Pakistani human rights activist Malala Yousafzai shared photos on Twitter and Instagram of her intimate marriage ceremony to Asser Malik in Birmingham, England.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner and her partner tied the knot on Tuesday, Nov 9.
“Today marks a precious day in my life. Asser and I tied the knot to be partners for life,” she 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.”
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 Yousafzai (@Malala) November 9, 2021
A nikkah ceremony is one where the bride and groom consent to be married. It is the first step in an Islamic marriage.
Mr Malik is the General Manager High Performance for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), which he joined in 2020, according to his LinkedIn profile. He and Ms Yousafzai are said to have been dating for some time and have known each other since 2019.
He received his bachelor’s degree in economics and political science in 2012 from Lahore University of Management Sciences and previously worked with the Pakistan Super League franchise Multan Sultans as an operational manager.
He also shared photos of the ceremony on his Instagram account.
The activist’s parents, Ziauddin Yousafzai and Toor Pekai Yousafzai, were at the ceremony as well.
“It is beyond words. Toor Pekai and I are overwhelmed with joy and gratitude,” tweeted Ziauddin Yousafzai, who shared his daughter’s post.
It is beyond words. Toor Pekai and I are overwhelmed with joy and gratitude.
Alhamdulillah. https://t.co/9OwHyUOG6W— Ziauddin Yousafzai (@ZiauddinY) November 9, 2021
While well-wishers, including Chelsea Clinton and Justin Trudeau congratulated the couple, there were also commenters on Ms Yousafzai’s post who questioned her, reminding the activist of something she had said a few months ago in an interview for British Vogue‘s July 2021 issue.
“I still don’t understand why people have to get married. 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?” she said at the time, adding, “My mum is like… ‘Don’t you dare say anything like that! You have to get married, marriage is beautiful’.”
Ms Yousafzai won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014—at the age of 17, the youngest Nobel laureate in history—for her years-long struggle for the rights and education of children, especially females, in countries where their freedoms are curtailed.
When she was 15, she was shot in the face by a gunman from the Taliban.
Her family relocated to the UK after the assault, and Ms Yousafzai went on to study at Oxford University.
She has continued to advocate for the rights of girls to get an education, including recently calling for better support for refugees from Afghanistan. /TISG
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