guardian.co.uk,
Press Association, Friday 9 November 2012
 |
| Malala Yousafzai was attacked last month with two other girls while travelling home from school in the Swat Valley. Photograph: Queen Elizabeth Hospital/PA |
Thousands
of people have called for a Nobel peace prize for Malala Yousafzai, the
15-year-old who was shot by the Taliban while campaigning for girls' education
in Pakistan.
Malala has
the support of more than 60,000 people backing a petition to nominate her for
the prestigious award.
The call
came ahead of Saturday's global day of action marking one month since Malala
was shot in the head by the Taliban.
In the UK,
Shahida Choudhary is campaigning for the prime minister and prominent
politicians to write to the Nobel committee to recommend Malala.
Choudhary
said: "Malala doesn't just represent one young woman, she speaks out for
all those who are denied an education purely on the basis of their gender.
"There
are girls like Malala in the UK and across the world. I was one of them.
"I
started this petition because a Nobel peace prize for Malala will send a clear
message that the world is watching and will support those who stand up for the
right of girls to get an education."
Choudhary
was taken out of school in the UK aged 16 and forced into a marriage in
Pakistan. She escaped back to the UK, returned to education aged 28, and runs a
network in Birmingham to support women in similar situations.
Malala, was
attacked last month with two other girls while travelling home from school in
the Swat Valley.
The gunman
who boarded the van in which she was travelling asked for her by name before
firing three shots at her.
In early
2009, Malala wrote an anonymous blog about life under the Taliban, who had
banned all girls in her area from attending school.
The global
petition to have Malala nominated, on Change.org, was started in Canada by
Tarek Fatah, a writer and broadcaster.
Malala's
nomination has won the backing of Canada's four largest political parties and
has been supported in other countries including France and Spain.
Nobel
committee rules states that members of national assemblies and governments are
able to make nominations for the prize. Nominations close in February.
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