Malala Yousafzai Celebrates 'Silver Jubilee' with Birthday Tributes from Husband, Michelle Obama and More

Mar. 15, 2025

Malala Yousafzai and Asser Malik.Photo: Asser Malik/Twitter

Happy Birthday,Malala Yousafzai!

As she turned 25 on Tuesday, the human rights activist received a number of warm tributes from loved ones and world leaders.

“Happy Birthday to the most entertaining, thoughtful and beautiful person in my life,” husbandAsser Malikwroteon Twitter alongside a pair of sweet photos of the couple.

“You light up every room you enter and I feel privileged that I get to see that up close,” he added.

In another touching tribute, her father Ziauddin called the Nobel Peace Prize winner “the morning star in our lives” and encouraged her to “keep rising and keep shining.”

Hillary Clintonalso praised Yousafzai for using “her voice to lift up others.”

“If@Malalacan continue to find new ways to champion women and girls everywhere, so can we all,” Clintonwrote.

AddedMelinda French Gates, “Here’s to many more yearsof breaking down barriers for women and girls—and inspiring us all while you do it.”

RELATED VIDEO: Malala Yousafzai Is Married! Activist Shares First Photos from Ceremony: ‘Partners for Life’

Highlighting the impact the education activist has had on girls around the world,Michelle Obamashared a number of stories of young women from the Obama Foundation’sGirls Opportunity Alliance.

“In my community, many girls don’t finish school. My parents encouraged my education, but there were times whenI felt my dreams slipping away,” said a young woman from Uganda, according to one of Obama’s Tweets.

“Malala gave me an example of strength and determination to take inspiration from,” the young woman shared. “I’m proud to say I graduated.”

Added another young woman from New York, “Malalaproved that one girl’s voice can change the world. Since she did it, it makes me believe that I can too.”

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“It’s my silver jubilee so@MalalaFundput together a list of 25 ways to take action for girls' education,” shewroteon Twitter. “I would be so grateful for your support.”

Born in Mingora, Pakistan, Yousafzai was 15 when a Taliban gunman boarded her school bus andshot her in the facein 2012. Despite the injury, she never stopped fighting for girls education, going on to win the Nobel Peace Prize at the age of 17.

“Eight years after she received the#NobelPeacePrize@Malalacontinues to stand up for girls' rights to education,” the official Twitter account for the esteemed prize wrote in honor of her birthday, going on to share a special message she wrote when she visited the Nobel Institute in Norway back in 2014.

“I will continue my fight for the education of every child,” she wrote in the message, adding, “I will not stop until I see every child in school.”

source: people.com