The Youngest Noble Peace Laureate

The Noble Peace Prize has drawn polarized praises and criticism as this award is often conferred upon politicians. Some have argued the name of the Prize should be Political, not Peace, as some of the recipients, at the time of being awarded, either had barely any contributions to impactful peace or later turned out to be anti-peace in their actions following their awards. Among the very few non-politicians who became the laureates, Malala Yousafzai was not only the handful of Middle Eastern recipients, but the youngest so far and a true non-politicians. Yousafzai is a human rights advocate for the education of women and children in her native homeland, Swat, where the Pakistani Taliban had at times banned girls from attending school. On October 9 in 2012, Malala was shot in the head on a bus by a Taliban gunman in an assassination attempt for her activism. She was in a coma while she remained a fighter who did not give up. The incident caused a massive international support and 50 leading Muslim clerics in Pakistan issued a fatwā against those who tried to kill her and the Pakistani government along with other international institutions officially denounced the Pakistani Taliban.

The attempt on her life did not prevent her from pursuing her dreams of education. She was in a coma for eight days. After Malala was strong enough, she then had multiple surgeries to reconstruct her skull, implant a hearing device to repair her hearing loss, and months of intensive physical therapy to regain her mobility and most of her facial nerves that were damaged by the bullet. Despite all the physical challenges and continuing threats for a second assassination attempt, Malala went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics and later became an honorary fellow at the University of Oxford. 

Addressing the United Nations on July 12, 2013 (Malala's 16th birthday), she emphasized that "The terrorists thought they would change my aims and stop my ambitions, but nothing changed in my life except this: weakness, fear and hopelessness died. Strength, power and courage was born ... I am not against anyone, neither am I here to speak in terms of personal revenge against the Taliban or any other terrorist group. I'm here to speak up for the right of education for every child. I want education for the sons and daughters of the Taliban and all terrorists and extremists." Malala once told reporters that Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of the three most prominent figures that inspired her conviction that her talk seemed to echo the "I have a dream" speech mentioned in the last week's blog: "one day. . . the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood." It appears that peacemakers do inspire and produce more peacemakers. May we all strive to be a peacemaker in our own environment and capacity. 

Travel Vlog 2: Tel Aviv, Israel

In between the conferences in Espoo, Finland and Cambridge, UK, I went to Tel Aviv, Israel as I planned to visit the famous Treasury in Petra, Jordan where it was made famous by the first Indiana Jones movie "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade." The most economic way to Petra was through a six-hour bus ride from Tel Aviv to cross the borders between the two countries. Additionally, Helsinki was extremely close to Tel Aviv with a short four-hour plane ride, so I decided to venture into the Middle East where I have already wanted to visit. Do not rely on media to tell you what the world is really like. I was warned that the security at the Israeli customs would be strict and unreasonable. However, I was asked three questions at the Ben Gurion International Airport and told to enter the country without any further delay. To my surprise, Anna Alon, a colleague whom I have not seen for about ten years from our PhD student years at the University of Central Florida, was at the airport. Ana's family repatriated to Israel. 

For those who would like to visit Tel Aviv, keep in mind that the cost of living is extremely high in this city. The breakfast in this short video cost about $20 USD and that was after a discount coupon from the hotel where I was staying.

I was fortunate to come across this annual food festival "Eat Tel Aviv" at the Charles Clore Park where the park was transformed into a festive market venue with live music, celebrity chefs, colorful food trucks, and innovative food stands. The Clore park is right by the Mediterranean Sea with a long, beautiful shore line along the park. The food and the international varieties were amazing with up to a 25 percent discount on cost compared with the regular price of food in Tel Aviv. Free entrance to the park and festival for those who like to travel in a budget.

The female Israeli soldiers are both deadly and stunning as they carry machine guns (M-16) and themselves like supermodels on the runway with proper hair and makeup to boot.

The next travel vlog will feature Petra, Jordan. For those who wold like to follow my blog/vlog, you are welcome to do so by clicking on the green/blue follow button by my profile name. I hope you have a peacemaking day!

Jason Chen, PhD.