Monday 4 July 2016

Prohibiting Muslim Women from marrying Non-Muslims

We know that the Islamic world is known for prohibiting Muslim women from marrying non Muslims. Although we have the same problem in other religious communities to an extent, the problem is far greater in the Muslim world. In cases where Muslim women get married to non Muslims, they are often met with death threats, physical abuse and social outcry. Countries like Saudi, Afghanistan, Sudan and Iran have laws that declare such a woman as an apostate and sentence them to death penalty. Various other Muslim nations have laws that nullify their marriages, custody of children etc..The situation is better for Muslims living in the west and in some Muslim minority areas of India, but that does not change the situation in the rest of the Muslim world.

Here is a list of 79 incidents of murder/harassment/kidnap/threats involving 52 murders and leading to 8 suicides, all perpetrated by Indian Muslims for the sole reason of Muslim women marrying non Muslims (2008 July - 2018 October).

Let us see what the books of Islam have to state regarding this:

Quran 60:10 - O ye who believe! When believing women come unto you as fugitives, examine them. Allah is Best Aware of their faith. Then, if ye know them for true believers, send them not back unto the disbelievers. They are not lawful for them (the disbelievers), nor are they (the disbelievers) lawful for them. And give them (the disbelievers) that which they have spent (upon them). And it is no sin for you to marry such women when ye have given them their dues. And hold not to the ties of disbelieving women; and ask for (the return of) that which ye have spent; and let them (the disbelievers) ask for that which they have spent. That is the judgment of Allah. He judgeth between you. Allah is Knower, Wise.

This is a Medinan verse where the context is the case of women wanting to be Muslims, coming to join the Muslim community. In one look, it may seem that the Quran is merely asking you to not send them back to the disbelievers against their own will. But the same verse also clearly states that they are not lawful for disbelievers to marry, which is a big problem. Let us keep reading...

Quran 2:221 - Wed not idolatresses till they believe; for lo! a believing bondwoman is better than an idolatress though she please you; and give not your daughters in marriage to idolaters till they believe, for lo! a believing slave is better than an idolater though he please you. These invite unto the Fire, and Allah inviteth unto the Garden, and unto forgiveness by His grace, and expoundeth His revelations to mankind that haply they may remember.

This is a Medinan verse and clearly states that Muslim men shall not marry idolaters (polytheists). It also very clearly states that a Muslim should not give his daughter in marriage to polytheists. The word "daughter" is not mentioned but it is rather understood from the statement "do not give in marriage to polytheists".

There is a verse which gives an exception for Muslim men to marry Jew and Christian women (commonly referred to as "people of the scripture"), but there is no exception given to Muslim women. Read the verse below:

Quran 5:5 - This day are (all) good things made lawful for you. The food of those who have received the Scripture is lawful for you, and your food is lawful for them. And so are the virtuous women of the believers and the virtuous women of those who received the Scripture before you (lawful for you) when ye give them their marriage portions and live with them in honour, not in fornication, nor taking them as secret concubines. Whoso denieth the faith, his work is vain and he will be among the losers in the Hereafter.

To put it shortly, a book which is seen as the final, unchanging word of god declares it unlawful for Muslim women to marry non-Muslims. This is exactly the kind of social evil that we should discourage. A healthy society should not impose restrictions on the life choices of people and should rather let them live happily with the partners they choose by mutual consent.

6 comments:

  1. Great article with a lot of info. thank you

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  2. thanks for showing these facts with true source. that's why in india I never seen any muslim girl for marrying with the hindu boy. for this he has to converte in to islam.

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    1. This is absolutely 100% false allegation. A complete baseless and untrue comments. I am not Indian but I can give 100s of Indian Muslim girls who married to Hindu men.

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    2. And in most cases, they are threatened and often harassed by physical confrontations. Many have been killed for this.

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  3. Yea bro.. its horrible... Muslim women who marry non Muslims are faced with death threats too often.

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