#Pride: 'First gay Muslim wedding' in the UK

The married couple said they married publicly because they want the world to know that is okay to be both gay and Muslim.
2 min read
11 July, 2017
Sean Rogan and Jahed Choudhury married at the Walsall registry office [Facebook / Walsall Pride]
A gay man reportedly became the first Muslim to marry his husband in the UK on Monday.

Jahed Choudhury, aged 24, from Darlaston, held a public ceremony with his partner Sean Rogan, 19, in order to show "that you can be gay and Muslim".

"I want to say to all people going through the same thing that it's okay – we're going to show the whole world that you can be gay and Muslim," Jahed said.

Jahed said that he is currently banned from attending his local mosque and the treatment he had received from his local Bangladeshi community had caused him to attempt suicide.

He said he tried to convert himself to heterosexuality and went on a number of religious pilgrimages to Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh to force a change, but without success.

His family did not attend his wedding at the Walsall registry office, as they believe his being homosexual is a disease that can be cured, he said.
I want to say to all people going through the same thing that it's okay – we're going to show the whole world that you can be gay and Muslim

"People would spit on me, empty rubbish bins on me, call me a pig and the Muslim people would shout 'haram'," Jahed told his local newspaper, the Express & Star.

"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."

The couple met while Choudhury was crying on a bench and Rogan stopped to check if he was OK.

"People at the mosque should understand that it's not wrong," Rogan said.

"It's not a phase, you don't go through it – I knew I was gay since I was six, but I didn't come out to my parents until I was 16."

It was not possible to confirm if this was the first Muslim gay marriage, as the Office for National Statistics (ONS) does not routinely record religions at non-religious ceremonies.

If you are affected by issues raised in this article, Imaan UK may be able to offer support.