Malala Reunited With Friends in Scotland

Andy Buchanan—AFP

Education rights activist was granted an honorary masters degree from the Edinburgh University.

Malala Yousafzai was reunited on Saturday with two friends who were also injured in the Taliban’s attempt to kill her.

Kainat Riaz and Shazia Ramzan met Malala during an event at Edinburgh University in Scotland, the first time they have seen her since the attack.

A Taliban gunman boarded the girls’ school bus in Swat Valley last October and opened fire at Malala to punish her for advocating girls’ rights to education.

Malala, now 16, was shot in the head while Kainat and Shazia were both wounded in the crossfire. All three girls are now living and studying in Britain, where Malala received medical treatment for her injuries.

All three girls were the guests of honor at the launch on Saturday of the Global Citizenship Commission, a body of leaders representing politics, religious institutions, law and philanthropy

“After I was shot the terrorists thought that I would not continue the struggle for education, but not only did I not stop my campaign but now Kainat and Shazia are with me and they are also supporting me,” Malala told the event. “They are not afraid, we are not afraid and now people are supporting us and that is the greatest courage, and that is the weapon that we have got, the unity and togetherness.”

Former British prime minister Gordon Brown, who has backed Malala’s campaign, also presented her with an honorary masters degree from the university.

The event is the latest in a series to fete Malala’s work. She went to Buckingham Palace on Friday to meet Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip, and last week she met U.S. President Barack Obama.

Malala was also among the favorites to win the Nobel Peace Prize earlier this month, but she lost out to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, which is currently involved in destroying Syria’s chemical weapons stockpile.