UK opens the door to asylum for half a million lesbian Muslim women who have been forced into arranged first cousin marriages –
Yikes – can the UK afford this – maybe up the annual house building target from 300,000 to 400,000!
From here:
The story is about the escape of a woman from an arranged first cousin marriage and a society where big a lesbian and defying the rules laid down in a misogynistic, religious society is punishable BY DEATH. She sought and achieved asylum in the UK and now lives a peaceful and happy life.
“A Saudi lesbian woman, who was informed at 16 that she was “reserved” for an arranged marriage to a 40-year-old male cousin, has found profound relief after being granted asylum in the UK.
“
Good for her, let’s dive deeper.
Using data pulled from Brave AI:
First some detail on Saudi Arabia.
Arranged marriages are common: They are described as “still the norm” and “many marriages in Saudi Arabia continue to be arranged marriages.”
Consanguineous marriages are prevalent: Between 25% and 40% of marriages in parts of Saudi Arabia are first-cousin marriages, which are a form of arranged endogamous marriage.
Consent is required: While arranged, these marriages typically require the written and verbal consent of both the bride and groom; forced marriages are considered illegal and have been denounced by re
As of April 2026, the total population of Saudi Arabia is estimated to be between 35 million and 39.9 million, depending on the data source.
There is a roughly even split between males and female, implying thatthre ar around 20 million Muslim women in Saudi Arabia.
Not provable for Saudi Arabia, but ‘
General Lesbian Identification: Modern polls generally estimate that 1–3% of the total population identifies as lesbian, which translates to approximately 2–6% of women globally and in Europe.
Let’s take the mid-point of 4% of women which yields around 800,00 lesbia women in Saudi Arabia.
Specifically:
“There is no official statistic on the number of lesbians in Saudi Arabia, as same-sex sexual activity is punishable by death under Wahhabist interpretations of Sharia law, forcing the LGBTQ+ community into secrecy.
Legal Status: Both male and female same-sex behavior is illegal and carries severe penalties, including execution, imprisonment, flogging, and deportation for foreigners, meaning no census or public data exists.
Community Reality: Reports from The Athletic and The Atlantic indicate that while a vibrant, albeit hidden, community exists—often facilitated by strict gender segregation and private spaces like college buildings or family sections of cafés—members must live a “double life” to avoid arrest or social ostracization.
Social Context: Anecdotal evidence from Reddit users and journalists suggests that lesbian relationships occur, but they are extremely isolated; one user described the experience as “the loneliest,” noting that many women on dating apps are actually straight men or couples seeking threesomes, rather than genuine partners.
A quick sidetrack to the linked article in the Independent:
“In 2022, she said she came across the news that the UK had opened a scheme to travel with an electronic visa, so she applied for it and was approved within weeks… She said a lifeline for her was downloading the dating app Tinder, which is where she met her girlfriend, Eris, in August 2022.”
Jus how large is the potential doorway that she has burst through?
By Total Population The countries with the largest Muslim populations are:
Indonesia: ~242 million Muslims (87% of population)
Pakistan: ~235 million Muslims (96.3% of population)
India: ~213 million Muslims (15.3% of population)
Bangladesh: ~150 million Muslims (91% of population)
Nigeria: ~124 million Muslims (53.5% of population)
That’s a billion Muslims in the top 5 Muslim countries around half of which are female and around 4% of which are lesbian.
500 million times 4% =20 million potential lesbians subject to arranged first cousin marriages and DEATH if coming out as lesbian.
Maybe the Saudi Arabian first cousin marriage rate is on the high side elsewhere ‘Between 25% and 40% of marriages in parts of Saudi Arabia are first-cousin marriages’
Assuming 25% first cousin marriages amongst lesbians -this would bring the ‘at risk’ lesbian population down to 5 million.
Maybe a tenth would be part of a family motivated by ‘honour killing’ dogma but that still leaves a potential of half a million lesbians with as valid a case for asylum in the UK as th individual in the article in the Independent !!
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Wow. The UK is really setting itself up for interesting times ahead with finances
OmG 😲