January 12, 2010

Gay Muslims flee family violence


by David Masters

A rising number of gay Muslims in the UK are being forced to flee their families over fears of arranged marriages and family violence.

The Albert Kennedy Trust, a charity that helps homeless LGBT young people, said over the last six months it has seen an increase in the number of Muslims getting in touch to ask for help.

Annie Southerst, Trust worker, told BBC news: “They face threats of physical violence, actual violence and restriction of liberties.

“We’ve had people chased out of the house with knives and we have had issues around young people who had exorcisms planned to get rid of the gay demons,

“They come to us because they’re homeless, or in danger of being homeless imminently. We sort out emergency accommodation for them.”

Suni, a twenty-year old student, sought help from the Trust after his parents imprisoned him in Pakistan for three months.

Suni was beaten by his family, who believed that forcing him to marry a woman would “cure” him of his homosexuality.

According to Fazal Mahmood of Himat, a support group for gay and lesbian Muslims, many Muslim families reject homosexual children.

“I’m proud to be a Muslim, I’m proud to be South Asian, Pakistani and I’m proud to be gay as well,” Mahmood said.

“Unfortunately a lot of parents don’t see that.

“All they see is ‘what is my community going to feel like when they find out my son or daughter is gay?’.”

Last year, the government shelved plans to make forcing someone into marriage a crime.

Instead, they introduced Forced Marriage Protection Orders, which, if breached, can result in a two-year prison sentence.

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