Australia’s first Muslim test cricketer Usman Khawaja tied the knot with his fiancée Rachel McLellan last Friday, April 6, in a grand ceremony held at Gold Coast’s Maleny Manor.
Surrounded by friends and family, Usman, 31, wore a black suit and white bow tie, while his 22-year-old bride Rachel chose to wear an exquisite long-sleeved white gown, custom designed by Australian designer Jason Grech.
Born to a Catholic Christian family, McLellan converted to Islam in 2016, after which the two got married under the Islamic Sharia Law. The small nikkah ceremony was held at a local mosque in Brisbane. The couple has been living together since then.
Talking to the host of ‘Sixty Minutes’ on Channel 9, Usman poured his heart out about his love for Rachel, their relationship, marriage, and future together. He said he received a lot of criticism for his decision in the beginning. Talking about the response to his marriage from the people, he said the most hate that he had received on social media was unfortunately targeted at him by Muslims.
“They probably don’t know that Rachel is a Muslim now.”
However, the Pakistani community in Australia received the news most welcomingly. As Usman's and Rachel's wedding photos went viral, some Pakistani-Australians did not shy away from calling him the “pride of Muslims”.
In the interview, he stressed on how important it was for him and his parents that Rachel willingly understood and converted to Islam.
His father, Tariq Khawaja, said he ensured that he and Usman both got what was important for them. He said, “If you have a Muslim mother, then it shows that your kids are going to be Muslims as well. From his perspective, it is more important that he marries someone that he really loves.”
Despite this perseverance, Rachel says she was never forced to accept Islam in her life. She said neither Usman nor his parents had ever pressured her to convert. She said she just knew it was so important to him.
Rachel’s mother and father also spoke at the show and shared how people around them took the news of their daughter’s marriage to a Muslim man. Not only was she marrying a Muslim, she said, Rachel was also going to convert.
“Most people were surprised when I told them she had converted to Islam. Some even said ‘Oh! That is how Muslims want to take over the world. They convert their girlfriends.’ But people close to us were very accepting of it,” she said.
When asked what he would choose between faith and cricket, Usman said: “always faith”. While Rachel says she may choose to wear a hijab one day, at this moment in her life she wants to focus on their marriage and understanding her new religion.
“There’s a long way to go and lots of learning. I look forward to insha Allah one day being as knowledgeable as Ussie.”
Usman had met Rachel three years ago through common friends. He had proposed to her during their New York vacation, where she had said yes.
