It is great that the whole world stands united with a courageous Pakistani teenage girl who not only challenged the evil forces of the Taliban under a volley of bullets but continued to defy their nefarious philosophy of confining women to their homes. The UN held a special Youth Assembly on July 12 to celebrate Malala Yousafzai's 16th birthday. She was the keynote speaker at the assembly to talk about millions of children, especially girls, who face the denial of their right to education. Powerful evil minds find all sorts of excuses in religious and tribal traditions to justify their hateful acts. Her petition to the UN, already signed by hundreds of thousands across the globe, asks the world body's help to make it possible for all children to go to school by 2015. This is an ambitious target because children are suffering everywhere, especially in conflict zones. In Pakistan alone, 995 schools and 35 colleges have been bombed by the Taliban in the last few years. They have resorted to throwing acid and poisoning water supplies to keep girls from going to school in Pakistan and in Afghanistan's Pashtun areas. As we congratulate Malala on her birthday, we assure her that she is not alone and that we all stand united with her in her ambitious program to promote girls' education in Pakistan and elsewhere. She is an icon of girls' education and a symbol of determination and dedication. Malala is the pride of Pakistan. Masood Khan, Jubail
