First Muslim lesbian couple gets married

DHAKA, May 27: Britain has recorded its first ever Muslim lesbian couple to get married in a civil ceremony.

Two former students from Pakistan — Rehana Kausar, 34, and Sobia Kamar, 29, took their vows at a registry office in Leeds earlier this month.

They have now applied for political asylum since homosexual relations are illegal in Pakistan.

Relatives of the couple said to the Independent that the women, who studied in Birmingham, had received death threats both in the UK and from opponents in their native Pakistan.

During the ceremony the couple reportedly told the registrar that they had met three years ago while studying business and health care management at Birmingham, having travelled to the country on student visas, and had been living together in South Yorkshire for about a year.

Ms Kausar, originally from Lahore, also holds a master’s degree in economics from Punjab University.

“This country allows us rights and it’s a very personal decision that we have taken. It’s no one’s business as to what we do with our personal lives,” she originally told the Birmingham-based Sunday Mercury newspaper.

“The problem with Pakistan is that everyone believes he is in charge of other people’s lives and can best decide about the morals of others but that’s not the right approach.”

Homosexual sex is illegal under Pakistani law, said the Independent. There are also no laws prohibiting discrimination or harassment on the basis of sexual orientation.

In recent years in Britain, some Muslim gay and lesbian couples have opted for a nikah, an Islamic matrimonial contract, which is officially the reserve of heterosexuals.

These services, conducted in Arabic with additional duas - prayers - are not recognised in the UK unless accompanied by a civil ceremony. Homosexuality is strictly forbidden in the Islamic faith and the notion of same-sex marriage is abhorrent to many Muslims, Independent said.

Ruth Hunt, deputy chief executive for Stonewall, said: “There is a very cautious step towards social visibility for some gay men in Pakistan but lesbians are completely invisible. Pakistan is not necessarily a safe place for couples to be open about their love.”

Source: indiatimes