Muslim lesbian couple defy death threats to tie the knot in civil ceremony

[Bosonic]

Source: Birmingham Mail

Two former Birmingham students have defied death threats to make legal history by becoming the first Muslim lesbian couple to get married in a civil ceremony in the UK.

Rehana Kausar, 34, and Sobia Kamar, 29, from Pakistan, tied the knot at a registration office in front of their solicitors and two Pakistani friends earlier this month.

The couple then immediately applied for political asylum in the UK claiming that their lives would be in danger if they were to return to their native Pakistan.

Relatives of the couple said the women had received death threats both in the UK and from opponents in their native Pakistan.

Read more: http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/muslim-lesbian-couple-defy-death-4015955

[Behind the Aegis]

1. Congrats! May they have long and healthy lives together!!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. That takes real courage...

Love makes you brave.

Good for them!

[rollin74]

3. good for them. I hope they manage to stay safe

in the face of all the threats

[LeftofObama]

4. Congrats to them!

I wish them years of love and happiness together.

[Skittles]

5. lovely gals

so courageous

[Bette Noir]

6. Long life and happiness to them.

They'd be welcome on either coast of the US, including my guest room.

[jessie04]

7. Live long and be happy together.

nt

[hrmjustin]

8. I wish them the best!

[colorado_ufo]

9. May they have long life, health, and happiness, and children in their lives, if they want them.

However, I doubt that I will ever understand why people in this situation persist in that religion, or any such religion. It seems to me that, if what you believe and honor as your religion does not permit something, then make the sacrifice and honor the tenets of your faith. Or, take a deep look at what you really believe and grow forward and make changes.

[Nye Bevan]

10. I sincerely hope that neither of them ends up beheaded.

Scholars of Islam, such as Sheikh al-Islam Imam Malik, and Imam Shafi amongst others, ruled that Islam disallowed homosexual activity and ordained capital punishment for a person guilty of it.[1] Homosexual activity is a crime in several Muslim-majority countries. In the Muslim-majority countries of Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, North Sudan and Yemen, homosexual activity is punished with the death penalty. In Nigeria and Somalia the death penalty is issued in some regions.[2] The legal punishment for sodomy has varied among juristic schools: some prescribe capital punishment; while other prescribe a milder discretionary punishment such as imprisonment. In some secular Muslim-majority countries such as Indonesia,[3] Jordan, and Turkey, there are no civil laws against homosexual practice.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_in_Islam#Legal_status_in_modern_Islamic_nations

[cosmicone]

11. Sounds like a scheme

to get UK citizenship.

[Posteritatis]

12. You're predictable, aintcha? (nt)

[idwiyo]

13. WTF? How about you apologise and delete your bigoted crap of a post.

[Posteritatis]

15. And if they anything other than Pakistanis you wouldn't be assuming that.

Your record on stuff like this is quite consistent. Not bigoted, my entire ass.

[cosmicone]

20. Actually

their being Pakistani had nothing to do with my reaction.

My reaction was solely due to the fact that they registered their marriage and immediately went to seek asylum. I'd have had the same reaction if they belonged to any nationality.

[Yo_Mama]

32. Except in their cases, their lives really would be in danger

Which kind of makes a difference, wouldn't you say?

Pakistani politicians have been murdered for being too "liberal". These two women would probably not have a chance of surviving. The UK isn't going to send them back, because if the UK did, then their deaths would be a harsh reproach.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zil-e-Huma_Usman
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salmaan_Taseer

[Starry Messenger]

25. Jury agreed too

At Mon May 27, 2013, 12:43 PM you sent an alert on the following post:

I am not bigoted.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=493498

REASON FOR ALERT:

This post is disruptive, hurtful, rude, insensitive, over-the-top, or otherwise inappropriate. (See <a href="http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=aboutus#communitystandards" target="_blank">Community Standards</a>.)

YOUR COMMENTS:

It is bigoted to assume that two women getting married are straight and defrauding the government to get asylum in a "first world country".

A randomly-selected Jury of DU members completed their review of this alert at Mon May 27, 2013, 12:56 PM, and voted 6-0 to HIDE IT.

Juror #1 voted to HIDE IT and said: No explanation given
Juror #2 voted to HIDE IT and said: No explanation given
Juror #3 voted to HIDE IT and said: No explanation given
Juror #4 voted to HIDE IT and said: No explanation given
Juror #5 voted to HIDE IT and said: No explanation given
Juror #6 voted to HIDE IT and said: No explanation given

Thank you.

[Posteritatis]

30. Wow, haven't seen a slam dunk like that for awhile.

Glad to see it in this case.

[idwiyo]

34. Thank you for alerting. I was away most of the day and didn't see their response until after it was

hidden. "Not bigoted" my arse.

[Quantess]

16. And so what if they do, as long as they are law-abiding, productive members of society?

Europe might need to change the criteria of who is allowed to stay and who is not.

[cosmicone]

21. There are legal channels to immigrate.

Jumping ahead of people waiting in line for that status is not okay.

[Kali]

26. fucking gay privilege

they get all the good stuff first

[idwiyo]

33. Exactly! Infuriating, isn't it? Us poor straight folks never get a break... :( Why can't WE get the

same rights they do?



PS I can't fucking believe that poster seriously thought they can post their bigoted drivel on DU and get away with it.

[ck4829]

24. Any way out of the dystopian nightmare that is that region is a good one

I am sure that these two women were lesbian Muslims, but even if they were actually two small people standing on top of the other's shoulder, I would still support them.

Any place that has loonies murdering doctors for vaccinating children or other loonies whipping up mobs to kill someone because they threw away their business card and it had "Muhammad" written on it and it's now apparently blasphemy; and that place doesn't have a way out that says 'EXIT' on it would be a further abuse of human rights.

[idwiyo]

28. I agree 100%. I hope this new couple will get refugee status ASAP and wish them all the best.

I count myself lucky because I will live in the same country with two brave, smart and beautiful women.

[samsingh]

17. Brave women. i wish them the best

[REP]

18. I'm happy for them but

I'll be even happier when people everywhere can marry who they want - and it's not news, because it happens every day, everywhere.

[Behind the Aegis]

19. A-fucking-men!

[sakabatou]

23. +1

[Aristus]

22. Two brave and beautiful women.

I wish them much happiness together!

[Nika]

27. I wish the lucky couple happiness and a long productive life.

[RKP5637]

29. K&R !!! n/t

[idwiyo]

31. K&R All the best to new family!

[Jamastiene]

35. <3

K&R