Intercultural marriages are completely allowed in Islam.
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) even encouraged the believers to give less weight to things like culture, race, beauty, and wealth in order to find a mate based on a compatible level of faith.
When considering a spouse for an Islamic marriage, the main thing to look for is a spouse’s level of practice and faith in the religion.
Little, if any, consideration should be given to culture or the colour of one’s skin.
Those in successful intercultural marriages relate to the many positivities that can outweigh any negative experiences.
One white American Muslimah married to a black Jamaican Muslim shared that over the course of their marriage they have had absolutely zero challenges related to them being an interracial couple.
Yet another Pakistani sister who married an American brother notes,
“Alhamdulillah, I did not face any major challenges. My husband and I were focused on Islam and wanted to teach our children Islamic values in the best Islamic environment as possible.”
But intercultural relationships can have their share of challenges.
Intercultural Marriage in Context
Not all cultures are as accepting and welcoming of interracial marriages as we might hope.
Sadly, there may be objections from friends and family that can have you doubting both your feelings and your sincere intentions to marry a partner who shares the same Islamic values.
If you find someone of another culture that you want to marry and you’re not sure how your parents will feel about it, it’s important to approach the issue like the grown adults you all are.
Overcoming Stereotypes
One sister writes:
“My family had the view that Pakistanis had no respect for women. His family had the view that Western women did not have the same moral standard as they had.”
While the couple was eventually able to overcome these stereotypes by living their personal truth, it took some time for their families to come around.
She adds,
“Breaking down those negative stereotypes and showing people that two people from different backgrounds can have a genuine relationship.…has also been good for our families.
It’s opened their eyes a bit and helped them learn about different cultures and the fact that we are still good at respecting people.”
Make a List
To help prospective partners work through the challenge of overcoming stereotypes together, it can help to list out some of the pros and cons, or even some current fears, to get to the heart of the matter.
Make a list of the character traits and positive things that you have in common. This will help you look past any stereotypes that you may have.
It may also be helpful to list out any negative things you see occurring if you were to marry this person.
Making a pro-and-con chart is a great way to step back and take a realistic look at the situation from an unbiased perspective.
It may also help you pinpoint some of the biases and stereotypes you are holding onto as well.
There can be many obstacles to intercultural marriages, including the cultural biases addressed above, immigration issues, and objections from family. Here are a few ways to deal with the latter:
Convincing The Family
Most likely, you already know how the elders in your family are going to react. You have lived with them your whole life.
One Australian Muslimah married to a Pakistani Muslim notes,
“Both our parents were very concerned about our marriage.”
They were worried that her husband was initially only interested in Australian citizenship.
If you suspect you are going to get pushback, it’s best to be prepared.
Even if you think your parents and family will be open to the idea of an intercultural marriage, it’s better to err on the side of caution and gentleness, just in case.
Children from a previous marriage or relationship may have their own misgivings and approach the idea of intercultural marriage with caution.
Other close friends and even colleagues may weigh in on the decision once they find out.
They may think that one of the partners is only looking for a visa or a financial handout, especially if the couple is currently living in different countries!
When you are ready to break the news to your close friends and loved ones, here are a few tips to keep in mind:
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