Taliban praises Nobel Prize panel for not picking teen education activist Malala Yousafzai

Mike Krumboltz

Upon hearing that acclaimed teen activist Malala Yousafzai had not won the Nobel Peace Prize (as many had expected her to), the Pakistani Taliban lauded the prize committee for its decision, according to a statement from spokesperson Shahidullah Shahid.

The group applauded the Nobel Prize committee for "not selecting this immature girl for this famous award" and called the decision "very good news," NBC News reported.

"This award should be given to the real Muslims who are struggling for Islam. Malala is against Islam. She is secular," Shahid told the AFP in a press call.

Yousafzai, who recently went on the "Daily Show With Jon Stewart" to speak about her experiences and tribulations while working to improve the education system for girls in Pakistan, has received death threats. Last year, she was shot while sitting on a school bus.


After the shooting, Yousafzai was flown to the U.K. for immediate medical attention. Shahid was quoted by NBC News as saying that the militant group known as Tehreek-e-Taliban will make another attempt on her life.

"If we get another chance, we will definitely kill her and that will make us feel proud," Shahid said.

After hearing that she had not won the Nobel Peace Prize, Yousafzai posted a positive message on Twitter, congratulating the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

In a recent column, the Washington Post's Max Fischer argued that the Nobel Prize committee might have been doing Yousafzai a favor by passing her over.

From the Washington Post:

It can sometimes feel as if the entire West were trying to co-opt Malala, as if to tell ourselves: "Look, we're with the good guys, we're on the right side. The problem is over there." Sometimes the heroes we appoint to solve our problems can say as much about us as about them. Malala's answer is courage. Our answer is celebrity.