Malala Yousafzai, Pakistani Girl Shot by Taliban, Leaves British Hospital
Malala Yousafzai, the 15-year-old Pakistani education advocate who was shot in the head by Taliban members for attending school, has been discharged from the British hospital that has been treating her since Oct. 15.
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham released a statement on Friday, Jan. 4 saying Malala will return to the hospital "in late January or early February to undergo cranial reconstructive surgery as part of her long-term recovery," according to the Los Angeles Times.
The Los Angeles Times also quoted Dr. David Rosser, the hospital's medical director, as saying that Yousafzai "has worked hard with the people caring for her to make excellent progress in her recovery."
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Yousafzai began her activist role in early 2009 in Pakistan's Swat Valley when she wrote a blog for BBC detailing life under Taliban rule and the Taliban's unwillingness to allow female education in the country.
The young activist also campaigned heavily for female education in Pakistan, and on Oct. 9, 2012, men from the Taliban shot her in the head and neck as she was riding the bus to school.
According to Time magazine, one bullet entered the young girl's head through the skin behind her left eye, ending up being lodged in the muscle of her left shoulder.
Shortly after her tragic injury, thousands called for the young girl to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her heroic and outspoken actions.
Tarek Fatah, a writer and broadcaster living in Canada, began a global petition on Change.org to nominate Yousafzai for the prize, winning the support of all four major political parties in Canada.
Yousafzai's family is currently staying at a temporary home in the West Midlands, Great Britain, and reports are still uncertain if they will return to Pakistan, as the Taliban has vowed to continue targeting the 15-year-old activist.
