be educated. Islam is a religion that values ​​peace, benevolence and brotherhood. It is its duty and responsibility to let every child go to school, as Islam says. Peace is a necessity for education. In many parts of the world, especially Pakistan and Afghanistan, terrorism, war and conflict have prevented children from attending school. We are tired of these wars. Women and children are suffering in many ways and in many parts of the world.

In India, innocent and poor children are victims of child labour. Many schools in Nigeria have been destroyed. In Afghanistan, Afghans are affected by extremism. Young girls must do housework and be forced to marry at a young age. The deprivation of poverty, ignorance, injustice, racism and fundamental rights is the biggest problem facing both men and women.

Today, I pay attention to women's rights and girls' education because they suffer the most. At one time, female activists asked men to fight for their rights. But this time we will fight for our rights. I am not telling men that they no longer need to speak for women's rights. I am paying attention to women's independence and fighting for them. Then, dear sisters and brothers, it is time to speak for yourself. Today, we call on world leaders to change their policies and policies to support peace and prosperity. We call on all leaders to protect the rights of women and children. Agreements that violate women’s rights are unacceptable.

We call on all governments to ensure that every child receives free and compulsory education. We call on all governments to fight terrorism and violence. Protect children from atrocities and injuries. We call on advanced countries to support and expand girls’ access to education in developing countries. We call on all communities to be tolerant, to reject prejudices based on caste, doctrine, faction, color, religion or agenda, to ensure women's freedom and equality and to thrive. When half of us are blocked, we cannot succeed completely. We call on sisters around the world to brave and embrace their inner strength to achieve their full potential.

Dear brothers and sisters, we ask for school and education for the future of every child. We will continue our journey to the destination of peace and education. No one can stop us. We will fight for our own rights, and we will bring changes to our voices. We believe in the power and power of our words. Our words can change the world - because we are united and strive for unity in education. If we are to achieve our goals, let us use the weapon of knowledge to self-motivate and let us protect ourselves through unity and friendship.

Dear brothers and sisters, we must not forget that millions of people have suffered in poverty, injustice and ignorance. We must not forget the millions of out-of-school children. We must not forget that our sisters and brothers are waiting for a future of peace and peace.

So let us carry out a magnificent struggle against illiteracy, poverty and terrorism. Let us pick up our textbooks and pens. They are the most powerful weapons. A child, a teacher, a book, and a pen can change the world. Education is the only answer. Education is first. thank you all.