Salam - My parents are threatening to disown me over marriage
Salam, I’m a Pakistani woman and there’s a revert brother I’ve known for about four years who wants to marry me. He’s a good man, serious about his deen, and we reconnected after he embraced Islam. We became close because we went through a traumatic experience together - my parents know what happened and they know him - but a few years ago they told me to cut contact because he’s not Pakistani. I didn’t block him. My parents keep pressuring me about marriage and signing me up for marriage events. My mum is from Pakistan and my dad was born here in Britain. I’ve told my father many times that Pakistani men aren’t really my type, and he keeps threatening to disown me if I don’t marry a Pakistani. He says it’s about culture. But I didn’t really grow up immersed in that culture, and the man I want to marry is aware of and respects our cultural norms. When I talked to my mum she got angry and said marrying outside the ethnicity is not allowed and insisted I’d marry a Pakistani. She got aggressive and slammed drawers; I told her yes just to calm her down, but I don’t actually want to marry anyone else. Edit: I’m an only child, so I feel their threats might be more about frustration that I’m not the ‘perfect’ daughter they hoped for. It’s hard to believe they would seriously disown their only child. Has anyone else faced something similar? Any advice or duas would be appreciated.