Twitter Reacts To UK’s First Muslim Gay Marriage, Couple Receives Threats On Social Media

Dressed in traditional Bangladeshi attire, a young Muslim couple from Darlaston, West Midlands, tied the knot and took their wedding vows at Walsall registry office in the United Kingdom last week. The couple had been together since 2015.

Twenty-four-year-old Jahed Choudhury married 19-year-old Sean Rogen in a low-key ceremony. Speaking to Express and Star News, Choudhury said he was raised in a traditional Bangladeshi Muslim family and had struggled a lot with his identity since he was a kid.

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“This is about showing people I don't care. My family... [they] 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," Choudhury said.

He also spoke of the time when he attempted suicide by overdose and how he met Rogen. According to a BBC report, Choudhary said he sat crying on a bench when Rogen bumped into him. The couple met days after Choudhary was treated in a Darlaston hospital.

"It was outside Asda of all places. He came up to me and asked if I was OK. I thought he was my guardian angel,” Choudhary said adding, “I had been crying privately to myself, although I was screaming inside.”

“But when I came out of hospital I had started to think 'enough is enough,” he said. He also admitted Rogen gave him strength whenever he felt low. “Every time I feel down he says to me 'don't feel bad' and says a lot of people feel the same as me,” he said.

Among those who supported Choudhary was his mother who often told him, “God made you like this - you have the love for God.”

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While Choudhary said he received a lot of support from most people, he also admitted he received death threats on social media, the Independent reported. He came forward and opened about his sexuality on the social media with his recently launched YouTube channel. His "Coming Out Story" has already received more than 5,000 views. With this initiative, Choudhary aims to help people stuck in the same situation like him.

"I just want to help them and would be happy if I could stop one person going through what I went through,” he said.

Choudhary and Rogen’s one of its kind marriage received mixed responses from Twitterati.

While some criticized Choudhary and Rogen for their decision, others wished the couple luck and happiness.

Apart from Twitter, the couple also received a lot of criticism on other social media platforms. BBC Midlands uploaded a video on Facebook showing the couple celebrating their big day.

The post too got mixed responses from users.