Watch: This Muslim father made a heart-wrenching sacrifice for his gay daughter
A clip has been released of an inspirational Muslim father who made a huge sacrifice for his gay daughter.
Sabrina Jalees wasn’t sure that she would get a positive reaction when she came out to her father Sayed.
She told Moral Courage TV: “Coming out is like cliff diving.
“He’d already sensed that something was going on and I think at that point he was just like, ‘What is going on? Are you pregnant?’
“I looked at him, and I said “I’m attracted to women.”
Despite the surprise, Sayed Jalees managed to reconcile his faith with his daughter’s sexuality.
He said: “It was a sudden shock. But are you going to ignore that fact of life and be tied to your belief and lose a relationship in the process? Or are you going to think beyond?”
However, Sabrina’s aunts, uncles and extended family took it less well.
Sabrina Jalees said: “We spent so much time together growing up… and when I came out, they de-friended me on Facebook and they wrote really, really heartbreaking emails.
“Basically, ‘she was very funny, and she was a big part of our family but we cannot accept her.’
“To me, that’s sad. I have so much love in my life and I can’t share it with these people that I know love me (and I love them).”
However, Mr Jalees did not sit by and allow his family to disrespect his daughter – and instead opted to cut off his own contact with them.
Sabrina Jalees continued: “My dad is the eldest in the family and he was not going to put up with it.
“He said, ‘If you don’t want a relationship with my daughter, you’re not going to have a relationship with me.'”
Mr Jalees said of their reaction: “Pathetic. That’s the only word I can explain it with. A pathetic response.”
Sabrina Jalees continud: “I’ve always known that my dad’s an amazing man. But going through this and witnessing the way he stood by me knowing, too, that it was difficult for him when I first came out…
“But seeing him now, basically in the position of being a gay-rights advocate for this extended Muslim family, it was amazing.”
