Whereas, Malala represents the voices of over 60 Million girls around the world who are deprived of education, and
Whereas, Malala’s commitment to education despite the threats to her life against her is admired, and
Whereas, Satyarthi’s call to rescue children from child labor despite the threats is admired, and
Whereas, Satyarthi is awarded the prestigious international award for a new category is awarded, and
Now therefore, I , Mike Ghouse, President of the Foundation for Pluralism and World Muslim Congress, in behalf of our trustees and members, do hereby urge the people of India and Pakistan to observe “Malala Satyarthi Day” by talking about them and thinking about how each one of us can contribute towards the well being of the people of the subcontinent.
Malala is God’s gift to Pakistan and to Muslims.
Yes, until recently almost every terror activity was traced to Pakistan. The Pakistanis and Muslims badly needed a star that can change how they were perceived, and here comes Malala breaking all the stereotypes. Yes Muslim girls do stand up and do dare, and demand their right to be educated.
Every child, teen and an adult has someone or the other he or she looks up to, and wants to-be-like that person and eventually becomes that person. Indeed, good role models are a key to the success of a civil society.
I have been studying religious pluralism and civil societies for the last twenty years, and have found a sense of regret among Muslims for the dearth of role models. Invariably they compare themselves with the Jewish community more often than they care to admit.
At least twice a year, an email makes the rounds showing the innumerable Nobel laureates among the tiny Jewish community versus the negligible numbers among the big Muslim community. It almost appears that they cannot move forward without someone leading them.
Thank God, he gave Malala to Pakistan and the Muslim world; regardless of what the naysers say, Malala has made a huge difference, she is a Muslim and she makes sense. Now Pakistan can brag about her, just as Muslims around the world can brag about her. We need 5 more Malalas to negate the Baghdadis, Ayman al-Zawahiri.
I don’t know about you, but I was teary about three times during her speech. She is a hope for Muslims.
TRANSCRIPT OF MALALA SPEECH
[Malala Yousafzai – Nobel Peace Prize Winner – Speech]
[Malala Yousafzai (July 12, 1997):] Source: LYBIO.net
In the name of God the most beneficent, the most merciful who is the God of all mankind. Wherever I go and speak, the only problem I face is that the podium is usually taller than me. So I hope it will be good this time.
I’m feeling honored that I am being chosen as a Nobel laureate and I have been honored with this – this precious award, the Nobel Peace Prize. And I’m proud that I’m the first Pakistani and the first young woman or the first young person who is getting this award. It’s a great honor for me. And I’m also really happy that I’m sharing this award with a person – with a person from India whose name is Kailash Satyarthi and his great work for child’s right, his great work against – against child slavery.
Totally inspires me and I am really happy that there are so many people who are working for children’s right and I’m not alone. And he totally deserved this award.
So I am feeling honored that I’m sharing this award with him (Satyarthi).
He recieved this award and we both are the two Nobel award receivers, one is from Pakistan, one is from India, one believes in Hinduism, one strongly believes in Islam. And it gives a message to people – it gives a message to people of love between Pakistan and India and between – between different religions and we both support each other.
It does not matter what’s the color of your skin, what language do you speak, what religion you believe in. It is that we should all consider each other as human beings and we should respect each other and we should all fight for our rights, for the rights of children, for the rights of women and for the rights of every human being.
First of all, I would like to thank my family, my dear father, my dear mother for their love, for their support. As my father always say, he did not give me something extra, but what he did Dad, he did not clip my wings. So I’m thankful to my father for not clipping my wings, for – for letting me to fly and achieve my goals, for showing to the world that a girl is not supposed to be the – a slave.
A girl has the power to go forward in her life. And she’s not only a mother, she’s not only a sister, she’s not only a wife. But a girl has the – she should have an identity. She should be recognized and she has equal rights as a boy. Even though my brother thinks that they are treated um…um… — that I am treated very well and they are not treated very well. But that’s fine. If it comes – if it’s that – that’s fine.
Um…I would like to share with you how I found out about the Nobel Peace Prize and it’s quite exciting because I was in my chemistry class and we were studying about electrolysis and [inaudible] and the time was, I think 10:15. So the time of the announcement of the Nobel Peace Prize was gone and before that I was not expecting that I would get this award and when it went to, like, 10:15, I was totally sure that I haven’t won it. But then suddenly one of my teachers came to the class and she called me and she said, “I have something important to tell you.” And I was totally surprised when she told me congratulations, you have won the Nobel Peace Prize and you are sharing it with a – with a great person who is also working for children’s rights. And I – it’s sometimes quite difficult to express your feelings, but I felt really honored.
I felt more powerful and more courageous because this award is not just a piece of metal or a medal that you would wear, or an award that you would keep in your room, but this is really an encouragement for me to go forward and to believe in myself. To know that there are people who are supporting me in this campaign. And we are standing together. We all want to make sure that every child gets quality education. So this is really — this is really something – something great for me.
However, when I found that I have won the Nobel Peace Prize, I decided that I would not leave my school, rather I would finish my school time, I would — I went to physics lesson, I learned, I went to English lessons and it was totally like uh… I considered it as a normal day and I was really happy by the response of my teachers and my fellow students. They were all saying that we are proud of you and uh… I’m really thankful to my school, to my teachers, to my school fellows for their love, for their support and really encouraged me and they’re supporting me. So I’m happy. Even though it’s not going to help me in my tests and exams because it totally depends on my hard work. But, still, I’m really happy that they are supporting me.
[Malala Yousafzai:] Source: LYBIO.net
I have got – I have received this award, but this is not the end. This is not the end. This is not the end of this campaign which I have started. I think this is really the beginning and I want to see every child going to school. There are still 57 million children who have not received education, who are still out of the primary schools and I want to see every child going to school and getting – getting education because I have – I have myself suffered through the same situation when I was in swat valley and you all may know that in swat there was Talibanization and because of that no girl was allowed to go to school.
At that time I stood up for my rights and I said I would speak up. I do not wait for someone else. I do not wait for someone else. I had really two options. One was not to speak and wait to be killed. And the second was – and the second was to speak up and then be killed and I chose the second one because at that time there was terrorism, women were not allowed to go outside of their houses because education was totally banned, people were killed. At that time I needed to raise my voice because I wanted to go back to school. I was also one of those girls who could not get education.
I wanted to learn I wanted to learn and be who – who I can be in my future. And I also had dreams. I also had dreams like a normal child has.
I wanted to become a doctor at that time. Now I want to become a politician, a good politician. And when I heard that I can not go to school, I just for a second thought that I would never able become a doctor or I would never be able to be who I want to be in the future and my life would be just getting married at the age of 13 or 14, not going to school, not becoming who I really can be so I decided that – that I will speak up.
So through my story I want to tell other children all around the world that they should stand up for their rights. They should not wait for someone else and their voices are more powerful. Their voices – it would seem that they are weak, but at the time when no one speak, your voice gets so loud that everyone has to listen to it. Everyone has to hear it. So it’s my message to children all around the world that they should stand up for their rights.
And the award that I have received uh…Nobel Peace Prize. I believe that the Nobel Committee, they – they haven’t given this just to me. But this award is for all those children who are voiceless, whose voices need to be heard. And I speak for them and I stand up with them and I join them in their campaign, that their voices should be heard and they should be listened and they have rights. They have rights. They have the right to receive quality education. They have the right not to suffer from child labor, not to suffer from child trafficking. They have the right to live a happy life. So I stand up with – with all those children and this award is especially for them. It gives them courage.
At the end, um…I would like to share with you that I had a phone call with honorable Kailash. I cannot pronounce his surname accurately so please I just ask for forgiveness for that. I will just call him Kailash if he wouldn’t mind. So I had a phone call with him right now and we both talked about how important it is that every child goes to school and every child gets quality education and how many issues are there that the children are suffering, but I’m not yet highlighted. So we both decide – we both decided that we will work together for the cause that every child gets quality education and do not suffer from these issues.
Other than that, we also decided that as he’s from India and I’m from Pakistan we will try to build strong relationships between India and Pakistan. And nowadays you know that there is tension on the border and the situation is getting uh…it’s not like as we are expecting, we want Pakistan and India to have good relationships and the tension that is going on is disappointing and I’m really sad because I want both the countries to have dialogue, to have talks about peace, and to – to think about progress, to think about development, rather than fighting with each other. It’s important that both countries focus more on education, focus more on development and progress, which is good for both of them.
So we both decided that um…I requested him that would it be possible that he request His Honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi to join us when we receive the Nobel Peace Prize in December. And I promised him that I would also request the honorable prime minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, to join us when I get and he gets the Nobel Peace Prize. So, and I myself request the honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi and honorable Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, that they both join us when we receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
I really believe in peace. I really believe in tolerance and patience and it is very important for the progress of both countries that they have peace and they have good relationships. This is how they are going to achieve success and this is how they’re going to – they are going to progress.
So it is my humble request and I hope it will be – hope it will be listened.
[Malala Yousafzai:] Source: LYBIO.net
At the end, I want to say that I’m really happy for your support.
I used to say that I think I do not deserve the Nobel Peace Prize. I still believe that. But I believe that it is not only an award for what I have done but also an encouragement for giving me hope, for giving me the courage to go and continue this campaign, to believe in myself and to know that I’m not alone, there are hundreds and thousands and millions who are supporting me.
So once again, thank you so much to all of you. Thank you.
Malala Yousafzai – Nobel Peace Prize Winner Speech. I really believe in peace. I really believe in tolerance and patience. Complete Full Transcript, Dialogue, Remarks, Saying, Quotes, Words And Text.
TRANSCRIPT OF SATYARTHI SPEECH
Here is the full text of Mr Satyarthi’s speech as uploaded on the Nobel website.
Let Us Globalise Compassion, and Set Our Children Free
My dear children of the world…
Your Majesties, Your Royal Highnesses, Excellencies, distinguished members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, dear brother Tom Harkin, brothers and sisters, a and my dear daughter Malala.
From this podium of peace and humanity, I am deeply honoured to recite a mantra from the ancient texts of wisdom, Vedas.
This mantra carries a prayer, an aspiration and a resolve that has the potential to liberate humanity from all man-made crises.
Let’s walk together. In the pursuit of global progress, not a single person should be left out or left behind in any corner of the world, from East to West, from South to North.
Let’s speak together, let our minds come together! Learning from the experiences of our ancestors, let us together create knowledge for all that benefits all.
I bow to my late parents, to my motherland India, and to the mother earth.
With a warm heart I recall how thousands of times, I have been liberated, each time I have freed a child from slavery. In the first smile of freedom on their beautiful faces, I see the Gods smiling.
I give the biggest credit of this honour to my movement’s Kaalu Kumar, Dhoom Das and Adarsh Kishore from India and Iqbal Masih from Pakistan who made the supreme sacrifice for protecting the freedom and dignity of children. I humbly accept this award on behalf of all such martyrs, my fellow activists across the world and my countrymen.
My journey from the great land of Lord Buddha, Guru Nanak and Mahatma Gandhi; India to Norway is a connect between the two centres of global peace and brotherhood, ancient and modern.
Friends, the Nobel Committee generously invited me to deliver a “lecture.” Respectfully, I am unable to do that.
I represent here the sound of silence. The cry of innocence. And, the face of invisibility. I have come here to share the voices and dreams of our children, our children, because they are all our children.
I have looked into their frightened and exhausted eyes. And I have heard their urgent questions:
Twenty years ago, in the foothills of the Himalayas, I met a small, skinny boy. He asked me: “Is the world so poor that it cannot give me a toy and a book, instead of forcing me to take a tool or gun?”
I met with a Sudanese child-soldier who was kidnapped by an extremist militia. As his first training, he was forced to kill his friends and family. He asked me: “What is my fault?”
Twelve years ago, a child-mother from the streets of Colombia – trafficked, raped, enslaved – asked me this: “I have never had a dream. Can my child have one?”
There is no greater violence than to deny the dreams of our children.
The single aim of my life is that every child is:
free to be a child,
free to grow and develop,
free to eat, sleep, see daylight,
free to laugh and cry,
free to play,
free to learn, free to go to school, and above all,
free to dream.
All the great religions tell us to care for children. Jesus said: “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to them.” The Holy Quran says: “Kill not your children because of poverty.”
I refuse to accept that all the temples and mosques and churches and prayer houses have no place for the dreams of our children.
I refuse to accept that the world is so poor, when just one week of global spending on armies is enough to bring all of our children into classrooms.
I refuse to accept that all the laws and constitutions, and the judges and the police are not able to protect our children.
I refuse to accept that the shackles of slavery can ever be stronger than the quest for freedom.
I REFUSE TO ACCEPT.
I am privileged to work with many courageous souls who also refuse to accept. We have never given up against any threat and attack, and we will never. Undoubtedly, progress has been made in the last couple of decades. The number of out of school children has been halved. Child mortality and malnutrition has been reduced, and millions of child deaths have been prevented. The number of child labourers in the world has been reduced by a third. Make no mistake, great challenges still remain.
Friends, the biggest crisis knocking on the doors of humanity today is intolerance.
We have utterly failed in imparting an education to our children. An education that gives the meaning and objective of life and a secure future. An education that builds a sense of global citizenship among the young people. I am afraid that the day is not far when the cumulative result of this failure will culminate in unprecedented violence that will be suicidal for humankind.
Yet, young people like Malala, are rising up everywhere and choosing peace over violence, tolerance over extremism, and courage over fear.
Solutions are not found only in the deliberations in conferences and prescriptions from a distance. They lie in small groups and local organisations and individuals, who confront the problem every day, even if they remain unrecognised and unknown to the world.
Eighteen years ago, millions of my brothers and sisters in 103 countries marched across 80,000 kilometres. And, a new international law against child labour was born. We have done this.
You may ask: what can one person do? Let me tell you a story I remember from my childhood: A terrible fire had broken out in the forest. All the animals were running away, including the lion, king of the forest. Suddenly, the lion saw a tiny bird rushing towards the fire. He asked the bird, “what are you doing?” To the lion’s surprise, the bird replied “I am on my way to extinguish the fire.” He laughed and said, “how can you kill the fire with just one drop of water, in your beak?” The bird was adamant, and said, “But I am doing my bit.”
You and I live in the age of rapid globalisation. We are connected through high-speed Internet. We exchange goods and services in a single global market. Each day, thousands of flights connect us to every corner of the globe.
But there is one serious disconnect. It is the lack of compassion. Let us inculcate and transform the individuals’ compassion into a global movement. Let us globalise compassion. Not passive compassion, but transformative compassion that leads to justice, equality, and freedom.
Mahatma Gandhi said, “If we are to teach real peace in this world… we shall have to begin with the children.” I humbly add, let us unite the world through the compassion for our children.
Whose children are they who stitch footballs, yet have never played with one? They are our children. Whose children are they who mine stones and minerals? They are our children. Whose children are they who harvest cocoa, yet do not know the taste of a chocolate? They are all our children.
Devli was born into intergenerational debt and bonded labour in India. Sitting in my car immediately after her rescue the eight-year-old girl asked: Why did you not come earlier? Her angry question still shakes me – and has the power to shake the world. Her question is for all of us. Why did we not come earlier? What are we waiting for? How many more Devlis will we allow to go without rescue? How many more girls will be abducted, confined and abused? Children, like Devli across the world are questioning our inaction and watching our actions.
We need collective actions with a sense of urgency. Every single minute matters, every single child matters, every single childhood matters.
I challenge the passivity and pessimism surrounding our children. I challenge this culture of silence, this culture of neutrality.
I, therefore, call upon all the governments, intergovernmental agencies, businesses, faith leaders, the civil society, and each one of us, to put an end to all forms of violence against children. Slavery, trafficking, child marriages, child labour, sexual abuse, and illiteracy have no place in any civilised society.
Friends, we can do this.
Governments must make child friendly policies, and invest in education and young people.
Businesses must be more responsible and open to innovative partnerships.
Intergovernmental agencies must work together to accelerate action.
Global civil society must rise above business-as-usual and scattered agendas.
Faith leaders and institutions, and all of us must stand with our children.
We must be bold, we must be ambitious, and we must have the will. We must keep our promises.
Over fifty years ago, on the first day of my school I met a cobbler boy my age sitting at the school gate, polishing shoes. I asked my teachers these questions: “Why is he working outside? Why is he not coming to school wit
h me?” My teachers had no answer. One day, I gathered the courage to ask the boys’ father. He said: “Sir, I have never thought about it. We are just born to work.” This made me angry. It still makes me angry. I challenged it then, and I am challenging it today.
As a child, I had a vision of tomorrow. That cobbler boy was studying with me in my classroom. Now, that tomorrow has become TODAY. I am TODAY, and you are TODAY. TODAY it is time for every child to have the right to life, the right to freedom, the right to health, the right to education, the right to safety, the right to dignity, the right to equality, and the right to peace.
TODAY, beyond the darkness, I see the smiling faces of our children in the blinking stars. TODAY, in every wave of every ocean, I see our children playing and dancing. TODAY, in every plant, tree, and mountain, I see that little cobbler boy sitting with me in the classroom.
I want you to see and feel this TODAY inside you. My dear sisters and brothers, may I ask you to close your eyes and put your hand close to your heart for a moment? Can you feel the child inside you? Now, listen to this child. I am sure you can!
Today, I see thousands of Mahatma Gandhis, Martin Luther Kings, and Nelson Mandelas marching forward and calling on us. The boys and girls have joined. I have joined in. We ask you to join too.
Let us democratise knowledge.
Let us universalise justice.
Together, let us globalise compassion, for our children!
I call upon you in this room, and all across the world.
I call for a march from exploitation to education, from poverty to shared prosperity, a march from slavery to liberty, and a march from violence to peace.
Let us march from darkness to light. Let us march from mortality to divinity.
Let us march!
Eight articles on Malala by Mike
10/09/2012 – Zardari go get the attackers of MalalaEhsanullah Ehsan, the gangster chief of Taliban claims responsibility for attack on Malala Yousafzai, a teenage girl who wanted to go to school. He shamelessly claims, “We carried out this attack,” and adds, “”Anybody who …
http://nabsites.net/demo/zardari-get-attackers-of-malala-or-ge/
10/12/2012 – Malala, we stand with you and your commitment to education.
The event was organized by Jawed Siddiqi at Subzi Mandi place, the purpose was to stand in support of Malala Yousafzai and send a message to Pakistan that extremism is condemned across the world. The program …
http://nabsites.net/demo/malala-we-stand-with-you-and-your/
10/15/2012 – The Ghouse Diary: Standing up for Malala in Dallas, Texas
10/15/2012 – FunAsia brings communities together for MalalaChristians, Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and others from USA, Canada, UK, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and other Diaspora came together to stand up in solidarity with Malala at FunAsia Richardson on Sunday evening at 8:00 PM
http://nabsites.net/demo/funasia-brings-communities-together-for/
07/30/2013 – Miss Nada Al-Ahdal – a new Malala in the Arab worldThank God for the display of courage by Nada Al-Ahdal, an eleven year old girl who refused to get married or sold off to some old fart against her will. Thanks to the CNN and western media for bringing Nada Al-Ahdal story to the fore. This is my reactionary note, and I hope the Muslim world wakes up and restores the liberation Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) brought to women to be free, to be educated and to determine their own future and be herself.
Full CNN video and my op-ed at:
http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2013/07/here-is-another-malala-in-yemen-nada-al.html
10/13/2014
What if Malala were a Ahmadi Muslim?I congratulated Malala for winning the Nobel Prize, and reminded her that she is not the first Pakistani to win the Nobel Prize, Dr. Abdus Salam has also won the prize and a great injustice is done to him by depriving him his …
http://nabsites.net/demo/if-malala-were-ahmadi-musli/
