From Huffington Post
Malala Yousafzai gave a stirring speech at the U.N. last Friday, her first major appearance since being shot in the head by the Pakistani Taliban in October for her efforts to promote girls’ education in the country.
Yousafzai was celebrated July 12, her 16th birthday, which the U.N. proclaimed Malala Day. “By targeting Malala, extremists showed what they feared the most: a girl with a book, ” U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a speech marking the event.
“They thought that bullets would silence us, but they failed,” said Yousafzai, wearing a shawl that once belonged to Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan’s first female prime minister, who was assassinated in 2007. “There was a time when women’s activists asked men to stand up for women’s rights. This time we will do it for ourselves.”
In honor of Yousafzai, the team from The I Files, The Center for Investigative Reporting’s investigative news channel (subscribe here – it’s free!), compiled a list of 10 other kick-ass women (or groups of women) you might not have heard about who are making an impact in the Muslim world. They are rebels, artists, educators, filmmakers, activists and pariahs who spark change, controversy and even outrage. Some are working on a large stage, while others make a mark with smaller acts of defiance.
Of course, this list is just the beginning and is in no way definitive.
1. HAIFAA AL-MANSOUR
Haifaa al-Mansour faced some unusual obstacles while directing “Wadjda,” a coming-of-age story about a young girl who plots to own a bicycle despite a ban on women riding in public. The film is the first to be shot entirely on Saudi soil, and, due to restrictions on men and women working together, al-Mansour often had to direct the actors and crew remotely with a walkie-talkie. Despite these challenges, Saudi Arabia’s first female director has said her country is becoming “more tolerant and more accepting.” However, the film will be available in Saudi Arabia only on DVD or television, as public cinemas generally are banned.
2. SYRIA’S FEMALE REBEL FIGHTERS
As the war in Syria becomes more violent and intransigent, a growing number of religious women are taking an active role in the fighting, breaking down cultural barriers that once kept them from the battlefield. As many as 5,000 female fightersare working with rebel military forces, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a group that opposes the regime. GlobalPost’s Tracey Shelton profiles one small all-female Islamic unit in Aleppo, commanded by a mother of 10 who now fights alongside some of her children. “We are fighting for our honor and for our religion and for revenge,” the woman says.
