Malala Yousafzai graduated from Oxford University with a philosophy, politics and economics degree on Friday, nine years after being shot by the Taliban after campaigning for girls to be to be educated in her native Pakistan.
Now 24, the youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize took to Instagram to post moving photos of her graduation ceremony. It was originally scheduled for May 2020 but Covid delayed it and made it move to the autumn of 2021.
Malala was seen posing in her hat and gown as she stood by the university, as well as alongside her proud parents Ziauddin Yousafzai and Toor Pekai Yousafzai and new husband Asser Malik.
This comes months after Taliban banned girls from going back to secondary school, and replaced Afghanistan’s women’s ministry by an all-male “vice and virtue” department.
Malala Yousafzai received a philosophy and politics degree from Oxford University. This was nine years after she was killed by Taliban while campaigning for education in Pakistan.
Malala, who shared pictures of campus while surrounded with her friends and loved ones, looked radiant.
This post received over 600,000.00 likes, and thousands upon thousands of comments from her followers.
Malala’s husband posted two pictures to Twitter celebrating her graduation, saying: “The place where we first met felt even more special on Malala’s graduation day.”
Malala was seen in her dress and hat while standing beside Asser Malik, Asser’s new husband.
Malala shared a snap as she posed with her proud parents Ziauddin Yousafzai and Toor Pekai Yousafzai and wrote: ‘Some Latin was said and apparently I have a degree’
In September Islamists excluded girls from returning to secondary school in Afghanistan, but ordered boys and male teachers back to the classroom.
In August, the hardline group overthrew the US-backed government, promising a more relaxed form of governance than the repressive rule in 1990s when most women were banned from work and education.
However, the latest attempt by the new government was to undermine women’s rights with the instruction from the education ministry.
After campaigning to educate girls in Pakistan, Ms. Yousafzai at 15 was gunned down by a Taliban gunman.
Miraculously she survived, was treated in Britain and resumed her amazing work. At just 17, Malala was the youngest Nobel Peace Prize recipient in 2014.
She was influenced by her father, Mr Yousafazi (a fellow advocate for women’s rights), who is a former teacher and spoke out publicly against Taliban attempts to shut down girls schools.
July British Vogue cover star Malala previously told the publication she enjoyed ‘each and every moment’ at Oxford University including visiting McDonald’s and playing poker.
Nobel Prize winner, he said that he was passionate about ‘literally anything. My friends and I went to McDonald’s. We played poker together. Or we attended a lecture or other event.
“I enjoyed every minute because it was something I hadn’t seen before.”
She stated that she hadn’t been with people her own age since the accident.
“At university I finally found some time for myself.”
According to Ms. Yousafzai’s statement, her fame had an impact on her education at Birmingham after she left Pakistan.
“People often ask me, “What was it like meeting Emma Watson, Angelina Jolie, or Obama?” she replied.
“And then I didn’t know what else to do.” This is awkward because it’s hard to let that Malala out of the school building. You want to be just a student, and friend.
Malala married her husband in an intimate ceremony in Birmingham, surprising her many supporters.
Malala, who has millions of fans around the globe, surprised them by marrying in a touching ceremony at her Birmingham house.
While it’s not clear how long Malala Malik has been with Mr Malik, in June 2019, the couple was pictured watching England play Pakistan at Edgbaston.
She spoke previously about her excitement at the ‘journey forward’, after she tied the knot to Asser Malik, a Pakistani cricket coach, who was in her thirties in a secret relationship.
Malala sent sweet pictures from the Nikkah (Islamic marriage ceremony) where she was wearing a gorgeous pink wedding dress.
Malala captioned her photos: “Today marks an important day in my life. Asser, my husband and I were meant to become partners in life.
“We had a small nikkah celebration at our Birmingham home with our family. Send us your prayers. It is a joy to share the journey together.
Malala’s father posted on Twitter that he was overwhelmed with joy and gratefulness for his wife. Malala’s father added ‘Alhamdulillah’, an Arabic phrase that means ‘praise to God’.
The relationship between Malala, Asser and the rest of the world was kept secret.
One hint that the romance was blossoming came when Asser the Pakistan Cricket Board’s high-performance manager posted to his wife in July a birthday message. The message read, “Happy Birthday to Malala,” and featured a picture of them next to one another.
Although it is not known how long Malala has been with Mr Malik, they were photographed together in June 2019 while watching England play Pakistan at Edgbaston.
Although the news about her wedding was unexpected, tens to thousands of well wishers, including Jemima Kan, Greta Thunberg or Justin Trudeau, sent messages of congratulations.
Malala was taken to the UK to receive specialist treatment. Malala had been shot in the face by Taliban gunmen while she was riding a bus from Pakistan to her school. This was nine years after Malala began campaigning for women’s rights.