DM
London
Regularly hitting the headlines for his many run-ins with the law, tumultuous love life and general wild child behaviour, one could be forgiven for overlooking Justin Bieber’s good qualities.
The 20-year-old is actually one of the most charitable celebrities not only of his age group but otherwise, generously lending his undeniable star power - not to mention his substantial wealth - to as many as 16 charities and 20 causes worldwide at last count.
On Wednesday, the singer hinted at yet another endeavour he’s throwing his weight behind as he shared a photo on social media in which he can be seen enjoying a FaceTime chat with Pakistani education activist Malala Yousafzai.
‘Just got to FaceTime with Malala Yousafzai. She has such an incredible story. I can’t wait to meet her in person and talk about how I can support her and the @malalafund. #love,’ he captioned the image of the pair.
While both Bieber’s and the 17-year-old’s faces are partially obscured in the awkwardly-cropped snap, their wide grins are nonetheless unmistakable. The name Malala echoed around the world in 2012 when the then-15-year-old was brutally shot for daring to voice her opinion about the rights of girls in her country to have an education.
It all began in 2009, when she started writing an anonymous blog for the BBC, in which she detailed the oppression facing her and her friends as well as their fears at living under the constant threat of the Taliban. Ending her blog after death threats against her intensified, her identity as the mystery blogger was revealed when she was featured in a New York Times documentary.
The recipient of Pakistan’s first National Youth Peace Prize in 2011 and nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, her increasing public profile and criticism of the Taliban led to their decision to shut her up for good. On October 9, 2012, the teenager was shot in the head by a masked gunman as she rode the bus to school, surrounded by her friends and peers, several of whom were also injured in the attack.
Alive but in critical condition, she was rushed to hospital, where her plight immediately made headlines around the world, resulting in her being moved to the UK for further lifesaving treatment once her condition was stable enough.
She was treated at a hospital specialising in military injuries in Birmingham, where she remained until January 3, 2013, when she was discharged and moved with her family to temporary housing in the West Midlands.
The shocking assassination attempt on an innocent schoolgirl received worldwide attention and condemnation, and more than two million people signed the Right To Education campaign - which led to the ratification of the country’s first right to education bill. She subsequently started the Malala Fund to help bring awareness to the importance of the education of girls and to empower her peers to stand up for their rights and demand change.
During her plight, Malala has touched more lives than she can count - including a number of high-profile celebrities, such as Angelina Jolie, who famously said: ‘We are all Malala.’ Along with her new pal Justin, Malala can also add actress Reese Witherspoon to that growing list of A-list admirers.
On Tuesday, the 38-year-old mother-of-three was lucky enough to spend time in person with the remarkable teenager, later taking to Instagram to share a photo of the pair following their meet and greet.