Why one Muslim girl became a born-again virgin for her wedding Wearing a veil and gown, she will be every inch the
fairytale virgin bride and as befits her strict Muslim religion, after the ceremony, she will hand her blooded wedding-night sheets to her in-laws as proof of her
virginity. But far from being the traditional untouched bride that many Muslim families demand, she is a modern-day university graduate who has smoked, drunk, made love to - and even lived with - a previous English boyfriend. To disguise the fact that she has had sex, she has paid for painful surgery to "restore" her virginity. Modern Muslim women can struggle to balance conflicting cultures It is a drastic and costly measure but as she takes her husband's hand in
marriage, she knows it is one which may - quite literally - save her life. The horror and outrage that would ensue if it was discovered she had already slept with a man would be so damning that her own strictly religious relatives might kill her rather than face public shame. "My virginity was restored in a delicate operation just last week, and I honestly view it as life-saving surgery," says Aisha. "If my husband cannot prove to his family that I am a virgin, I would be hounded, ostracised and sent home in disgrace. My father, who is a devout Muslim, would regard it as the ultimate shame. "The entire family could be cast out from the friends and society they hold dear, and I honestly believe that one of my fanatically religious cousins or uncles might kill me in revenge, to purge them of my sins. Incredible as it may seem, honour killings are still accepted within our religion. "Ever since my family arranged this marriage for me, I've been terrified that, on my wedding night, my secret would come out. It has only been since my surgery last week that I've actually been able to sleep properly. Now, I can look forward to my marriage." Aisha is far from alone in seeking such drastic - and almost barbaric - surgery.. In some cases, the vaginal lining can also be used to create a "false" hymen. A blood capsule can be inserted into the lining to ensure realistic blood flow when the false hymen is broken. She grew up against a stiflingly strict background as one of seven dutiful Muslim daughters in an affluent middle-class family who moved to England from Pakistan two generations ago. Aisha says: "I've always adored my parents. "I decided that drinking, smoking and having boyfriends was just a part of normal, teenage growing up. "Like other young girls, I just wanted to be part of a crowd. I stopped wearing the veil and for the first time in my life I wore Western clothes - designs which revealed far more of my body than anything I had ever worn before. "I also started drinking. I started off on beer and then gradually things like vodka and cocktails, which naturally helped me lose my inhibitions." Aisha was in her second year of university when she found love and inevitably, lust. She says quietly: "He was another student in my tutorial class, and the more time we spent together, the more I found myself falling in love. "Philip was white, English, charming and kind. When we started dating, I told him I was a virgin and that I was expected to keep my virginity for marriage. "But he wore my inhibitions down, and I began to see that having a physical relationship with him would be pleasurable. "All my friends were sleeping with their boyfriends and it was entirely accepted. I was the odd one out, so after several months I took the plunge and went on the contraceptive pill as a precaution. "As the months went past, he became more and more desperate to make love. "I wrestled with my conscience night after night, but having taken away the fear of pregnancy by being on the pill, I saw that - as long as my parents never found out - there was no reason not to make love. "Marriage was the furthest thing from my mind. Anyway, at that time I assumed I would marry for love, not have an arranged marriage.""When I started going out with another student, I knew from the word go that we would sleep together and we did, on the second night. "I also had another sexual fling at university with a friend. "Having lost my virginity, it didn't seem to matter how many men I slept with, the damage was already done. "Besides, I was living away from my parents, and my old life of endless prayer and abiding by the customs of our religion seemed a long way away." The full reality didn't hit home until Aisha returned home to Birmingham at 22, after she finished her degree. "It was horrible,"