Congratulations!
From the editors of HelloGiggles
Words – Daryl Lindsey
Two grooms have tied the knot in what is believed to be the United Kingdom’s first same-sex Muslim marriage.
Sean Rogan, 19, and Jahed Choudhury, 24, married in a registry office on the 22nd of June in Walsall, West Midlands. They wore Islamic dress and used Muslim traditions within the marriage ceremony.
This comes after the U.K. officially legalised same sex marriage in 2014, after a 2013 parliamentary decision. Meanwhile Germany finally made same sex marriage legal last month.
Choudhury — who told British newspaper Express and Star that he grew up in a Bangladeshi Muslim family, and always felt like the 'black sheep' in his community — explained that he hopes his marriage to Rogan serves as a positive example to others like them.
'I just hope other gay Muslims see this as well,' Choudhury told Express and Star. 'And they know that they've got support from other gay people,' Rogan added.
Choudhury added that other members of the Muslim community had bullied or attacked him because of his sexual orientation. He also claims that his mosque banned him from attendance.
'I stood out like a sore thumb – I never liked football, I preferred watching fashion shows on TV. I remember feeling trapped,' said Choudhury. 'This is about showing people I don't care, my family doesn't want to come on the day, they just don't want to see it, it's too embarrassing for them.'
'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.'
Congratulations to the happy couple!
