Malala Yousafzai is now married, the human rights and education activist announced by revealing stunning photos of her big day.
The 24-year-old, who lives in the UK after surviving a Taliban attack at the age of 15 in her native Pakistan, shared the exciting news on social media om Tuesday while sharing photos of herself and her husband Asser Malik.
“Today marks a precious day in my life,” she wrote. “Asser and I tied the knot to be partners in 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.”
Yousafzai’s father, seen with her and her mother in one of the photos, also shared in her joy, writing in a separate post: “It is beyond words.”
“Toor Pekai and I are overwhelmed with joy and gratitude,” he wrote of his wife, adding “Alhamdulillah”, which means “praise be to God” in Arabic.
Yousafzai said in an interview with British Vogue in June that she wasn’t sure if she would ever get married.
“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, though later acknowledging that people do change and grow.
The union is just the latest big milestone for Yousafzai, who completed a degree in philosophy, politics and economics at the University of Oxford.
Prior to that, she was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 for fighting for the rights of all children to have an education. And in 2013, she published her autobiography, “I Am Malala”, which became an international bestseller.
Yousafzai survived an assassination attempt by the Taliban in 2012 after she publicly spoke out against the militant group’s suppression of women and girls. Taliban militants shot the then-teenager twice while she was on a school bus, but she remarkably survived and went on to continue her activism.