Reader's View: Malala Yousafzai shows the true spirit of Islam

On Oct. 10, Malala Yousafzai, a 17-year-old Pakistani girl, received the Nobel Peace Prize. Malala is the first Pakistani Muslim woman to receive this prestigious award. The whole world congratulated her. The Pakistani prime minister called her “the pride of Pakistan.”
However, not everyone is so enthusiastic, especially the Taliban, which tried to take her life for advocating girls’ right to education. The Taliban declare it un-Islamic for girls to attend school and impose its viewpoint with violence. The Taliban is wrong.
Prophet Muhammad has said, “It is mandatory for every Muslim man and woman to obtain an education.” And the Quran says, “Whosoever killed a person; it shall be as if he has killed all mankind.” Malala truly follows Prophet Muhammad and the Quran in demanding education for girls - and even more so because she runs her campaign with words not violence.
This is the Islam that I believe in. I think she deserved this award, and I am very happy and proud that she got it.
Shanze Hayee
Duluth
The writer is a seventh-grader at Ordean Middle School.