The Daily Show: Ears Edition - ICYMI - Malala Yousafzai on Raising Awareness of Refugee Girls with "We Are Displaced" & Malala Fund

Episode Date: September 30, 2019

Activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai discusses her book "We Are Displaced" and her work to improve girls' education through her nonprofit Malala Fund. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to Comedy Central. John Stewart here. Unbelievably exciting news. My new podcast, The Weekly Show. We're going to be talking about the election, economics, ingredient to bread ratio, on sandwiches. Listen to the weekly show with John Stewart, wherever you get your podcast. Please welcome, Nobel Peace Prize winner, Mal Yousaf Zai. Thank you. Welcome to the show. Thank you. Thank you so much for being here. You know,

it's weird. I'll tell you a little personal story. You are one of those few human beings who walks the planet and is seen as a saint. Like you're seen as somebody who is better than the rest of us because you are. You are late, so... But then this was really great. So we kept Malala waiting because we were running late today. And so.... It it it it it it it. It it. It it. It it. You it. It's it's it's it's it's. You. You. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. th. th. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. th. thi. It's thi. thi. It's th. It's th. It's th. It's th. It's th. It's th. It's th. It's th. It's th. It's th. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi but then this was really great. So we kept Malala waiting because we were running late today. And so you... Trying to impress me and like, say nice things about me. No, no, and then you... Don't think it's working.

No, but then like, and is he late? And I was like, I forget that you are a person who's like also having fun in life. Do you, do sometimes people only treat you like a deity? Does it get a bit weird when you're talking to people? Um, no, I have really good friends and they're very nice to me. Right. So do they treat you completely normally? Oh, they just like, I don't like, I they're like, I they're like, I thua, I don't care, close the door. No, like, you know, the way I'm, like, you know, my university life,

the teachers set the deadlines, if I miss it, they would be, like, not happy. I would be terrified to be your teacher in school. No, because you have a Nobel Prize, and then like, Malala's in your class, you're like, Malala, would you like the you like, would like, would like, would you like, would you like, would you like, would you like, would you like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, that up with you? No. No. Not even my university interview. Oh nice. You don't bring it up either? No, I couldn't. I was scared. But you have a Nobel Prize, like let me tell you something, Lala. I'm going to teach you a little bit about swag. If you have a Nobel Prize, you should start every sentence with Nobel Prize, you even if it's not necessary. If you're at Starbucks and they're like, what they like, like, like, let like, let Prize we are, I'll have the ventee. I think one of the reasons people are so drawn to you and your story is not just because of the journey you've been on, but because of the focus you bring to other people's journeys. And this book, We Are Displaced, is another example of that. My journey and stories from refugee girls around the world.

Why did you feel the need to include other stories other than your own? I mean, your story is really so amazing. Why bring in others? Yeah, people already know about my story. And displacement was part of my life in Pakistan and then also moving to the UK. But I have met girls around the world who have been displaced their homes. And often people talk about the need their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their need need their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their. their. their. their. I their. I need. I need. I need. I need. I need. I need. I need. I need. I need. I need. I need. I need. I need. I need. I need. I need. I need. I the. I. I. I. I is the. I. I is together together together together together together. Ia. Ia. Ia. Ia. I'm together. I'm together. I'm together. I'm together. I'm toea. I'm together. I'm today. I'm been displaced, who have lost their homes. And often people talk about refugees and immigrants in numbers and in figures. And we hear about refugees, but we never hear from refugees.

And for me it was so important that we hear from these girls, hear their stories and get inspired. And you know, they show resilience and bravery and courage and I think they have overcome all these difficulties. So there's a lot for us to learn from them. It's interesting because when you see images from refugee settlements or places where people have been displaced by war, it's often the images that connect with people. As you say, the numbers don't seem to shake anyone, but for instance from Syria we saw the image of that little boy, you know, do you thi thii that that thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi they they they they they they're they're their they're they they're they they they they they they they're they're they they're they're their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their they they's they they their they they're they're they're their their their thi.. thi. thi. thi. thi. thiii. thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii. tea. tea. tea. tea. thei. thei.that we could do a better job of putting a face to these people and to these groups? Do you think there's something we could do to improve how we see other human beings who are struggling? I think definitely there are a number of ways in which we can actually know more about the issue?

I think firstly is finding out and meeting the refugees and immigrants in our own community. And one of the stories I have shared is of this amazing young woman who is reaching out to immigrants in her community, helping them, you know, going to the grocery shop or getting their education or applying to university. So it's actually going out there and doing it yourself, but also, you know, listening to the girls stories that are out there reading this work is one is one opportunity to hear from these girls and and I think this is a way for us to to hear from them and I think what is inspiring is that people are interested in these stories and they want to know more and I've already seen that so yeah. When you when you look at the story of refugees around the world,

one thing that seems consistent is being a refugee is already hard enough. Being a woman or a girl who is a refugee exponentially increases how difficult that journey is. It's so much more precarious, it's a really dangerous position to be in as a young girl. What do you think some of the biggest misconceptions are about girls who are refugees or refugees in general around the world? I think the first thing is that becoming a refugee is never their first choice. This is the last choice and this is often the only choice that they have is to leave their homes for their safety, for their better future, because they have lost many things in their lives their lives their lives their lives their lives their lives their lives their lives. their lives their lives their lives their lives their lives their lives their lives their lives their lives their lives their lives their lives their their their their thi thi thi thi. thoosk, thoosk. thoosk. thoosk. thoosk. thoes. thoes. thoes. thoes. And their their their their their their their their their th... And th. And th. And th. And th. And thi. And thi. And thi. And thi. And thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi to to thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii. And the the thethey have is to leave their homes for their safety, for their better future because they have lost many things in their lives.

And you know, one of the stories that I have mentioned is of Anna Lisa from Guatemala who lost her parents, she became orphan at the age of 15 and had to cross the U.S. border and go through so many difficulties and, you know, the fear and, and fear and this sense that you go through where you feel like you're not safe and like somebody could kidnap you or somebody could put you in jail. All that you have to go through is not an easy thing when you're only 15 years old who have lost their parents. And so it just reminds us of the courage that these people have, but also the fact that we need to look at it from a more, a human high, from a human, and a, and a, and a, and a, and a, and a, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, th, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, their, the, the, the, the, their, thi, their, thi, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, th, th, th, and, and, and, and, and, and, their, and, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, and, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, the courage that these people have, but also the fact that we need to look at it from a more human high, from a human angle, and understand what would we be in a situation, how would we react in such a situation, what would we personally be, when we also face the same kind of conflicts or wars or other things that force us to leave our homes.

You recently spoke in Australia and you spoke out against their policy of turning away boats of refugees that had landed on their shores or had come close to their shores. If you were trying to convince somebody who was anti-immigrant or anti-refugee, have you found anything that you can say to them that shifts them or do you find a way that you can speak to people to try and help them see the humanity in this plight? Well I've been trying it for a while and I think it is difficult to convince people but I think for me the best way to know about is I think often time people do not know enough. They have not, they have not met a refugee person. They have not talked to a refugee girl and what she has gone through. So I think it's important for people to actually go and talk to people. That's the best way to integrate.

And my father often says that, you know, if you want to know about a Muslim man or a Muslim person, do not know them through the news, but rather go and visit and visit and visit and visit and visit and visit and visit and go and go and go and go and go and go and go and go and go and go and go and go and go and go and go and go and go and go and go and go and go and go and go and go and go and go and go and go and go and go and go and go and Muslim and talk to them. So I think talking to people is important, but also go and look for facts and figures of how immigrants and refugees have contributed to the global economies and how, you know, for instance, take the US, how refugees and immigrants have built this country at the level that it is right now. And also just look at the human side of why people leave their homes. And it is and it is and it is and it is their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their lives and it is not their lives and their, their, their, their, thoomky and their, tooomorrow, thiiaughinusususus and tooomomomomomorrow, toozymea, toozymea, toozymea, toozymea, toozymea, toozymea, toozyme why people leave their homes. And it is not that simple.

It is never their first choice. And it is often the difficulties that they face that push them out of their houses. And for me personally, when we were leaving Swat Valley, our hometown, that was because it was not safe to stay there. Our lives were at risk. And we did not know where we were going. We did not th no th no th no th no th no tho for tho for tho for tho for tho for tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their the stay there. Our lives were at risk. And we did not know where we were going, we did not know for how long, but we knew that we could not stay there. There was no more

choice but to leave our homes. Right. One of the reasons to buy this book is because of the stories that are truly amazing and well written. Another reason is because the proceeds go to an amazing cause, and that is to your foundation, which focuses on education. Why did you specifically choose that? Why is the Malala fund specifically going after education of all the things that you could have done? Well, firstly, because I remember the time when my own education was banned by his extremist

group called the Taliban. And I remember waking up, I think 10 years ago, exactly 10 years ago. It was the month of January 2009 that I woke up one morning and Gull's education was completely banned and no girl was allowed to go to school. And I realized that my future was taken away from me. My dreams were taken away from me. I was just limited to the house. I could not go and learn. I could not go and study.

I could not go and become a doctor or a teacher or an engineer. And for many girls, the only way towards empowerment is learning and is getting their education, and then standing on their own two feet. So for me, it is it for every girl's empowerment. But also the fact that if half of the population of the world does not get education, if they are not empowered, then the world is losing. We all are losing. So education is crucial for me, especially the education of women, because when we educate

women, it allows us to grow economies. Educating all girls up to secondary level would add up to $30 trillion to the world economy. It helps us to tackle climate change. It helps us reduce poverty, fight against early child marriages, the cultural norms and traditions that are out there that are discriminating women. It has so many advantages. And I was one of the victims, and I was one of those girls. And also the benefits that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that the benefits that the benefits that that the benefits that that that that that that that that that the benefits the benefits the benefits that that that that that that that that that that their their their their their their their their their their their their their the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the theck is theck is theck is theck is tooeffiia.uuia.uia. Imooombs. Imoombs. Imeauoombs. Imeck. Ia. Iauia. I was is toeck. I was toeck. and I was one of those girls and I know that it is crucial for all girls to go and learn and and also the benefits that education brings to the world as well.

And refugees, children's education is equally important, especially the young girls who oftentimes in the refugee camps they are forced to get married. For instance, in Lebanon, like 41% of the reced refugee girls get married before the age of 18. So that's why th the the the the the the the th th th th th th th thi that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's thi thi thia thioluioluioluiolui. the the, the, their their their their their their their their their their their their. their their. their their their their their their their their the Syrian refugee girls get married before the age of 18. So that's why we started Malala Fund and the work is focused on the education of girls, especially complete education, not just primary, but complete, primary and secondary education, safe and quality education, to ensure that. And for that, we invest in local leaders and local educators. And for instancethat, we invest in local leaders and local educators. And for instance, like in Lebanon, one of our activists is going out and talking to the girls' parents

and the local religious leaders and convincing them to send their daughters to school. One of our activists is using this digital device that works in the absence of electricity and internet to educate girls in the refugee camps. In Brazil we have activists in Pakistan and Afghanistan we have activists who are reaching out and and doing work at the local level. It's amazing having you on the show. You continue to inspire us. You make us realize how trash we are as human beings. And I appreciate everything you do. Thank you so much for being on the show. We are displaced. We'll be available January 8th and to learn more about

Malala Fun. Please visit Malala. dot org. Nobel Prize winner. Malala yourself. Bye everybody. The Daily Show with Kvernoa, ears edition. Watch the Daily Show Week nights at 11 10 Central on Comedy Central and the Comedy Central and the Comedy Central app. Watch full episodes and videos at the Daily Show.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and subscribe to the Daily Show on YouTube for exclusive content and more. This has been a Comedy Central podcast. John Stewart here.

Unbelievably exciting news. My new podcast, The Weekly Show. We're going to be talking about the election, economics, ingredient to bread ratio, on sandwiches. Listen to the weekly show with John Stewart. Wherever you get your podcast.