Story highlights The education advocate is a global symbol of empowerment for young women

Support pours in after a Taliban gunman shoots her for attending school

"Where in the Quran does it say that girls should not be educated?" she asks

The Pakistani teen blogger simply sought to get an education. But she became a symbol of defiance against militants, empowering young women worldwide.

The story of Malala Yousufzai, 15, an outspoken critic of the Taliban, is full of contradictions.

Tragic, yet triumphant.

Unafraid, yet battling one of the world's most feared terror groups.

An old soul, yet just a kid.

For years, the young activist has been at odds with the Taliban over her education crusade. She has openly defied the group's teachings on educating girls and encouraged her peers to do the same.

Photos: Photos: Supporters rally behind Malala Photos: Photos: Supporters rally behind Malala Supporters rally behind Malala – Pakistani Christians attend a prayer service for the recovery of teen activist Malala Yousufzai in Lahore on Sunday, November 11, 2012. Pakistan celebrated Malala Day on Saturday as part of a global day of support for the teenager shot by the Taliban. Hide Caption 1 of 35 Photos: Photos: Supporters rally behind Malala Supporters rally behind Malala – Pakistani Christians attend a prayer service in Lahore on Sunday. Malala, 15, went from an intensive care unit in Pakistan, showing no signs of consciousness, to walking, writing, reading and smiling in a hospital in the UK. Hide Caption 2 of 35 Photos: Photos: Supporters rally behind Malala Supporters rally behind Malala – Pakistani supporters hold photographs of Malala as they stand alongside burning candles during a ceremony to mark Malala Day in Karachi on Saturday, November 10, 2012. The teen activist was shot in the head by the Taliban as she rode home from school in a van last month. She had defied the militant group by insisting on the right of girls to go to school. The attack has stirred outrage in Pakistan and around the world. Hide Caption 3 of 35 Photos: Photos: Supporters rally behind Malala Supporters rally behind Malala – Pakistani students shout slogans near photographs of Malala in Karachi on Saturday. Hide Caption 4 of 35 Photos: Photos: Supporters rally behind Malala Supporters rally behind Malala – A Pakistani girl carries a photograph of Malala in Karachi to mark Malala Day. Hide Caption 5 of 35 Photos: Photos: Supporters rally behind Malala Supporters rally behind Malala – Pakistani students attend a Malala Day ceremony in Lahore on Saturday. Hide Caption 6 of 35 Photos: Photos: Supporters rally behind Malala Supporters rally behind Malala – A Pakistani student in Lahore writes a message on a placard on Saturday. Hide Caption 7 of 35 Photos: Photos: Supporters rally behind Malala Supporters rally behind Malala – Indian teachers add finishing touches to a "Malala Rangoli" at a high school in Ahmedabad on Saturday. Hide Caption 8 of 35 Photos: Photos: Supporters rally behind Malala Supporters rally behind Malala – Malala sits up in her hospital bed with her father, Ziauddin, and her two younger brothers, Atal Khan, right, and Khushal Khan on Friday, October 26, 2012, at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham in Birmingham, England. Hide Caption 9 of 35 Photos: Photos: Supporters rally behind Malala Supporters rally behind Malala – Pakistani human rights activists light candles during a Sunday, October 21, 2012, vigil for Malala Yousufzai in Lahore. Hide Caption 10 of 35 Photos: Photos: Supporters rally behind Malala Supporters rally behind Malala – Students at the Sacred Heart Cathedral School in Lahore attend special prayers on Friday, October 19, 2012, for Malala's recovery. Hide Caption 11 of 35 Photos: Photos: Supporters rally behind Malala Supporters rally behind Malala – Campaigners gather Friday for a vigil for Malala in Birmingham, England. Hide Caption 12 of 35 Photos: Photos: Supporters rally behind Malala Supporters rally behind Malala – An activist with the Association for the Advancement of Feminism lights candles during a vigil in Hong Kong on Friday. Hide Caption 13 of 35 Photos: Photos: Supporters rally behind Malala Supporters rally behind Malala – Activists light candles during Friday's vigil in Hong Kong. Hide Caption 14 of 35 Photos: Photos: Supporters rally behind Malala Supporters rally behind Malala – Indian sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik puts final touches on a sand sculpture in honor of Malala at Puri Beach, India, on Tuesday, October 16. Hide Caption 15 of 35 Photos: Photos: Supporters rally behind Malala Supporters rally behind Malala – Pakistani demonstrators chant slogans during a protest against the assassination attempt by the Taliban on Tuesday in Islamabad, Pakistan. Hide Caption 16 of 35 Photos: Photos: Supporters rally behind Malala Supporters rally behind Malala – Pakistani activists of the Islamic Sunni Tehreek party carry flags at a rally in Islamabad on Sunday, October 14, 2012. Hide Caption 17 of 35 Photos: Photos: Supporters rally behind Malala Supporters rally behind Malala – Veiled Pakistani women participate in Sunday's rally. Hide Caption 18 of 35 Photos: Photos: Supporters rally behind Malala Supporters rally behind Malala – Supporters of a Pakistani political party, Muttahida Quami Movement, gather during a protest procession for Malala in Karachi, Pakistan. Hide Caption 19 of 35 Photos: Photos: Supporters rally behind Malala Supporters rally behind Malala – Pakistani leaders of the movement sit in front of a poster of Malala at a procession in Karachi. Hide Caption 20 of 35 Photos: Photos: Supporters rally behind Malala Supporters rally behind Malala – A Pakistani youth places an oil lamp next to a photograph of teen activist Malala Yousufzai on Friday, October 12, 2012, in Karachi, Pakistan. Hide Caption 21 of 35 Photos: Photos: Supporters rally behind Malala Supporters rally behind Malala – Pakistani school girls pray for the recovery of teen activist Malala Yousufzai at their school in Peshawar. Hide Caption 22 of 35 Photos: Photos: Supporters rally behind Malala Supporters rally behind Malala – Pakistani hospital workers carry Malala on a stretcher at a hospital following the attack on Tuesday, October 9, 2012. Malala was shot in the head while riding home in a school van in the Taliban-heavy Swat Valley, officials said. Hide Caption 23 of 35 Photos: Photos: Supporters rally behind Malala Supporters rally behind Malala – Supporters hold portraits of Malala as they pray for her well-being in Karachi, Pakistan in 2012. Malala gained fame for blogging about how girls should have rights in Pakistan, including the right to learn. Hide Caption 24 of 35 Photos: Photos: Supporters rally behind Malala Supporters rally behind Malala – A Pakistani Muslim prays for Malala during Friday prayers in Karachi. Malala, whose writing earned her Pakistan's first National Peace Prize, also encouraged young people to take a stand against the Taliban -- and to not hide in their bedrooms. Hide Caption 25 of 35 Photos: Photos: Supporters rally behind Malala Supporters rally behind Malala – Supporters place candles to pay tribute to Malala in Islamabad on Wednesday. Hide Caption 26 of 35 Photos: Photos: Supporters rally behind Malala Supporters rally behind Malala – A Pakistani female activist holds a photograph of Malala and prays for her recovery in Islamabad on Saturday. Hide Caption 27 of 35 Photos: Photos: Supporters rally behind Malala Supporters rally behind Malala – Pakistani students pray for Malala at a school in Mingora on Thursday. Hide Caption 28 of 35 Photos: Photos: Supporters rally behind Malala =Supporters rally behind Malala – Pakistani Muslims bow their heads and pray for Malala during Friday prayers in Karachi. Hide Caption 29 of 35 Photos: Photos: Supporters rally behind Malala Supporters rally behind Malala – Pakistani school girls pray for the Malala's recovery. Over the weekend, the teen moved her limbs after doctors "reduced sedation to make a clinical assessment," military spokesman Maj. Gen. Asim Bajwa said. Hide Caption 30 of 35 Photos: Photos: Supporters rally behind Malala Supporters rally behind Malala – A Pakistani female covers her face during prayers in Karachi. Hide Caption 31 of 35 Photos: Photos: Supporters rally behind Malala Supporters rally behind Malala – Pakistani civil society activists carry banners in Islamabad on Wednesday as they shout ant-Taliban slogans during a protest against the assassination attempt. Hide Caption 32 of 35 Photos: Photos: Supporters rally behind Malala Supporters rally behind Malala – Children of Pakistani journalists and civil society activists light candles in Islamabad. Hide Caption 33 of 35 Photos: Photos: Supporters rally behind Malala Supporters rally behind Malala – Pakistani Christians attend a mass prayer for the recovery of Malala at Fatima Church in Islamabad. Hide Caption 34 of 35 Photos: Photos: Supporters rally behind Malala Supporters rally behind Malala – Pakistani Christians attend a mass praying for the recovery of Malala at a church in Lahore. Hide Caption 35 of 35

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In an attempt to silence her, militants stormed her school van in October, barked out her name and put a bullet in her head.

But the attack only amplified her voice and rallied a world of supporters to her side.

CNN.com readers voted her as the second-most intriguing person of 2012, days after she was short-listed for Time's Person of the Year. U.S. President Barack Obama came first in both lists.

Constant threats

Malala's global recognition has come with a price.

While most girls her age relish their teen years, she is undergoing grueling treatment in Britain after the shooting.

She lives under constant threats for going to school in the conservative Swat Valley region in northwest Pakistan, where women are repressed under the militants' strict interpretation of Islam.

Despite the dangers, Malala blogged ferociously about her dream of learning without fear. She used television interviews, documentaries and took to the streets to challenge the iron hand on women.

She accused the Taliban of thriving on ignorance.

"Where in the Quran does it say that girls should not be educated?" she asked last year. "I have the right to play. I have the right to sing. I have the right to go to market. I have the right to speak up."

Her role as an activist led to the attack on the van carrying her and other girls home from school, two of whom were also hurt, but not as severely.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

"We do not tolerate people like Malala speaking against us," a Taliban spokesman later said.

Slow recovery

More than two months after the assassination attempt, Malala is still undergoing treatment. She went from an intensive care unit in Pakistan to a hospital in the British city of Birmingham.

Before she left home, she was unconscious. She now walks, writes and reads.

After she regains her strength, she will undergo more surgeries.

It is astounding that she suffered no major brain or nerve damage from the shooting, her doctors say.

Her story of defiance has sparked marches worldwide demanding girls' education.

It has inspired girls in far-flung areas, who relate to her because she is a child herself.

World leaders have hailed the "Malala effect" that made young girls even more determined to get an education.

On November 10, the United Nations marked Malala Day to honor her advocacy work.

And her fight for education is not over yet.

In a message this month thanking supporters, she told them not to make this about her.

"People have actually supported a cause, not an individual," she said. "Let's work together to educate girls around the world."

In her continued commitment to education, she called on Pakistani officials Friday to reverse a decision to name a school after her. She made the request over safety concerns for the students after the Taliban attacked the school.

Before she intervened, students protested and tore down her pictures over the decision to name the school after her, saying the move put them at risk.

'A new heroine'

Pakistani girls' education has long been hampered by widespread poverty and threats by hardline Islamist groups.

The United Nations estimates 32 million girls worldwide don't have access to an education. Roughly 10% of those live in Pakistan.

"Pakistan has a new heroine and a new cause -- a girl's right to education," former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said last month . "Malala's courage has awoken Pakistan's silent majority who are no longer prepared to tolerate the threats and intimidations of the Pakistan Taliban."

Since Malala was 11, she has used her blog to encourage girls to go to school despite Taliban threats. Her focus led her homeland to award her its first National Peace Prize last year.

In January 2009, militants took over her once-tranquil city in Swat Valley and ordered schools to stop educating girls. She blogged about the Taliban's efforts to scare girls away from learning institutions.

They raided homes to confiscate books, she said. Malala hid hers under her bed.

"I was scared of being beheaded by the Taliban because of my passion for education," she said last year.

Her fears almost came to fruition.

After the shooting, militants vowed that if she survived, they would go after her again. They also threatened to kill journalists covering her story.

"This filthy, godless media has taken huge advantage of this situation, and journalists have started passing judgment on us," the Taliban said in a statement.

Malala is uncowed.

When she takes a break from treatment, a white teddy bear with a pink bow sits on her lap.

In her hands, there is always an open book.