CITIZEN MALALA
Schoolgirl whose activism in wake of a Taliban shooting proved ‘a bullet is no match for an idea’ is welcomed to Ottawa with adoration and an honorary citizenship
Few new Canadians go right from a citizenship ceremony to addressing Parliament. But then few people are like Malala Yousafzai — a Nobel Peace Prize winner, a United Nations messenger of peace, a global advocate for education. And still just 19. The Pakistani woman, who survived a Taliban attack five years ago, dazzled MPs and dignitaries Wednesday with a Parliament Hill speech sprinkled with inspiration, humour and a call for Canada to do more for global development.
The adoration was evident from the moment Yousafzai entered the House of Commons chamber to a sustained standing ovation.
In his introduction, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hailed her as an “everyday” hero, the target of an assassination attempt simply for promoting the rights of girls and women to attend school.
“As the world prayed while she recovered, we were reminded that a bullet is no match for an idea,” Trudeau said.
Just minutes earlier, Yousafzai had been made an honorary Canadian citizen, just one of six to receive the honour. It had been originally announced by the former Conservative government but delayed, ironically, by a terror attack here in Canada.
She had gotten as far as the Toronto airport in October 2014 when word came of the murder of a soldier standing guard at the National War Memorial and the attack on Parliament Hill, forcing the ceremony to be postponed.
Yousafzai highlighted that incident, saying that while the Ottawa attacker called himself Muslim, “he did not share my faith.”
“I am a Muslim, and I believe that if you pick up a gun in the name of Islam and kill an innocent person, you are not Muslim anymore,” she said.
Instead, she said the Ottawa assailant shared the hatred of all those who have perpetrated other attacks, such as the murders in a Quebec City mosque, the attack in London and even those who attempted to kill her.
Yousafzai praised Canada and said she was humbled by the honorary citizenship.
“Your motto and your stand ‘welcome to Canada’ is more than a headline or a hashtag,” she said.
“It is the spirit of humanity that every single one of us would yearn for if our family was in crisis. I pray that you continue to open your homes and your hearts to the world’s most defenceless children and families, and I hope your neighbours will follow your example,” she said.
Yousafzai won over her audience, not just with her message, but her humour, too, relating how people back home were excited over the prospect of her meeting with Trudeau.
“They say that he is the second youngest prime minister in Canada in Canadian history. He does yoga. He has tattoos,” she said to laughter.
As a young student in Pakistan’s Swat Valley, she had advocated for education, which put her in the crosshairs of the Taliban.
Her mother, who was present for the speech along with her father, wiped away tears as Yousafzai related her fears and how the family kept a ladder propped against the back of the house in case they needed to make a quick escape.
“I felt fear when I went to school thinking that someone would stop me and harm me. I would hide my books under my scarf,” she said.
Those fears proved justified. In October 2012, Yousafzai was shot in the head by Taliban gunmen as she was riding the bus home from school.
But the attack did not deter Yousafzai in her campaign, one that she continued Wednesday with a message to Canadian politicians that the answer to any of the world’s most challenging problems — conflict, economic instability, climate change — lies in the education of girls.
“I can tell you that the answer is girls. Secondary education can transform communities, countries and our world,” she said. “Education is vital to the security of the world because extremism grows alongside inequality, in places where people feel they have no opportunity, no voice, no hope,” she said.
She implored Canada to take a leadership role and make girls’ education the centrepiece of its presidency of the G7 next year, with a special focus on refugee children.
“The world needs leadership based on serving humanity, not based on how many weapons you have. Canada can take that lead,” Yousafzai said.
“Use your influence to fill the global education funding gap,” she said.
“Today, only a quarter of refugee children can get secondary education. We should not ask children who flee their homes to also give up their dreams,” she said.
She had a message for young peo- ple, saying don’t wait to be a leader. “I have learned that even a child’s voice can be heard across the world,” she said. And she urged young women in Canada to “step forward, raise your voices,” adding, “the next time I visit, I hope to see more of you filling these seats.”
As Yousafzai finished her speech, an impromptu rendition of “O Canada” began in a corner and then filled the chamber as others chimed in.
“I pray that you continue to open your homes and your hearts to the world’s most defenceless children and families.”
MALALA YOUSAFZAI NOBEL PEACE PRIZE WINNER