In her second attempt, activist Malala Yousafzai was successful in coming to Canada’s capital to accept an honorary citizenship.
During her first attempt in October 2014, she was stopped at the airport due to an attack at Ottawa’s Parliament Hill. This time, however, went off without a hitch, while Malala’s 20-minute speech to Parliament received several standing ovations. The first ovation came in reference to the 2014 incident.
“The man who attacked Parliament Hill called himself a Muslim, but he did not share my faith,” Malala said.
She added “He did not share the faith of one and a half billion Muslims, living in peace around the world. He did not share our Islam, a religion of learning, compassion and mercy. I am a Muslim and I believe that if you pick up a gun in the name of Islam and kill an innocent person, you are not Muslim anymore.”
