Inter-faith marriages, once a rarity in the Bangladeshi community, are on the rise. It is no longer uncommon to see a Muslim man married to a Hindu woman Hindu or vice versa due to the free mixing between the genders in this foreign culture.
Thikana interviewed Imams, pastors and priests about religious laws and customs. While the Imams and pastors said people of different faiths should not marry, the Hindu priests interviewed could offer no opinion, stating that marriage was a matter between two people. While the Imams and pastors held that inter-faith marriages should not be solemnized, they considered that if one partner converted to the other’s religion, there would be no problem; however, they considered such marriages could bring with them cultural problems in future and confuse their children about religion.
Moulana Jalal Siddique, Imam at the Gaosia Mosque of Astoria, Queens, said Muslims can marry Jews and Christians because they follow the latest divine books; however, Muslims cannot marry the Hindus, who are worshipers of idols. Jews and Christians don’t necessarily have to become Muslim to marry a Muslim.
Citing texts by several knowledgeable religious people, Moulana Jalal Siddique said that Muslims should not marry people from other religions. He pointed out that parents who belong to two different religions might instill confusion in their children, even if one parent converts. He added that when Muslim brides or grooms are available, one should not marry a Jew or a Christian.
Pastor Dilip K. Samaddar, of the Bangali Christian Community Church, quoted the Bible: “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers.” He explained that people from two separate religions cannot marry. If anyone wants to marry a person from another religion, one or the other needs to convert. He said that there are both Muslims and Christians who have opposing views on this issue. For example, among Christians a marriage between a Catholic and a Protestant cannot be sanctified. You can have sex with someone who does not hold the same beliefs as you do, but you cannot lead a married life with them, he stated. He also expressed concern for the children of such a marriage and believed that they could turn away from any faith. Commenting on cremation, he offered that to burn a body after offering Janaza, the Islamic pre-burial religious rites and prayers, was a symptom of doomsday.
Priest Shawpan Chatterjee, of Bangladesh Hindu Temple, could make no statement on this issue and said it was a matter of understanding between two persons. There are no definite rules in the scripture of religion about inter-faith marriage, he said, and questioned why create obstacles, if two people of different religions marry each other out of love and their parents approve. Religion is personal and should be observed in one’s own way. We all pray to God and He exists in all faiths.
