Photos from the first Muslim wedding gay wedding

Portia Arthur

July 12, 2017 4:44 AM

Sean Rogan, 19, spotted Mr Choudhury crying on a beach after he tried to commit suicide and went over to comfort him.

Happy couple, Jahed Choudhury and Sean Rogan

A 24-year-old man has become the first Muslim in the UK to wed in a same-sex marriage.

Jahed Choudhury attempted to kill himself after being attacked over his sexuality.

Narrating his ordeal, Jahed said he was sent on a religious pilgrimage to change his sexual orientation.

Sean Rogan, 19, spotted Mr Choudhury crying on a beach and went over to comfort him. Now they are married, making headlines on major news outlets across the country.

Mr Choudhury, from Darlaston, Walsall, said: "This is about showing people I don't care. My family... 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."

At a low-key ceremony at Walsall registry office, Mr Choudhury wore traditional Muslim attire as he wed Mr Rogan, his partner of two years.

Mr Choudhury said: "I'd not long overdosed and I was crying on a bench and Sean came over and asked if I was okay. He gave me hope at one of my lowest points and he's stood by me all the way.

"I stood out like a sore thumb - I never liked football, I preferred watching fashion shows on TV. I remember feeling trapped."

He added: "It went all over school, people would spit on me, empty the rubbish bins on me, call me a pig and the Muslim people would shout 'harum' - which is a very nasty insult in my language."

He said: "I'd been viciously attacked by Muslim boys, my mosque told me non-Muslims were not allowed in.

"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."

Mr Choudhury said he has post-traumatic stress disorder, meaning he struggles to face people alone and cannot work.

But now he has taken a significant step forward for both the Muslim and LGBT communities.

He added: "We're going to have a big party in Darlaston and go to Spain for a week on holiday."

Portia Arthur