Tahir's Case

“This story was provided via Human Rights and Equalities. Names and some details have been changed for anonymity.”

Tahir was subjected to Ruqya for being a Gay young man. In Islam, Ruqya is the spiritual practice of reciting verses from the Quran and Prophetic supplications to seek, healing and asking for protection from Allah - to protect against spiritual afflictions , against the evil eye, magic and jinn- spirit possession. 

Tahir’s family became aware that he was Gay and brought him to undergo Ruqya, consisting of someone screaming at him through a microphone -  prayers and throwing water at him, hitting him with a brush and with hands and fists.

This experience was terrifying for Tahir, and left him as he describes  it - ‘ broken’.

His parents and Uncles began also making plans to ‘arrange a marriage for him’ to a woman. He over heard this plan but on being approached by his parents, they told him it was just a visit back to the old country and that his father was taking him back to spend some time with him.

Tahir’s cousin alerted him also to what was going on and we (Human Rights and Equalities) managed to arrange for Tahir to leave the house. He had been under lock and key supervision this whole time. We took this chance to bring him to a place of safety.

Tahir has relocated away from his family now completely for his own safeguarding.

He is safe and doing well and is now in his second year of university training to be a lawyer. He wants to practice eventually as a Barrister specialising in the field of human rights and specialising in forced marriages .