BIRMINGHAM, England — While being awarded a Nobel Prize is bound to change anyone’s life, the future of Malala Yousafzai had already changed irrevocably about age 11, when she began anonymously blogging in support of educating girls in Pakistan’s religiously conservative Swat Valley.
Her outspokenness conflicted not only with the stern form of Islam enforced by the Taliban but also with Pakistani social and religious mores, particularly those that prevailed in more rural areas, where girls are often secluded in their homes.
The Pakistani teenager, who was shot in the head by the Taliban in 2012 for daring to want an education just like the boys, was named a joint recipient of the peace prize Friday along with Indian children’s rights activist Kailash Satyarthi.
She celebrated with her classmates at Edgbaston High School for girls in Birmingham, the city she now calls home.
Yousafzai had traveled to Birmingham for medical treatment after being targeted by the Taliban for her relentless objections to the group’s rules limiting girls’ access to education. She was shot while returning home from school in Pakistan’s scenic Swat Valley.
Her case won worldwide recognition, and the teen, now 17, became a symbol for the struggle for women’s rights in Pakistan. In an indication of her reach, she spoke before the United Nations and made the shortlist for Time magazine’s ‘‘Person of the Year’’ for 2012.
After receiving specialized brain trauma care in Britain, she regained her sight and her voice, and within months was able to walk out of the hospital.
She resumed her education and kept campaigning for the rights of children to go to school — meeting President Obama, attending rights conferences, becoming the keynote speaker at corporate events in London. She began rubbing elbows with people who had the power and the money to help her realize her dreams.
With British journalist Christina Lamb, she coauthored a memoir, ‘‘I am Malala,’’ which revealed that she was also a regular teenager.
‘‘Malala is an inspiration for the many women in Afghanistan and Pakistan who have been fighting for their rights and struggling against the misogynous policies of the Taliban and local warlords,’’ said David Cortright, a professor at the University of Notre Dame.
‘‘As we know, people learn best from personal stories,’’ he said. “Malala’s story is a powerful antidote to extremist propaganda, and the Nobel Prize reinforces its impact.’’