Nobel laureate and human rights activist Malala Yousafzai gets married

Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, who was shot by the Pakistani Taliban for campaigning for girls’ education, got married in a small ceremony in Birmingham, England. Malala announced her marriage on Twitter by writing, “Today marks a precious day in my life. Asser (Malik) and I tied the knot to be partners for life”. Malala has given no other information about her husband apart from his first name. However, according to Dawn News, Asser Malik is a general manager of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s High-Performance Centre.

She tied the knot at her home in the presence of her family, and she further wrote, “We celebrated a small nikkah ceremony at home in Birmingham with our families. Please send us your prayers. We are excited to walk together for the journey ahead”. A nikkah ceremony is the first step in an Islamic marriage.

Malala wore a tea pink outfit paired with simple jewellery. Her husband wore a simple suit and matched his tie to her outfit. Malala’s father Ziauddin Yousafzai also posted on Twitter about the news. “It is beyond words. Toor Pekai and I are overwhelmed with joy and gratitude. Alhamdulillah,” he wrote on twitter.

At 15, Malala was shot in the head by militants from Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, an offshoot of the Afghan Taliban, in her hometown in the Swat valley while on a school bus in 2012.

She recovered after months of treatment at home and abroad before co-writing a best-selling memoir titled “I am Malala.”

Malala was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize as a 17-year-old in 2014, sharing the award with Kailash Satyarthi, children’s rights activist.

She graduated from the University of Oxford with a degree in philosophy, politics, and economics last year. Now, the 24-year-old, advocates for girls’ education with her non-profit Malala Fund, has invested $2 million in Afghanistan. She has also signed a deal with Apple TV that will see her produce dramas and documentaries that focus on women and children.