Malala Yousafzai responded to all the criticism she faced after getting married to Asser Malik in a private Nikkah ceremony in England on November 9.
A lot of people criticized the youngest Nobel Prize laureate while recalling her statement on relationship and marriage given in an interview with British Vogue earlier in July this year.
Now, talking to the same publication, Malala clarified the fuzz and explained why she gave that statement.
“I wasn’t against marriage, but I was cautious about its practice. I questioned the patriarchal roots of the institution, the compromises women are expected to make after the wedding, and how laws regarding relationships are influenced by cultural norms and misogyny in many corners of the world. I feared losing my humanity, my independence, my womanhood – my solution was to avoid getting married at all,” she said.
“12 million girls aged under 18 get married every year. For most of these girls, marriage is not a fulfilling partnership – it is servitude. Growing up in the north of Pakistan, girls were taught that marriage was a substitute for an independent life. If you don’t study, get a job and build a place for yourself, you must get married soon. You fail your exams? You can’t find work? Get married!” she explained.
“When Sirin Kale [Interviewer] asked me about relationships in my British Vogue cover story last July, I responded like I had so many times before. Knowing the dark reality many of my sisters face, I found it hard to think of the concept of marriage. I said what I had so often said before – that maybe it was possible that marriage was not for me,” she maintained.
It must be noted here that Malala tied the knot with Asser who is a General Manager in Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Asser is a cricket fanatic, so is Malala. This sport was one of the reasons they came closer to each other.
“In the summer of 2018, Asser was visiting friends at Oxford and we crossed paths. He worked in cricket, so I immediately had a lot to discuss with him. He liked my sense of humour. We became best friends,” Malala shared how she met her husband.
