Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai gets married in beautiful ceremony

Malala Yousafzai, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Pakistani activist, got married at a ceremony in Birmingham, England. Malala made the announcement on Twitter on Tuesday. "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." The human rights and education activist tied the knot with Asser Malik, an operations manager for the Pakistan Cricket Board, hailing from the city of Lahore, reported The Huffington Post. Malala also posted pictures of her with Asser, and along with her parents.

Malala survived a Taliban assassination attempt at the age of 15 in Pakistan, her native country, in 2012. She had publicly spoken out against the militant group’s suppression of women and girls, sparking retaliation from the extremist outfit. Taliban militants boarded her school and asked for her, “Who is Malala?” On finding her, they shot on the left side of her head. She survived the attack before continuing her education and activism. She moved to England with her family shortly after the attack. Malala has since completed a degree in philosophy, politics, and economics at the University of Oxford.

Malala's father Ziauddin Yousafzai tweeted Malala's post and wrote, "It is beyond words. Toor Pekai and I are overwhelmed with joy and gratitude." Malala was unsure of marriage when she spoke to British Vogue in June. “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, before adding that she keeps evolving as a person. “I didn’t realize that you’re not the same person all the time. You change as well and you’re growing.”

Malala raised her voice for girls' education at the age of 11 when the Taliban took control of her town, Swat Valley, and shut down the school run by her father, who's a teacher. "I loved school. But everything changed when the Taliban took control of our town," she said, according to Malala Org, an organization started by Malala's parents to champion every girl’s right to 12 years of free, safe, quality education. "The extremists banned many things — like owning a television and playing music — and enforced harsh punishments for those who defied their orders. And they said girls could no longer go to school. I said goodbye to my classmates, not knowing when — if ever — I would see them again."

After moving to the UK, she continued her fight for girls' education. "It was then I knew I had a choice: I could live a quiet life or I could make the most of this new life I had been given. I determined to continue my fight until every girl could go to school," she said. She was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 for fighting for the right of all children to have an education and thus becoming the youngest-ever Nobel laureate. "This award is not just for me. It is for those forgotten children who want education. It is for those frightened children who want peace. It is for those voiceless children who want change. I am here to stand up for their rights, to raise their voice… it is not time to pity them. It is time to take action so it becomes the last time, the last time, so it becomes the last time that we see a child deprived of education," she said in her speech while receiving the honor.