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Why Malala Yousafzai Has Never Been Angry at the Men Who Shot Her

Season 7 Episode 626
Aired on 10/11/2015 | CC tv-14
Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai grew up in the Swat Valley, located in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in northwest Pakistan. In 2007, the Taliban, an extremist Islamic group, effectively took control of the region, banning dancing, music stores and parties, and preventing women from seeking an education. They destroyed more than 400 schools in the process.

Meanwhile, Malala, whose parents operate a chain of schools in the area, was speaking out for girls' equal access to education. When she was just 11 years old, she wrote an anonymous blog for the BBC about her experiences under Taliban rule, focusing on the struggles in the education system. She eventually went public with her beliefs and became a de facto representative for equal rights in the region.

In 2009, the Pakistani military took control of the Swat Valley, but dangers remained for the residents. In October 2012, Malala was shot three times and was nearly killed by a Taliban gunman in an attempt to stop her from disseminating her beliefs.

They did not succeed. Malala survived and went on to become the youngest Nobel laureate in history. She continues to speak around the world.

Does she ever feel angry at the people who tried to kill her, even a little bit, Oprah asks Malala in their Super Soul Sunday interview.

"I think that in order to go forward, it's important that you have love in your heart. And I want to have love in my heart," Malala says. " I don't want to have any hate, any bad feelings in my heart. And that's what makes me more happy."

Watch as the brave activist expresses why she doesn't feel any hatred for the men who tried to take her life.