This week the world was introduced to a glorious -- if unlikely -- new couple, united for all time by the matchmakers at the Norwegian Nobel Committee: Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi, recipients of this year's Nobel Peace Prize. She's a 17-year-old Pakistani Muslim; he's a 60-year-old Indian Hindu. Together they're being honored for leading the fight for children's rights -- and against extremism -- worldwide. Malala, of course, is already well-known. After being shot by the Taliban in 2012 for trying to educate herself, she courageously spoke up even louder. "They can only shoot a body; they cannot shoot my dreams," she said. Satyarthi, meanwhile, leads a consortium called the Global March Against Child Labor, a cause he's been championing for decades. There's a lot wrong with the world, and the committee's inspired choice is a reminder -- and a challenge -- that we can all do more to make it a better place.
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.

This week the world was introduced to a glorious -- if unlikely -- new couple, united for all time by the matchmakers at the Norwegian Nobel Committee: Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi, recipients of this year's Nobel Peace Prize. She's a 17-year-old Pakistani Muslim; he's a 60-year-old Indian Hindu. Together they're being honored for leading the fight for children's rights -- and against extremism -- worldwide. Malala, of course, is already well-known. After being shot by the Taliban in 2012 for trying to educate herself, she courageously spoke up even louder. "They can only shoot a body; they cannot shoot my dreams," she said. Satyarthi, meanwhile, leads a consortium called the Global March Against Child Labor, a cause he's been championing for decades. There's a lot wrong with the world, and the committee's inspired choice is a reminder -- and a challenge -- that we can all do more to make it a better place.

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot