Teenage girl who was shot in the head by Taliban opens new library

   
Malala Yousafzai, the 16-year-old Pakistani girl was shot in the head by the Taliban, has opened a new public library in Birmingham, the British city where she underwent intensive rehabilitation following the attack.          

Before unveiling a plaque that will be placed in the floor of the library's foyer, she spoke to guests and media on Tuesday.        

"It is a great honor for me to be here in Birmingham, the beating heart of England," she told them.            

"Birmingham is very special for me because it was here that I found myself alive seven days after I was shot. It is now my second home after my beloved Pakistan."     

Yousafzai is an education activist and campaigner for the rights of women and girls around the world.          

"I truly believe the only way we can create global peace and towards peace and prosperity, is only reading, knowledge and education," she said on Tuesday.            

"Let us not forget that even one book, one pen, one child and one teacher can change the world," Malala added.              

According to its official website, the Library of Birmingham will house the city's collections of archives, photography and rare books as well as a million printed volumes.              

The library was designed by Dutch architects Mecanoo and, at 31-thousand square meters (333-thousand square feet), it is the largest public library in Europe.   


AP