Britain sees first Muslim gay wedding as man ties knot

New Delhi: In what is being termed as a first by the British media, a Muslim gay man married his partner of two years in a same-sex marriage. Ironically, they found love after one of them tried killing himself after being bullied because of his sexuality.
Jahed Choudhary, 24, who is originally from Bangladesh said his family thought his sexuality was just a phase and treated him like a ‘black sheep.’ He was also sent on a religious pilgrimage in a bid to change his orientation. Tired of bullying and jokes about him, he attempted to take his life until 19-year-old Sean Rogan spotted him crying on a bench. And rest, as they say is history.
Both got married in a low-key ceremony at Walsall registry office. Dressed in traditional Muslim attire, Jahed was quoted by Telegraph as saying, “This is about showing people I don’t care. My family… think it’s a disease and can be cured, some of my family still call it a phase. I want to say to all people going through the same thing that’s it’s okay – we’re going to show the whole world that you can be gay and Muslim.”
In what many traditional Muslim families consider a taboo, Jahed is one of only a few openly-gay Muslim men in UK. The journey, he says, however, has not been easy. “It went all over school, people would spit on me, empty the rubbish bins on me, call me pig and the Muslim people would shout ‘harum’ – which is a very nasty insult in my language,” he says.
Sean’s entry in Jahed’s life at this low-point changed things for him. “I tried killing myself and I then met Sean. The housing association got us a house in a week and we’ve been living together ever since. I proposed on Sean’s birthday last June.” He added, “We’re going to have a big party in Darlaston and go to Spain for a week on holiday.”

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