Muslim Personalities in different industries.

Acclaimed by the critics & the entire world as one of the best actor of his times Irrfan Khan hails from India. Born and brought up in Jaipur into feudal Nawab family, though had no one from the entertainment field in the family, his passion was acting since childhood.While he was doing his masters he earned a scholarship to study at the premium institute National School of Drama (NSD) in New Delhi. An actor at par excellence, who has carved his own path by defying the conventional paths in Indian entertainment industry. Changing the rules of the Hindi film industry he has been able to redefine heroism in Hindi cinema. His kind of films has made youngsters in India come back into cinema looking for an alternative entertainment and seeking more from cinema then given usually. Having a body of work of more then eighty films in India, he has a remarkable list of films which embarked the beginning of a new definition of entertaining cinema in India. Paan Singh Tomar, Haasil, Life In A Metro, Maqbool, The Lunchbox, Piku and Talvaar. In the west he has many films like The Namesake (2006), New York, I Love You (2008), A Mighty Heart (2007), The Darjeeling Limited (2007), The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), Life of Pi (2012), and Jurassic World (2015) as well as in the HBO series In Treatment (2008). Also, his two upcoming international projects: Dan Brown’s Inferno (2016) and a Japanese American TV series. He has won three Filmfare Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and an Independent Spirit Award nomination in 2011. The actor has received a national award for best actor award in 2012 for his film Paan Singh Tomar, he became a recipient of the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award in India.

Ice Cube was born in South Central Los Angeles, to Doris (Benjamin), a custodian and hospital clerk, and Hosea Jackson, a UCLA groundskeeper. He first came to public notice as a singer and songwriter with the controversial and influential band N.W.A. His compositions with that group included many of the classic cuts from their debut LP “Straight Outta Compton” (Ruthless/Priority, 1989), including the title track, “Gangsta Gangsta” and “Express Yourself”. He quit the band over business differences in 1990 and began a still-growing series of commercially and critically acclaimed solo albums, starting with “AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted” (Priority, 1990). His second solo album, “Death Certificate” (Priority, 1991), a concept album about the fall and rise of the Black man, sold two million copies, and his subsequent solo output (six albums to date total) has sold over ten million copies. He has also discovered Yoyo, Del, K-Dee and Mack 10. He has also produced, written, toured and recorded with Public Enemy, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, George Clinton, The D.O.C., Michel’e, Big Daddy Kane, WC & The Madd Circle (which spawned the solo career of Coolio), former N.W.A. bandmate Dr. Dre and Cypress Hill. He has also recorded with two post-N.W.A. side-project bands, Da Lench Mob (“Guerillas In Tha Mist”, Street Knowledge/East-West, 1991) and Westside Connection (“Bow Down”, Priority,1996). His movie career has been no less stellar. Ice Cube’s debut in Boyz n the Hood (1991) led to more roles in such films as Trespass (1992), Dangerous Ground (1997) and Anaconda (1997). He also appeared as himself in the comedy CB4 (1993). He is also no stranger to the other side of the camera, directing videos for himself as well as Prince and Color Me Badd, as well as co-writing his screenwriting debut, Friday (1995).

Ellen Burstyn was born in Detroit, Michigan, to Correine Marie (Hamel) and John Austin Gillooly. She is of mostly Irish, German, and French-Canadian descent. Ellen worked a number of jobs before she became an actress. At 14, she was a short-order cook at a lunch counter. After graduating from Detroit’s Cass Technical High School, she went to Texas to model and then to New York as a showgirl on The Jackie Gleason Show (1952). From there, it was to Montreal as a nightclub dancer and then Broadway with her debut in “Fair Game (1957)”. By 1963, she appeared on the TV series The Doctors (1963), but she gained notice for her role in Goodbye Charlie (1964). Ellen then took time off to study acting with Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio.

Her big break came when she was cast as the female lead in The Last Picture Show (1971). For this role, she received nominations for the Golden Globe and Academy Award. Next, she co-starred with Jack Nicholson in The King of Marvin Gardens (1972), giving a chilling performance. Then came The Exorcist (1973). Ellen was again nominated for the Golden Globe and Academy Award. In 1974, she starred in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974), playing a waitress, which is a job that she well knows. For this performance, she won the Oscar as Best Actress as well as the British award for the same category. For the Golden Globe, she was nominated but lost to Marsha Mason. The same year, Ellen made history by winning a Tony Award for the Broadway play “Same Time, Next Year”. She won praise and award nominations for the movie version of Same Time, Next Year (1978) and Resurrection (1980). “Resurrection” was a another great film in which she played a woman with the power to heal. Even with all these successful movies and all the awards, Ellen found that she could barely get a job in the 80s. A succession of TV movies resulting in two Emmy nominations kept Ellen going as did the series The Ellen Burstyn Show (1986). The TV movies continued through the 90s. Also in the 90s, Ellen was cast in the supporting role in such movies as The Cemetery Club (1993), How to Make an American Quilt (1995), The Baby-Sitters Club (1995) and The Spitfire Grill (1996). In addition to her acting, Burstyn was the first woman president of Actor’s Equity, the actors’ union, from 1982 to 1985.

NazaninBoniadi is rapidly making her mark in both film and television. She co-starred as CIA analyst FaraSherazi on seasons three and four of the Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning drama Homeland (2011), for which she shared a 2015 SAG Award nomination in the Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series category. Boniadi appeared in the 2016 MGM-Paramount remake of Ben-Hur. Directed by TimurBekmambetov, the film stars Ms. Boniadi in the female lead role of Esther opposite Jack Huston, Morgan Freeman and Toby Kebbell. She will next appear in a leading role opposite Armie Hammer and Dev Patel in The Weinstein Company’s highly anticipated Hotel Mumbai.

Among her many television credits, Boniadi portrayed Nora, a relatively longstanding love interest to Neil Patrick Harris’s Barney Stinson, in seasons six and seven of How I Met Your Mother (2005). She also appeared as the notorious Adnan Salif in season three of ShondaRhimes’ hit political drama Scandal (2012). She will next star alongside J.K. Simmons in the original Starz series Counterpart (2017), created by Justin Marks and Executive Produced by Morten Tyldum.

On film, Boniadi appeared as Amira Ahmed in Jon Favreau’s Iron Man (2008) and portrayed a young mother, Elaine, in Paul Haggis’ The Next Three Days (2010). She also has several independent features to her credit.

Born in Tehran at the height of the Iranian Revolution, Boniadi’s parents relocated to London, England, shortly thereafter, where she was raised with an emphasis on education. While she was involved in theatre early in life, Boniadi later decided she wanted to become a physician. She moved to the United States at the age of 19 to attend the University of California, Irvine, where she received her Bachelor’s Degree, with Honors (Dean’s Academic Achievement and Service Award) in Biological Sciences, and won the “Chang Pin Chun” Undergraduate Research Award for her work in heart-transplant rejection and cancer research.

Switching gears to pursue her first love, Boniadi then decided to study acting, which included training in Contemporary Drama at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London under the supervision of dramaturge Lloyd Trott.

Boniadi is fluent in both English and Persian. She is a dedicated human rights activist. Boniadi served as a spokesperson for Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) 2009-2015, and continues to partner with the non-profit as an AIUSA Artist of Conscience. In 2014, she was selected for term membership by the Council on Foreign Relations.

Academy award and four time BAFTA award winning Director / Writer / Producer AsifKapadia is known for his visually striking films exploring characters living in timeless, extreme and unforgiving landscapes. His films have been box office successes around the world as well as being critically lauded and awarded internationally.

Born in Hackney in 1972, Kapadia studied filmmaking at the Royal College of Art where he first gained recognition with his short THE SHEEP THIEF (1997) shot in Rajasthan, India, the film won many international awards including the Second Prize in the Cinefondation section of the 1998 Cannes International Film Festival.

Kapadia’s distinct visual style developed with his debut feature THE WARRIOR (Film4, 2001), shot in the deserts of Rajasthan and the snow capped Himalaya. The Warrior was championed in the British Press as ‘epic’ and ‘stunning’ (Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian) and in 2003 was nominated for three BAFTA awards, winning two for Outstanding British Film of the Year and The Carl Foreman Award for Special Achievement by a Director in their First Feature, as well as being nominated for Best Film Not in the English Language. The Warrior won the prestigious Sutherland Award at the London Film Festival, the Evening Standard British Film Award for the Most Promising Newcomer and the Douglas Hickox Award at the BIFAs for Best Debut Film.

FAR NORTH (2007), Starring Michael Yeoh and Sean Bean premiered at the Venice Film Festival. Based on a short story by writer Sara Maitland. Kapadia used the epic and brutal arctic landscape to show what desperation and loneliness can drive people to

Kapadia’s feature documentary SENNA (Universal Pictures / Working Title, 2011), the thrilling story of the Brazilian motor-racing legend AyrtonSenna, was a break out hit at the international box office. The film was Nominated for three BAFTA awards, winning Best Documentary and Best Editing, as well as being nominated for Best British Film. SENNA broke records at the cinema and on DVD &Bluray in the UK. The film has won many awards around the world including the World Cinema Documentary Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival, Best Documentary at the London Critics Circle, the BIFA award for Best Documentary, the Audience Award for Best International Feature at the Los Angeles Film Festival and was nominated by the Producers Guild of America for the Documentary Theatrical Motion Picture Award 2012.

AMY (Universal Music, 2015), world premiered in Official Selection at the Cannes Film Festival and tells the story of Amy Winehouse in her own words. The film was an international box office hit and is the highest grossing UK documentary of all time, overtaking SENNA. AMY won the Academy Award for Feature Documentary, won the BAFTA for Best Documentary as well as being nominated for Outstanding British Film. Amy won Best Documentary at the European Film Awards and was nominated for Best Feature at the International Documentary Association Awards and has received 5 nominations at the BIFA Awards, including for Best Film, Best Documentary and Best Director.

SharmeenObaid-Chinoy was born on November 12, 1978 in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. SharmeenObaid-Chinoy is a Pakistani journalist, Academy Award winning filmmaker and activist. Obaid-Chinoy was born and raised in Karachi and studied at Karachi Grammar School before moving to the United States and received her B.A from Smith College in 2002. She returned to Pakistan and launched her career as a filmmaker with her first film Terror’s Children for The New York Times. In 2003 and 2004 she made two award-winning films while a graduate student at Stanford University. Her most notable films includes, the animated adventure 3 Bahadur (2015), the musical journey Song of Lahore (2015) and the two Academy Award-winning films, the documentary Saving Face (2012) and the biographical A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness (2016). Her visual contributions have earned her numerous awards, including two Academy Awards in the Best Short Subject in 2012 and 2016 and two Emmy Awards in the same category in 2010 and 2011.

Obaid-Chinoy has also won six Emmy Awards, including two of which are in the International Emmy Award for Current Affairs Documentary category for the films, the terrorist drama Pakistan’s Taliban Generation and the documentary Saving Face (2012) Throughout her career, she has made many records, her Academy Award win for Saving Face made her the first Pakistani to win an Academy Award, and she is one of only eleven female directors who have ever won an Oscar for a non-fiction film. She is also the first non-American to win the Livingston Award for Young Journalists. The 2015 animated adventure 3 Bahadur made her the first Pakistani to make a computer-animated feature-length film. In 2012, Time named her as one of the “100 most influential people in the world”. In 2012, the Government of Pakistan awarded her with the Crescent of Excellence, the second highest civilian honour of the country. In 2017, Obaid-Chinoy became the first artist to co-chair the World Economic Forum.

Kamran Pasha is a Hollywood screenwriter, director and novelist. He was a writer and producer on the NBC series Kings, after working as a producer on NBC’s Bionic Woman. Previously, he was a co-producer and writer for Sleeper Cell, Showtime Network’s terrorism drama. Sleeper Cell was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Miniseries in 2005 and for an Emmy for Best Miniseries in 2006. Pasha has also written for The CW series “Nikita” as well as the Disney XD animated show “Tron: Uprising”.

In 2011, Pasha was hired to rewrite a movie screenplay entitled “The Immaculate” for Sidney Kimmel Entertainment and producer Charles Segars. The film follows an agnostic government agent assigned to protect a 17-year-old boy who some people believe is the Messiah.

Pasha sold his first two novels to Simon & Schuster in 2007. The books are entitled Mother of the Believers, a historical epic that follows the birth of Islam from the eyes of the Islamic prophet Muhammad’s wife Aisha, and Shadow of the Swords, a love story set amidst the showdown of Richard the Lionheart and Saladin during the Third Crusade.

Pasha wrote his first video game for the hip hop artist 50 Cent in 2008. The game, 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand, is the sequel to the bestselling 50 Cent: Bulletproof and is distributed by Vivendi Games.

In 2008, Pasha accompanied his mother on the hajj, the traditional Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca.

Pasha was voted as the #3 “Coolest Desi of 2008” by Desiclub.com, a popular South Asian website. He was also cited as one of the top 10 famous Pakistanis by the Divanee.com website.

Pasha blogs regularly for the Huffington Post.

Dave Chappelle’s career started while he was in high school at Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC where he studied theatre arts. At the age of 14, he began performing stand-up comedy in nightclubs. Shortly after graduation, he moved to New York City where he quickly established himself as a major young talent. At the age of 19, Chappelle made his film debut in Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993). Chappelle then starred in the short-lived sitcom, Buddies (1996) and had a featured role in The Nutty Professor (1996).

Akil is a native of Los Angeles, but was raised primarily in Kansas City. She is a graduate of Northwestern University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism.

Akil began her writing career on Fox’s critically acclaimed “South Central.” She later moved on to writing for the UPN series “Moesha,” where she earned her Producer title after four seasons. She received the 1999 SHINE (Sexual Health in Entertainment) Award presented by The Media Project for her “Moesha” episode “Birth Control.”

Akil later served as Supervising Producer on the comedy series “The Jamie Foxx Show.” For the 2000-01 television season, Akil created her first show, Girlfriends (2000), which she and Kelsey Grammer executive produce. ‘Girlfriends’ was presented with a 2001 SHINE Award for “The Burning Vagina Monologues” episode. It was also honored with 2002 and 2003 NAACP Image Awards nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series.

Akil draws inspiration for the storylines from her own group of good friends, including Felicia D. Henderson (creator of Showtime’s “Soul Food”) and Gina Prince-Bythewood (writer/director of New Line Cinema’s “Love & Basketball”).

She is married to Executive Producer/Director SalimAkil. Recently, VIBE listed Akil on its “Top 100 Hottest People List” and Honey magazine named her as one of the “Top 25 Hottest Women in Urban Entertainment.” She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority and a board member of Center Theatre Group (Mark Taper Forum and Ahmanson Theatre). She also enjoys mentoring young people, especially aspiring writers.

AliaumeDamalaBadara Akon Thiam (born April 16, 1973), better known as Akon, is an American singer, rapper, songwriter, businessman, record producer and actor. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of “Locked Up”, the first single from his debut album Trouble.

He has since founded two successful record labels, KonvictMuzik and Kon Live Distribution. His second album, Konvicted received three nominations for the Grammy Awards in two categories, Best Contemporary R&B Album for Konvicted album and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for “Smack That” and “I Wanna Love You”.

He is the first solo artist to hold both the number one and two spots simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100 charts twice. Akon has had four songs certified as 3× platinum, three songs certified as 2× platinum, more than ten songs certified as 1× platinum and more than ten songs certified as gold in digital sales. Akon has sung songs in other languages including Tamil, Hindi, and Spanish. He was listed by the Guinness Book of World Records as the #1 selling artist for master ringtones in the world.

Akon often provides vocals as a featured artist and is currently credited with over 300 guest appearances and more than 35 Billboard Hot 100 songs. He has worked with numerous performers such as Michael Jackson, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Whitney Houston, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, and Gwen Stefani. He has had five Grammy Awards nominations and has produced songs for artists such as Lady Gaga, Colby O’Donis, KardinalOffishall, Leona Lewis, and T-Pain.

Forbes ranked Akon 80th (Power Rank) in Forbes Celebrity 100 in 2010 and 5th in 40 Most Powerful Celebrities in Africa list, in 2011. Billboard ranked Akon No. 6 on the list of Top Digital Songs Artists of the decade.

FaheemRashadNajm (born September 30, 1985), better known by his stage name T-Pain, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer from Tallahassee, Florida. His debut album, RappaTerntSanga, was released in 2005. In 2007, T-Pain released his second album Epiphany, which reached number one on the US Billboard 200 chart. His third album, Thr33 Ringz, was released in 2008. T-Pain has also released a string of hit singles, including “I’m Sprung”, “I’m ‘n Luv (Wit a Stripper)”, “Buy U a Drank (ShawtySnappin’)”, “Bartender”, “Can’t Believe It”, “5 O’Clock” and more. T-Pain has earned two Grammy Awards, alongside artists Kanye West and Jamie Foxx respectively.

T-Pain is the founder of the record label imprint Nappy Boy Entertainment, established in 2005. Throughout his career as a singer, T-Pain is best known for using and popularizing the creative use of the Auto-Tune pitch correction effect, used with extreme parameter settings to create distinctive vocal sounds. From 2006 to 2010, T-Pain was featured on more than 50 chart topping singles, his most successful feature to date was on Flo Rida’s debut single “Low”, which has since been certified 6x platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Michael Gerard “Mike” Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2005. He held the undisputed world heavyweight championship and holds the record as the youngest boxer to win the WBA, WBC, and IBF heavyweight titles at 20 years, 4 months, and 22 days old.[4] Tyson won his first 19 professional fights by knockout, 12 of them in the first round. He won the WBC title in 1986 after stopping Trevor Berbick in two rounds. In 1987, Tyson added the WBA and IBF titles after defeating James Smith and Tony Tucker. This made him the first heavyweight boxer to simultaneously hold the WBA, WBC, and IBF titles, and the only heavyweight to successively unify them.

In 1988, Tyson became the lineal champion when he knocked out Michael Spinks in 91 seconds of the first round.[5] Tyson successfully defended the world heavyweight championship nine times, including victories over Larry Holmes and Frank Bruno. In 1990, he lost his titles to underdog Buster Douglas, who knocked Tyson out in the tenth round. Attempting to regain the titles, Tyson defeated Donovan Ruddock twice in 1991, but pulled out of a fight with then-undisputed heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield (who had defeated Douglas later in 1990) due to a rib injury.

In 1992, Tyson was convicted of rape and sentenced to six years in prison, but was released after serving three years. After his release in 1995, he engaged in a series of comeback fights. He won the WBC and WBA titles in 1996, after defeating Frank Bruno and Bruce Seldon by knockout. With his defeat of Bruno, Tyson joined Floyd Patterson, Muhammad Ali, Tim Witherspoon, Evander Holyfield, and George Foreman, as the only men in boxing history to have regained a heavyweight championship after having lost it. After being stripped of the WBC title in the same year, Tyson lost the WBA title to Evander Holyfield by an eleventh-round stoppage. Their infamous 1997 rematch ended when Tyson was disqualified for biting Holyfield’s ears.

In 2002, Tyson fought for the world heavyweight title at the age of 35, losing by knockout to Lennox Lewis. Tyson retired from professional boxing in 2006, after being knocked out in consecutive matches against Danny Williams and Kevin McBride. Tyson declared bankruptcy in 2003, despite having received over $30 million for several of his fights and $300 million during his career. At the time it was reported that he had approximately $23 million of debt.[6] Tyson was well known for his ferocious and intimidating boxing style as well as his controversial behavior inside and outside the ring. Nicknamed “Iron,”[7] and “Kid Dynamite” in his early career, and later known as “The Baddest Man on the Planet,”[8] Tyson is considered one of the best heavyweights of all time.[9] He was ranked No. 16 on The Ring’s list of 100 greatest punchers of all time,[10] and No. 1 in the ESPN.com list of “The Hardest Hitters in Heavyweight History.”[11] Sky Sports rated him as “the scariest boxer ever,” and described him as “perhaps the most ferocious fighter to step into a professional ring.”[12] He has been inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of Fame.

Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. He is widely regarded as one of the most significant and celebrated sports figures of the 20th century. From early in his career, Ali was known as an inspiring, controversial, and polarizing figure both inside and outside the ring.[10][11]

Cassius Clay was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, and began training as an amateur boxer when he was 12 years old. At age 18, he won a gold medal in the light heavyweight division at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome and turned professional later that year. At age 22 in 1964, he won the WBA, WBC, and lineal heavyweight titles from Sonny Liston in a big upset. Clay then converted to Islam and changed his name from Cassius Clay, which he called his “slave name”, to Muhammad Ali. He set an example of racial pride for African Americans and resistance to white domination during the 1960s Civil Rights Movement.[12][13]

In 1966, two years after winning the heavyweight title, Ali further antagonized the white establishment by refusing to be drafted into the U.S. military, citing his religious beliefs and opposition to American involvement in the Vietnam War.[12][14] He was eventually arrested, found guilty of draft evasion charges, and stripped of his boxing titles. He successfully appealed the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, which overturned his conviction in 1971, by which time he had not fought for nearly four years and thereby lost a period of peak performance as an athlete. Ali’s actions as a conscientious objector to the war made him an icon for the larger counterculture generation.[15][16]

Ali is regarded as one of the leading heavyweight boxers of the 20th century. He remains the only three-time lineal heavyweight champion, having won the title in 1964, 1974, and 1978. Between February 25 and September 19, 1964, Ali reigned as the undisputed heavyweight champion. He is the only boxer to be named The Ring magazine Fighter of the Year six times. He was ranked as the greatest athlete of the 20th century by Sports Illustrated, the Sports Personality of the Century by the BBC, and the third greatest athlete of the 20th century by ESPN SportsCentury. Nicknamed “The Greatest”, he was involved in several historic boxing matches.[17] Notable among these were the first Liston fight; the “Fight of the Century”, “Super Fight II”, the “Thrilla in Manila” versus his rival Joe Frazier, and “The Rumble in the Jungle” versus George Foreman.

In 1966, two years after winning the heavyweight title, Ali further antagonized the white establishment by refusing to be drafted into the U.S. military, citing his religious beliefs and opposition to American involvement in the Vietnam War.[12][14] He was eventually arrested, found guilty of draft evasion charges, and stripped of his boxing titles. He successfully appealed the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, which overturned his conviction in 1971, by which time he had not fought for nearly four years and thereby lost a period of peak performance as an athlete. Ali’s actions as a conscientious objector to the war made him an icon for the larger counterculture generation.[15][16]

At a time when most fighters let their managers do the talking, Ali thrived in and indeed craved the spotlight, where he was often provocative and outlandish.[18][19][20] He was known for trash talking, and often freestyled with rhyme schemes and spoken word poetry, both for his trash talking in boxing and as political poetry for his activism, anticipating elements of rap and hip hop music.[21][22][23] As a musician, Ali recorded two spoken word albums and a rhythm and blues song, and received two Grammy Award nominations.[23] As an actor, he performed in several films and a Broadway musical. Additionally, Ali wrote two autobiographies, one during and one after his boxing career.

As a Muslim, Ali was initially affiliated with Elijah Muhammad’s Nation of Islam (NOI) and advocated their black separatist ideology. He later disavowed the NOI, adhering initially to Sunni Islam and later to Sufism, and supporting racial integration, like his former mentor Malcolm X.

After retiring from boxing in 1981, Ali devoted his life to religious and charitable work. In 1984, Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson’s syndrome, which his doctors attributed to boxing-related brain injuries. As the condition worsened, Ali made limited public appearances and was cared for by his family until his death on June 3, 2016, in Scottsdale, Arizona.

MalalaYousafzai (born 12 July 1997) is a Pakistani activist for female education and the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate.[3] She is known mainly for human rights advocacy for education and for women in her native Swat Valley in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, northwest Pakistan, where the local Taliban had at times banned girls from attending school. Malala’s advocacy has since grown into an international movement.

Born in Swat District, Pakistan, her family came to run a chain of schools in the region. In early 2009, when she was 11–12, Malala wrote a blog under a pseudonym for the BBC Urdu detailing her life during the Taliban occupation of Swat. The following summer, journalist Adam B. Ellick made a New York Times documentaryabout her life as the Pakistani military intervened in the region. Malala rose in prominence, giving interviews in print and on television, and she was nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize by activist Desmond Tutu.

On the afternoon of 9 October 2012, Yousafzai was injured after a Taliban gunman attempted to murder her. Yousafzai remained unconscious, in critical condition at the Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology, but later her condition improved enough for her to be sent to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. The murder attempt sparked a national and international outpouring of support for Malala. Deutsche Welle wrote in January 2013 that Malalamay have become “the most famous teenager in the world.” Weeks after her murder attempt, a group of fifty leading Muslim clerics in Pakistan issued a fatwā against those who tried to kill her.

Since recovering, Yousafzai became a prominent education activist. Based out of Birmingham, Yousafzai founded the Malala Fund, a non-profit and in 2013 co-authored a I am Malala, an international bestseller. In 2015, Yousafzai was a subject of the Oscar-shortlisted documentary He Named Me Malala. The 2013, 2014 and 2015 issues of Time magazine featured Malala as one of the most Influential people globally. In 2012, she was the recipient of Pakistan’s first National Youth Peace Prize and the 2013 Sakharov Prize. In 2014, Malala was announced as the co-recipient of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize, along with KailashSatyarthi, for her struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education. Aged 17 at the time, Malala became the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate. Since March 2013, she has been a pupil at the all-girls’ Edgbaston High School in Birmingham.