Beyonce shows support for teen activist Malala Yousafzai on 16th birthday

Beyonce pledged her support to young Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai on Friday (12Jul13) by sending a special birthday message to the teenager online.

Yousafzai was shot in the head by Taliban operatives, who opposed her outspoken views about education for girls, as she made her way home from school last year (Oct12), and she has continued to campaign for the cause since recovering from her life-threatening injuries.

Angelina Jolie has previously honored the youngster by donating to her new education fund, and Beyonce paid tribute to Yousafzai to recognize her heroism as she turned 16.

The Irreplaceable hitmaker shared a photo of herself holding up a handwritten sign which made reference to her hit Destiny's Child song Survivor on her Instagram.com page on Friday.

The message read: "Your bravery and perserverance has touched the world. You are the true definition of a survivor. All my love and respect, Beyonce. Happy Birthday Malala!"

Yousafzai marked her birthday on Friday, which was dubbed Malala Day by United Nation's officials, by staging her first major public appearance at the U.N. headquarters in New York, where she delivered a speech about the importance of education.