Malala Yousafzai, the girl who was shot by Taliban, stands again.

Shots rang out on the school bus. One bullet grazed her brain and one split through her neck. Less than two weeks later she is “ … communicating very freely, she’s writing.”

Malala Yousafzai, the 15-year-old Pakistani education activist who was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman, is also able to stand with help. However, Dr. David Rosser went on to say in this BBC article that although she’s doing very well she’s “not out of the woods yet.”

She’s blogged for the BBC, been nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize and won Pakistan’s first National Youth Peace Prize, but it took the horrific event of October 9^th to truly propel her into the public spotlight. That event, according to this Christian Science Monitor piece, went down like this:

“Which one of you is Malala? Speak up, otherwise I will shoot you all,” a hooded, bearded Taliban militant asked a bus full of schoolgirls on their way home earlier this week. “She is propagating against the soldiers of Allah, the Taliban. She must be punished,” the Taliban militant shouted louder. Then, recognizing her, he shot her at a point blank range.

Over the years Malala has been asked why she risks her life as an activist and she’s often responded with “Because my people need me.” She felt fear’s breath. She knew those who threatened her life were capable of backing up their talk with bullets. But still she pressed on in her mission.

Aung San Suu Kyi once said that a gift more precious than fearlessness is the “ … courage that comes from cultivating the habit of refusing to let fear dictate one’s actions.” This certainly describes Malala. She’s already putting pen on paper to shape the words that will continue to inspire others.

We at the Good Men Project send our thoughts and prayers to this young warrior.

Here is a 2009 documentary on Malala by filmmaker Adam B. Ellick:

–Photo: Shakil Adil / AP