Interfaith Marriage for Muslim Women: This Day are Things Good and Pure Made Lawful Unto You

Interfaith Marriage in Islam: Classical Islamic Resources and Contemporary Debates on Muslim Women’s Interfaith Marriages

“…However, similar to the definition of mushrik in verse 2:221, there is a gender difference in terms of the understanding of 'the believers'. Buisson (2016) refers to this difference in the definition of the term as 'double standards on the concept of believer'. Buisson (2016) argues that when the term refers to 'women believers', many classical and contemporary exegetes define 'believers' as 'believers of the monotheistic revealed religions', both Muslims and the People of the Book.…”

“…Buisson (2016) refers to this difference in the definition of the term as 'double standards on the concept of believer'. Buisson (2016) argues that when the term refers to 'women believers', many classical and contemporary exegetes define 'believers' as 'believers of the monotheistic revealed religions', both Muslims and the People of the Book. However, strangely, when the term refers to 'men believers', they interpret the term as 'only' Muslim believers.…”

“…In other words, because there is not any strong evidence that can be used against Muslim women's interfaith marriages, those conservative Muslim scholars generalise all Muslim women and consider them weak creatures under the influence of their husbands and claim that women are not strong enough to keep their faith if they marry a non-Muslim. Similarly, Buisson (2016) argues that the patriarchal setting of social constructs and understandings of gender identities are behind these arguments focusing on women's nature. She says that the assumption of women as easily convertible through their marriage to a non-Muslim is "based on the generally accepted traditional idea that a man should be responsible for his wife and act as both his tutor (waly) and mentor.…”

“…From this point of view, marriage of a Muslim woman to a non-Muslim man is considered impossible and unacceptable, as it would produce non-Muslim offspring to a Muslim mother. Buisson (2016) criticises this conservative understanding of the parents' role in children's religion and says that this argument is mainly the result of a patriarchal understanding of gender roles, indicating a paradox in the religious authorities argument. She argues that although a mother is considered the primary caretaker of the children and she is ascribed the obligation to educate them, in the arguments about interfaith marriages, intermarried Muslim women are not recognised as having enough authority and responsibility to teach her children Islamic values and raise them as Muslim (Buisson 2016).…”

“…Such Muslim women who have religious concerns want to learn the religious edicts about the subject and seek knowledge about what Islam says about their interfaith relationships/marriages (Abou El Fadl 2016; Haqqani 2022). Although some scholars discuss Muslim women's interfaith marriages as a part of their research (Al-Yousuf 2006;Eskan 2007;Friedmann 2003;Haqqani 2018), only a few studies have concentrated mainly on religious aspects of Muslim women's interfaith marriages (Azzam 2015;Buisson 2016;Haqqani 2022). In this article, I will investigate the origins of the prohibition of Muslim women's interfaith marriages in Islamic law by discussing the arguments put forward by traditional and contemporary Muslim scholars.…”