On the latest 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way, Brittany Banks learned that Yazan Abo Horira’s life was in danger.
In a new interview, she is opening up about what she really thought about the violent threats against him.
“I didn’t really know at the time,” Brittany tells Entertainment Tonight of the tension between Yazan and his extended family.
“I definitely wanted to believe,” she expresses, “everybody wants to believe in their man.”
“So I definitely in that sense,” Brittany says, “definitely cared for him and wanted to be there for him.”
“But I also know, if I know his family how I know his family, it’s just like, a bunch of talk,” Brittany characterizes the threats of violence.
“But you know,” she admits, “I don’t know.”
“I was worried for him and then I wasn’t,” Brittany explains, “because I never really knew what was like, true or not.”
From the night that Brittany arrived in Jordan on camera, Yazan was displaying major red flags, yelling and cursing at her.
Some fans mistakenly assumed that he was worried that she was breaking laws by hugging a producer and bringing a bottle of tequila.
As we know, and as was even explained much later on the show, that is perfectly legal in Jordan, where they have bars, alcohol, and bikinis.
Rather, the tension comes from Yazan’s conservative family.
His inexcusable tantrum upon Brittany’s arrival was caused because he had spent all of this time telling Brittany and his family what they wanted to hear.
He told Brittany that she could live her life as before. He told his family that she was willing to convert to Islam.
Of course, Yazan’s family did some digging, and was outraged by what they found about Brittany.
As farcical as it seems to us, they were bent out of shape over Brittany’s bikini pics.
Though Jordan has bikinis and Instagram influencers, this is not something that they would accept as a member of their family.
Yazan’s family got all bent out of shape over some innocuous photos.
Their fear, as his brother Obaida has explained, is that Yazan will live a Westernized life (as is his true goal) and leave behind their conservative ways.
As with other religions, many Muslims live Western lives while remaining devoutly faithful, but his family does not want to see this happen.
As has been discussed, there has been controversy over TLC’s choice to air Yazan’s father’s words as if they were a literal threat.
A number of translators have argued that Yazan’s father’s apparent threat was an expression of anger.
Similar expressions exist in English, such as “I forgot to thaw the chicken; my mom’s gonna kill me!” when no one is actually in any danger.
But, as Brittany recently learned, some things said off camera sounded a bit more seriously.
Yazan sat down with her, her friend Angela, and a translator, Adam.
He explained to her the fallout that he has faced because of their relationship.
Yazan had worried that some things might get lost in translation given his grasp of English.
So he revealed to Brittany that his family had withdrawn all tentative support for their relationship.
He explained that, as things stand, if he doesn’t dump her, he could lose contact with his whole family.
Brittany was horrified.
She literally never asked him to do this.
Brittany never wanted this for him, and he knew that.
Nonetheless, Yazan vowed to do whatever it took to be with her.
This young man was clearly head over heels in love with Brittany.
He declared his love, and really impressed Brittany’s friend Angela at the same time.
As Angela packed her bags, however, Brittany had some doubts.
She wondered how much of what he had told her was real.
Brittany felt leery of being rushed to the altar over any possible exaggerations.
What do you do when you have doubts?
You get a second opinion.
Brittany and that same translator, Adam, met up with Yazan’s brother, Obaida.
Obaida confirmed that his family disapproved strongly of the romance.
Speaking to Brittany through Adam, he revealed something more.
He shared what Yazan had not — that there were real, possibly serious threats of violence from extended family members.
Obaida explained that the source of their fear and anger was, as we described above, that Yazan might live a different lifestyle.
Insular, conservative families of any faith or nationality see themselves as the final bastions of “good” in a world that they view as corrupt.
So they did not want to see Yazan marry Brittany and live life by his own terms — they want him to live by theirs.
Brittany wept, feeling devastated by the situation that Yazan had created for himself, and perhaps even feeling a misplaced sense of guilt.
It appears that the two of them did break up at some point after this season.
Hopefully, we will all learn much more at the Tell All.