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The 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days couple Sunny Mahdi and Veah Netherton’s first-anniversary celebration at Drakensberg mountains turned turbulent when the former demanded his partner’s conversion to Islam as a requirement for their future together. Mahdi, the 25-year-old Durham resident from Bangladesh, and Netherton, the 27-year-old Florida native met through a dating app in 2023.
A meeting with Sunny's father intensified the situation when he criticized Veah's tattoos and demanded her conversion to Islam. In a 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days episode, Sunny asked Veah to convert or they can’t be together. Veah expressed acceptance of Sunny's religious beliefs while questioning external influences on their relationship.
"I do accept your religion, I just don't want to be Muslim. I think you feel a lot of pressure from outsiders like your dad," she said.
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Their conversation ended without resolution at the Drakensberg mountains.
90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days: Religious differences surface between Sunny and Veah at Drakensberg
The couple's celebratory trip to the Drakensberg mountains, saw rising tension when Sunny mentioned religious expectations during dinner.
"If you can’t accept my religion, I can’t be with you. I’m sorry, that’s the truth," Sunny stated firmly.
Veah responded by questioning recent influences on his decision, particularly from his father. She also questioned why this requirement wasn't mentioned earlier in their relationship. Sunny denied these claims, saying, "That's totally not true." He explained his timing, saying:
"I believe that people can be changed and I can change people if I want to with love and I want to love you first and I did so. I've been waiting for the time."
The conversation moved to Sunny's religious observance when Veah highlighted certain inconsistencies. She specifically mentioned their physical relationship, noting strict Muslims avoid intimate contact before marriage. Sunny addressed these points directly, stating,
"I am 100 percent Muslim. I believe in my religion. I do and I try my best to do, but I'm still young."
He went on to explain his perspective on religious devotion versus human imperfection.
"I do sometimes mess up. At end of that day, I'm a human being. I do mistakes, but I go back to Allah and I ask for forgiveness. I love my religion more than anything in the world," Sunny shared.
The discussion intensified as Veah shared her previous encounters with similar practices. She expressed firm resistance to covering her hair, revealing past experiences that left her confused and uncomfortable. While Sunny tried to ease tensions by clarifying he wasn't demanding immediate conversion, he remained firm about his long-term expectations.
He maintained that religious conversion would be a non-negotiable requirement for their relationship to continue. Veah responded with equal firmness, stating she would never change her religion, reinforcing her commitment to maintaining her religious identity.
Further, Veah suggested maintaining separate religious beliefs within their relationship. The 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days star expressed concern that Sunny's stance felt like religious coercion rather than a mutual decision about their future.
In a confessional on 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days, Veah shared her deep emotional response to Sunny's requirements and said:
“Hearing that I have to convert to Islam or we're not gonna be together just crushes me. I mean, I just feel completely blindsided and just really betrayed by Sunny. I think love should just be enough, and why is love not enough for us? Why is our love not enough? I can't change myself to be with somebody “
At the end of this 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days episode, both parties held firm to their positions - Sunny about needing a Muslim wife and Veah about maintaining her current religious beliefs. The fundamental question of whether they could build a future together while holding different religious beliefs remains unanswered.
Sunny and Veah’s storyline will continue in the next episode of 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days which is set to air on December 29, 2024.
