Malala Yousafzai officially married Asser Malik on Nov. 10. Yousafzai is arguably one of the most famous women’s rights activists of the 21st century. 

Yousafzai was born on July 12, 1997, in Mingora, Pakistan. She was born to an educational activist, Ziauddin Yousafzai, who greatly wanted her to have an education. Her father ran a couple of private schools for girls. Around 2007, Yousafzai’s home land was taken over by the Taliban. With the Taliban’s strict enforcements, women were unable to get an education and have other rights. Yousafzai continued to advocate for girls’ rights to go to school, making her susceptible to the Taliban. 

On Oct. 9, 2012, when Malala was 15-years-old, a masked gunman shot her in the head, neck, and shoulders on her bus ride home. The Taliban admitted that they had decided to kill her in the summer of 2012. However, this did not stop her. She was airlifted to a hospital and received treatment in Peshawar, Germany, and Great Britain. This murder attempt brought many protests from around the world. Malala started the Malala Fund in 2013, to try to let every girl have an education. When she was 17-years-old, she became the youngest person ever to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. 

Although some may criticize Yousafzai for risking her life for what she believes, junior Ellice Kang says otherwise. 

“She’s extremely brave to advocate for women’s rights considering that she was shot,” said Kang. “She lived, and it was ultimately a good thing because through her experience, she could explain the importance of women’s rights.”

In July 2021, Yousafzai had an interview with Vogue Magazine.

“I still don’t understand why people have to get married,” said Yousafzai. “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?”

Fast forward to three months later, Yousafzai is married. So, who is Asser Malik, and why did Yousafzai decide to get married? 

Malik is the General Manager of Pakistan Cricket Board’s High Performance Centre. In an essay to Vogue, Yousafzai wrote that the two met in the summer of 2018, when Malik was at Oxford visiting friends. 

“We became best friends…In Asser, I found a best friend and companion,” she wrote. “I still don’t have all the answers for the challenges facing women – but I believe that I can enjoy friendship, love and equality in marriage.” 

“I think she will still be persistent in advocating because it’s her passion to help others,” said freshman Jackie Aguilar “Just because there’s someone new in her life shouldn’t stop her from doing what she thinks is right.” 

It will be exciting to see how Yousafzai’s future plays out, with her new husband. Nevertheless, Malala has already been a huge role model for many girls around the world.