Man in Switzerland slashes his 17-year-old son’s throat for being gay
A gay teen, originally from Iraq but living in Switzerland, had his throat slashed by his dad because he was gay, and miraculously survived to tell his story.
According to ViralTab, the 17-year-old lived in Bern, Switzerland, and has been identified by local outlets as Seran M to protect his identity.
He was reportedly attacked by his father, a devout Muslim who has not been named, in their home.
Seran told local reporters he woke up to his dad standing over his bed with a knife screaming: “You are gay? You are gay?” He then began attacking his son and slashed his throat with the weapon.
He managed to fight his father off and neighbours called emergency services. He then had to be airlifted to hospital with severe injuries to his throat, chest, back and arms.
He told local reporters: “Fortunately, my father missed the carotid artery, but the trachea was badly injured. I had to be put in an induced coma.”
Six months later, despite his incredible recovery, he is still reminded of the traumatic attack by visible scarring.
He said: “I see the injuries in the mirror or when I take selfies and appear in snaps. They will accompany me for the rest of my life.”
He added, however, that he is getting therapy and that he actually feels like “a freer person than before”.
The teenager said he had always hidden his sexual orientation from his family because he knew it would be difficult for his family to reconcile his sexuality with their religion, but he never imagined what his father would be capable of.
He is sharing his story to help other LGBT+ people from Islamic backgrounds to seek advice and get help when considering coming out.
He added: “We are living in 2019 and my dad wanted me dead because I am attracted to men. I just cannot accept that. I hid for long enough, this is the end of that now.”
He has now moved to a different area of the city and is living alone. Seran’s father was arrested by local police, but it is unclear what the status of the case is or if he will stand trial.