MixTogether & Friends

Syed and Amira - a forced marriage to cover up his sexuality

As the Syed and Christian gay Muslim storyline in Eastenders came to its violent conclusion this week, the BBC offered help to those ‘affected by issues in the programme’

The Eastenders help and advice page currently states:

If you’ve been affected by the issues in EastEnders, such as homophobic violence, check here to find what further resources are available.

The resources listed include Crimestoppers and Victim Support, but there is no listing for forced marriage issues.

The Syed and Christian storyline was obviously included in Eastenders to challenge Muslim attitudes to homosexuality, but the fact that Syed was forced to marry Amira by his mother has been made to seem a secondary issue. Amira herself has vanished from Albert Square, as actress Preeya Kalidas has now quit the show. No airtime, therefore, will be dedicated to examining the effects on young women of being tricked into marrying gay men, a common motive for forced marriages.

The pressure put on Syed by Zainab when she found out he was gay was a good illustration of the type of forced marriage that never crosses into the realms of criminality. Only a small fraction of forced marriages in the UK involve any criminal activity; the majority are brought about through intense pressure and bullying by families.

Homophobia amongst Muslims is an important area of concern, but it is regrettable that the BBC have not given any thought to the message they could have sent on forced marriage at the same time.

The BBC news website features a report today on gay Muslims affected by honour violence:

Gay Muslims made homeless by family violence

Trust worker Annie Southerst said in the past six months there has been an increase in the number of Muslims coming to them for help.

“They face threats of physical violence, actual violence and restriction of liberties,” she said.

“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, I suppose.

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

“But the biggest loss they face is the loss of their families.

“I can’t imagine what it must be like to suddenly in your late teens, early 20s suddenly not to have a family anymore.”

Using laws introduced by the government in November 2008, the charity has taken out four Forced Marriage Protection orders in the past few months.

Tonight’s Eastenders also features a showdown between Zainab and Jane (Christian’s sister) where Zainab’s attitudes towards homosexuality are denounced.

The BBC is clearly working towards delivering a powerful message, through the Eastenders storyline, about Muslim attitudes to homosexuality and the related consequences of honour crime and sham marriages.