World famous Pakistani education campaigner Malala Yousufzai today attended her first lecture at Oxford University.
The 20-year-old tweeted a picture from her first class at Oxford University – five years after she was shot in the head by militants in Pakistan.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner accepted a university place in August at Lady Margaret Hall college to study philosophy, politics and economics.
She was shot on the way home from school in 2012 after writing an anonymous diary about life under Taliban rule.
The gunmen were militants operating in Pashtun tribal areas in north-west Pakistan — a region where women are expected to keep their opinions to themselves and stay at home.
“The wise saying, ‘The pen is mightier than sword’ was true. The extremists are afraid of books and pens,” Ms Yousafzai said at the time.
5 years ago, I was shot in an attempt to stop me from speaking out for girls' education. Today, I attend my first lectures at Oxford. pic.twitter.com/sXGnpU1KWQ
— Malala (@Malala) October 9, 2017
“Five years ago, I was shot in an attempt to stop me from speaking out for girls’ education. Today, I attend my first lectures at Oxford,” read Malala’s tweet today.
Her picture was shared 10,000 times within minutes as people around the world wished her good luck.
Among them was her brother, Khushal Yousafzai, who tweeted in reply, ‘Sorry for being a headache for the last 5 years. So grateful you are still with us. Ik (I know) you miss me but i am coming to oxford in 2years.”
To which Malala replied: ‘Okay, after two years, I am going to change my university then’.
“All the best. You are such a wonderful inspiration to every girl,” wrote one Twitter user.
Another tweeted, “Congratulations Malala. You stand as a beacon of hope to women and all of us in this world. Enjoy university!”.
After recovering from her near-fatal injuries, Malala and her family relocated to Birmingham.
She is unable to return to her homeland because of Taliban threats to kill her and her family members.
She became an internationally known symbol and advocate for the fight to improve girls’ literacy around the world, and in 2017 was made the youngest ever UN Messenger of Peace.
