Malala Yousafzai: Prayers Are Not Enough for the Children of Aleppo

Earlier today education activist Malala Yousafzai released the following statement.

Today I feel as though I’m watching the worst of our past repeat itself.

When I look at Syria, I see the Rwandan genocide. When I read the desperate words of Bana Alabed in Aleppo, I see Anne Frank in Amsterdam.

History shows us the same children suffering, the ones we always say we surely would have helped, if only we had been there. But history does not fall from the sky, it is us who make it.

To the children under siege in Aleppo, I pray that you will get out safely. I pray that you will grow up strong, go to school and see peace in your country some day.

But prayers are not enough. We must act. The international community must do everything they can to end to this inhumane war. The Syrian regime must give safe passage to people who want to leave and allow aid workers into Aleppo to save as many lives as they can.

May God be with the children of Aleppo, even if our world leaders are not.

– Malala Yousafzai

Related Off-site Links:
The Bloodbath in Aleppo Will Haunt Humanity – The Editorial Board (The Washington Post, December 14, 2016).
There Is More Than One Truth to Tell in the Terrible Story of Aleppo – Robert Fisk (The Independent, December 13, 2016).
Aleppo’s People Are Being Slaughtered. Did We Learn Nothing from Srebrenica? – Nedžad Avdić (The Guardian, December 13, 2016).
How the West Must Share the Blame for Aleppo's Day of Horror – Kim Sengupta (The Independent, December 13, 2016).
Syria’s Civil War to Mar Obama Legacy – Matt Spetalnick and Jonathan Landay (Reuters, December 13, 2016).
The Fall of Rebel-Held Aleppo Is a Warning to Others Who Oppose Assad – Annia Ciezadlo (NewsDeeply, December 14, 2016).
The Fall of Aleppo – Aaron Lund (IRIN via Common Dreams, December 14, 2016).
Aleppo Evacuees Face Perilous Path to An Uncertain Future – Martin Chulov (The Guardian, December 15, 2016).
“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” Rewritten for Aleppo – Nathan Michael Black (Conspire 2 Love, December 14, 2016).
A Litany of Prayer for Aleppo – Michael K. Marsh (Interrupting the Silence, December 16, 2016).

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• Rallying in Solidarity with the Refugees of Syria and the World
• Sanctuary for Gay Syrians Danny and Aamer
• Thoughts on Prayer in a "Summer of Strife"
• Vanessa Redgrave: Speaking Out
• Quote of the Day – September 7, 2015
• You, O Comforter, Are Ever Near . . .

Image 1: In this October 3, 2013 file photo, a Syrian man cries as he holds the lifeless body of his son, killed by the Syrian Army, near Dar El Shifa hospital in Aleppo, Syria. (Photo: AP/Manu Brabo)
Image 2: Stringer via Getty Images.
Image 3: A Syrian woman, fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, reacts as she stands with her children in Aleppo's Fardos neighborhood, after regime troops retook the area from rebel fighters. (Photo: Getty Images)