Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani activist and youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, announced Tuesday that she has gotten married.
“Today marks a precious day in my life,” the 24-year-old wrote. “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.”
Her new husband, Asser Malik, is a manager with the Pakistan Cricket Board, BBC News reported.
“In Malala, I found the most supportive friend, a beautiful and kind partner — I’m so excited to spend the rest of our life together,” he tweeted.
Yousafzai, who survived being shot in the head by the Taliban for advocating for girls to be educated, rose to international prominence for her story and her subsequent work as a human rights activist. In 2014, she became the youngest person to receive a Nobel Peace Prize at 17 years old.
Last year, Yousafzai graduated from Oxford University, where she studied philosophy, politics and economics. Earlier this year, Apple TV+ announced a partnership with Yousafzai — she will be producing exclusive content for them.
Yousafzai has also spoken out in recent months after the U.S. withdrew its military from Afghanistan. In a September interview with the “CBS Evening News,” Yousafzai said President Biden has a “huge responsibility” to the women of Afghanistan who have had their freedoms limited by the Taliban. She said her friends told her that girls are now afraid to attend school — something they were allowed to do during the U.S. occupation.
“They had dreams, and they’re worried that they may not be able to sit in the classroom anymore. Women are worried about going to work. They are constantly under the surveillance, where people are watching them over how they act, how they speak, how they behave, what they wear, how they’re dressed and their rights are denied to them,” she said in the September interview.
Sophie Lewis and Caitlin Yilek contributed reporting.
