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Saudi woman who feared death flees forced marriage to start new life as DJ in UK

Saudi-born Al Hussain, 31, says she fled an arranged marriage and fears for her life as a lesbian, escaping in secret in 2022 and now starting again in London as a DJ with her girlfriend

[Al Hussain]

Al Hussain

A woman who feared death and fled a forced marriage in Saudi Arabia is now carving out a new life as a DJ in the UK. Al Hussain, 31, escaped the country in secret in 2022 after slipping out in the middle of the night while her family slept.

She said she lived in fear because of her sexuality as relatives made it clear they would kill anyone they found out was gay. Ms Hussain has now ended up in north London where she regularly DJs at gigs and lives happily with her girlfriend.

She began planning her escape in secret aged 27, quietly getting hold of a passport and saving every penny by working a remote customer service job from her bedroom so she wouldnt raise suspicion. In 2022, she finally saw her chance.

[Al (R) and her girlfriend Eris at Croydon Pride]

Al (R) and her girlfriend Eris at Croydon Pride(Image: TIM ANDERSON)

Al says she lived in fear in a country where same-sex relationships are illegal under strict interpretations of Sharia law and can be met with brutal punishments.

She spoke to us at Croydon Pride at Boxpark in London on Saturday (August 15), opening up about her escape.. Al had previously said relatives made it clear they would kill anyone they found out was gay.

At 27, she began planning her escape in secret, quietly getting hold of a passport and saving every penny by working a remote customer service job from her bedroom so she wouldnt raise suspicion.

[Al is now a free woman]

Al is now a free woman(Image: TIM ANDERSON)

In 2022, she finally saw her chance. Using a UK electronic visa scheme, Al secured permission to travel, packed a suitcase and slipped out in the middle of the night while her family slept.

Thats when she left behind everything she knew to save her own life. Im a queer and Im a refugee, so I had to leave the country because its not anywhere safe to be queer in Saudi, she exclusively told the Daily Star.

I was just hiding all my life in Saudi as a queer. Asked how long shed been forced to keep her identity secret, revealed: All my life, literally, Ive been hiding in the closet.

Al shared: Everyone [in Saudi Arabia is] really homophobic and against just the whole LGBTQIA+ community. Its just really not safe to be out, so I have to just pretend Im not.

According to the Human Dignity Trust, Saudi Arabias maximum legal punishment for same-sex sexual activity is the death penalty.

[Al fell in love with electronic music when she arrived in London]

Al fell in love with electronic music when she arrived in London(Image: TIM ANDERSON)

Al confessed the tipping point that ignited her escape. The minute they started to get me into an arranged marriage, she said, explaining that its still common for Saudi girls.

Watching the women around her being pushed into the same future only strengthened her resolve to run. Al, who grew up with 12 siblings, said she saw two of her sisters go through with arranged marriages too, adding that they were also closeted queer.

I was so sad when I saw [one of her sisters] and I was like, No, I dont want to be a victim of that, really, she said. For years, even leaving the country felt impossible.

[Eris (L) taught Al how to DJ]

Eris (L) taught Al how to DJ(Image: TIM ANDERSON)

Al said that until reforms in 2019, women in Saudi Arabia couldnt travel without a male guardians permission - and she knew her family would never agree. She said: People ask me why you didnt do it before. I was like, well, I couldnt. It's just, my life would have been taken if my family found out or something.

After arriving in Britain, Al was granted asylum and says she finally feels free - even doing simple things that would have been unthinkable back home. LGBTQIA+ people fleeing countries such as Saudi Arabia can claim asylum in the UK if they can show they have a well-founded fear of persecution back home.

Under UK immigration law, LGBTQIA+ people are recognised as a particular social group, meaning they can qualify for protection under the 1951 Refugee Convention. I feel like I'm finally now myself, finally, Al said. No one controls me, really, I control myself, I control my life.

[Al is a loud and proud lesbian]

Al is a loud and proud lesbian(Image: TIM ANDERSON)

But that freedom came at a heartbreaking cost. Al says she had to cut off her family completely for her own safety. She said: I really cut off my family so Im not in touch with any. I knew from the minute I left, there was not going to be any connection with my family [anymore].

Despite Saudi Arabias recent glossy tourism push, she says celebrities dont see the reality for citizens. Its just hypocrisy, Al exclaimed.

Now, London has become her sanctuary - and the place where she discovered electronic music for the first time. The minute I started listening to electronic music here, I was like, wow its so amazing, she recalled.

["Music is life," Al said]

"Music is life," Al said(Image: TIM ANDERSON)

Al met her girlfriend, Eris Herbert, on a dating app and says they quickly became inseparable. She said: We dated, like, three months and then we like, okay, what are we doing?

Eris, who has been a DJ for more than a decade, taught Al to mix, turning a passion into a new path.

Now, she says music is more than a hobby - its survival. She said: Its always music, it saves. Music is life. You can now often catch Al and Eris behind the DJ booth as their We R Goddess duo.

[She growing up queer in Saudi Arabia]

She growing up queer in Saudi Arabia(Image: TIM ANDERSON)

Al concluded: We just try to mix all cultures. Her Latin music with mine. She assured: No, we never get sick of each other.

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