A man who was physically assaulted by his wife's brother and cousin, because he had married in secret, has spoken out about possible cultural attitudes behind the attack.

Oxford magistrates found Nadeem Raja, 27, of Desmesne Furze, Headington, Oxford, and cousin Mohammed Saeed, 43, of Swindon, guilty of causing Shakeel Akhtar actual bodily harm.

They will be sentenced at Oxford Crown Court on November 26.

The incident, which left Mr Akhtar with multiple minor injuries, took place in Roosevelt Drive, Headington, on February 27.

Mr Akhtar claims the case highlights conflicting aspects of Pakistani and English cultures.

Mr Akhtar married Raja's sister, Farah Manzoor, in December 2000, without her family's knowledge.

Their relationship began when they were teenagers, but ended abruptly when Miss Manzoor's father moved his family to Pakistan.

Miss Manzoor, who was born in Oxford, spent ten years in Pakistan, where she had an arranged marriage.

When Miss Manzoor returned to England, after divorcing her first husband without her family's knowledge, she and Mr Akhtar rekindled their relationship.

Their marriage was kept secret because of a long-standing rift between Miss Manzoor's father and uncle, who is married to Mr Akhtar's aunt.

Mr Akhtar said he was not against the principle of arranged marriages, if both parties consented, but added he felt strongly about women being forced into marriage.

He said: "Asian women should not be forced to marry a partner chosen by their parents.

"There should be more tolerance for them to exercise the right to choose for themselves."

Mr Akhtar said his comments did not apply to all Asian people, but he said the patriarchal structure of some Islamic countries allowed men to get away with violent behaviour which would not be tolerated elsewhere.

He spoke of the "arrogance about family pride and honour" that he believes prompted Raja and Saeed to carry out their sustained attack on him.

Mr Akhtar said the families of Raja and Saeed were bitter that the assault had become public knowledge because it slurred their family honour.

To illustrate the significance of the concepts of shurrum, meaning shame, and izzat (honour), Mr Akhtar said Miss Manzoor's father had elevated the family cast by changing their surname from Choudhry to the more respected name of Raja.

He added that he could not understand how violence in the name of family honour could be upheld in Britain.