The 24-year-old Pakistani activist shared photos with her husband as she announced she got married in a small ceremony.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai has “tied the knot” with her partner Asser Malik during an Islamic ceremony in Birmingham.
She and Asser Malik took part in a nikah ceremony, where the bride and groom consent to be married.
Although not a legally binding contract, a nikah ceremony is the first step in an Islamic marriage.
A separate ceremony is often carried out privately and Malala did not indicate whether the couple had a separate civil ceremony.
The 24-year-old activist said it was “a precious day” in her life.
The Pakistani women’s rights activist found refuge in the West Midlands after being shot in the head by the Taliban in 2012.
“Asser and I tied the knot to be partners for life,” she tweeted on Tuesday, sharing how they had taken part in a “small nikkah ceremony with family”.
Today marks a precious day in my life.
Asser and I tied the knot to be partners for life. 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.
?: @malinfezehai pic.twitter.com/SNRgm3ufWP— Malala (@Malala) November 9, 2021
Yousafzai’s parents, Ziauddin Yousafzai and Toor Pekai Yousafzai shared their excitement along with some photos by Malala’s friend, photographer Malin Fezehai.
Malala talked with British Vogue earlier this year about her feelings toward marriage, saying her parents had an “arranged love marriage” but expressing doubt about whether she would ever marry.
“I still don’t understand why people have to get married,” she said. “If you want to have a person in your life, why do you have to sign marriage papers, why can’t it just be a partnership?”
Malala was 15 when she was targeted by the Taliban in Pakistan for speaking up for the right of girls to be educated.
She survived the assault, in which a militant boarded her school bus in north-western Swat valley and opened fire, wounding two of her school friends as well as Malala.
After recovering from her near-fatal injuries, she and her family relocated to Birmingham, which she later called “a second home”. At 17 years old, she became the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize. She went on to study at Oxford University and has become a leading human rights campaigner.
Published by HOLR Magazine