Malala Yousafzai should win Nobel Peace Prize, petition says
Pakistanis carry candles and photographs of gunshot victim Malala Yousafzai during a protest against the assassination attempt in Islamabad on October 11, 2012.
More than 90,000 people have already signed an online petition calling for Malala Yousafzai to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
At Change.org, Canadian journalist Tarek Fatah said no person deserves the award more than the 15-year-old Pakistani girl who survived an assassination attempt.
“A Nobel Peace Prize for Malala will send a clear message that the world is watching and will support those who stand up for gender equality and universal human rights that includes the right of education for girls,” Fatah writes at Change.org.
Taliban militants shot Malala in the head as she returned home from school on October 9 in Pakistan’s Swat Valley.
The extremist group said it was retaliation for her work advocating for girls rights and education.
She survived the gunshot wound to the head, and is now recovering in a British hospital.
The petition has attracted notable names in Canada and abroad, a necessary step in getting Malala nominated, Fatah said.
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Among those who have signed the petition are Canada’s Minister of Citizenship Jason Kenney, Islamic Forum for Democracy president Dr. Zuhdi Jasser in the US, former Pakistani politician Farahnaz Ispahani, Indian Minister of State Shashi Tharoor and former Australian senator Andrew Bartlett.
Usually politicians or heads of state nominate Nobel Peace Prize candidates, RTT News reported.
Nominations come in February, and the winner is announced in October.
Malala's father issued a statement today, exactly one month since the shooting, thanking everyone around the world for the support.
“She wants me to tell everyone how grateful she is and is amazed that men, women and children from across the world are interested in her well-being,” Ziauddin Yousafzai said, according to The Irish Herald.
“We deeply feel the heart-touching good wishes of the people across the world of all caste, color and creed.”
More from GlobalPost: Why did the Taliban shoot Malala Yousafzai?