Interfaith marriage

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Interfaith marriage, sometimes called interreligious marriage or mixed marriage, [1] is marriage between spouses professing and being legally part of different religions. [1] Although interfaith marriages are often established as civil marriages, in some instances they may be established as a religious marriage. This depends on religious doctrine of each of the two parties' religions; some prohibit interfaith marriage, and among others there are varying degrees of permissibility. [1]

Contents

Several major religions are silent on the issue, and still others allow it with requirements for ceremony and custom. For ethno-religious groups, resistance to interfaith marriage may be a form of self-segregation in order to preserve the cultural identity and religious beliefs among members of the same group, [1] while interfaith marriage at times has been at times seen as a form of resisting boundaries established by religious and social norms. In an interfaith marriage, each partner typically adheres to their own religion. One issue which can arise in such unions is the choice of faith in which to raise the children.

Human rights

According to Article 16 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, men and women who have attained the age of majority have the right to marry "without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion". [2] Although most of Article 16 is incorporated verbatim in Article 23 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the references to religious and racial limitations is omitted. [3] Article 17, clause two, of the American Convention on Human Rights says that all men and women have the right to marry, subject to the conditions of domestic law "insofar as such conditions do not affect the principle of nondiscrimination established in this Convention." [4]

United States

According to a study conducted by the Pew Research Center (2015), interfaith marriage has become increasingly common in the United States during the past decades. While of marriages performed before 1960, 81% of marriages were between spouses from the same religious denomination, 11% were between spouses of different Christian denominations, 5% were between a Christian and a religiously unaffiliated spouse, and 3% were other mixed forms of interfaith marriages, the corresponding figures for marriages performed in the period of 2010-2014 were 61%, 15%, 18% and 6%. [5] Interfaith marriages are least common among Hindus, Mormons, and Muslims, and most common among religiously unaffiliated people, mainline Protestants, and Jews. [6]

Joan Boocock Lee, an Episcopalian British-American actress who was married to the agnostic Jewish-American comic book creator Stan Lee until her death, stated that the couple faced difficulty adopting a child in the mid-20th century United States. [7] Since the 1960s, American composers have written wedding music for use during interfaith marriage ceremonies, most notably John Serry Sr. [8] With this in mind, Serry devoted the remaining thirty-five years of his professional career to the performance of wedding music and liturgical music of the Jewish and Roman Catholic faiths as a freelance organist at the Interfaith Chapel of Long Island University C W Post Campus in Brookville, N.Y. (1968-2002). [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] As more rabbis sought to unite couples of different faiths without first requiring conversions in the 1960s and 1970s, [14] he collaborated with several clergymen of both the Jewish and Roman Catholic religious traditions, including Rabbi Nathaniel Schwartz [13] and the Rev. John Heinlein. [15] [16] [17]

India

Interfaith marriage is controversial in some areas, especially disapproval of relationships between Hindus and Muslims. Advertisements and films depicting Hindu-Muslim relationships have attracted condemnation and legal action. [18] Hindu-Muslim couples have experienced harassment, including posting personal details on social media. [19] In 2020 and 2021, several Indian states with BJP governments passed laws prohibiting forced conversions, and requiring notification of intent to marry and a waiting period, and allowing anyone to object to the union. Interfaith marriages have been taken as an inherent indication of a forced conversion, despite some individuals stating they will not be converting in order to marry. [20] The laws have been used to arrest and in some cases torture Muslim men who have married Hindu women. [21] Fearing vigilante violence and after facing long delays and uncooperative lawyers and government officials, some couples have fled to other states to get married, often losing their jobs. [22] [23] In August 2021, the Gujarat High Court limited the scope of that state's law on the grounds of freedom of religion. [20]

According to scholar Tamalapakula (2019), within the context of interfaith marriage, the social dimension of the caste system in India should be heavily considered. [24] In various instances in her study of interfaith and inter-caste marriages, arguably the dynamics of class and gender play a pivotal role in the development of social relationships between families of interfaith and inter-caste marriages. In one of the used examples, in the marriages between Brahmin women and the Dalit men, the men are often viewed poorly by Brahmin relatives and isolate from their Dalit relatives to avoid association, to attain a similar status to the Brahmin women which is socially seen as ¨pure¨ compared to the Dalit man [25]

Still, marriage is often seen as a means for the improvement of social status by Dalit men and even as a means of transcending the boundaries of caste-based discrimination and constraints for both men and women. Yet, for Dalit women, Tamalapakula argues that given that the higher castes would never accept them to be as the legal wife of a Brahmin man and as they are seen as sexually exploited from their Dalit relatives, [26] it is another example how interfaith and inter-caste marriages are essentially tied through structural inequalities surrounding gender and class. Thus, while interfaith marriage is seen as partly controverisal and legally acceptable, it is part of a larger power dynamic that crosses between class and gender within Dalit and Brahmin castes.

Saudi Arabia

Religion in Saudi Arabia is dominated and heavily influenced by the Salafi brand of Sunni Islam and its Wahhabi ideology, [27] a political and religious ideology named after Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, an 18th-century Sunni Muslim preacher, scholar, and theologian from the Najd region in central Arabia, [33] founder of the Islamic revivalist and reformist movement known as Wahhabism. [36] Hence, religious rights are restricted both for Saudi citizens and foreigners that reside in the country. [27] [34] [37] Public celebration or advocacy of any other religion is generally prohibited. [27]

Israel

In Israel, marriages are performed by delegated religious authorities. As such, most interfaith marriages are de facto not performed without a recognized conversion. [38] [39] This system is largely a continuation of the Ottoman Millet system in which different communities were allowed to control their own internal affairs. In the Druze religion there is no marriage between Druze and non-Druze and in traditional Judaism there is no marriage between a Jew and a Gentile. Thus, interfaith marriages in which one of the spouses is Jewish or Druze, are not recognized by the state. Muslim Qadis sometimes perform marriage ceremonies of a Muslim with a Jewish or Christian woman, and Christian priests in special cases perform marriage ceremonies of a Christian or Christian woman with a non-Christian, and in other cases they are recognized retrospectively, and in any case the state recognizes these marriages. All interfaith marriages performed in other countries are recognized. [40] Hitbolelut, meaning assimilation in Hebrew, is a term used mainly to refer with prejudice to Jews who marry outside of the Jewish people. The term has strong resonance in Israel and with many Jews worldwide as marrying outside historically meant leaving the Jewish community to be absorbed by the dominant culture. [41] [42]

Perhaps because of these norms, interfaith marriages between a Jewish individual and a non-Jewish individual are extremely rare in Israel. One Pew Research Center study, conducted in 2014-2015, indicated that only about two percent of Jewish individuals were part of an interfaith marriage. In addition, about 97 percent of Jews in the same stated that they would be not be completely comfortable with their child marrying a Muslim while 89 percent expressed similar views when asked about a hypothetical marriage to a Christian. [43]

Lebanon

Depending on the sectarian affiliation of the partners, there are different legal frameworks governing interfaith marriages. As secular civil marriage is not possible in Lebanon, the religious laws of the 18 recognised sects must be followed for marriage. This leads to different restrictions, such as Christians, who cannot marry non-Christians in a church, or Muslim women, who cannot marry Christian or Druze men unless one of the partners converts to the religion of the other. For Lebanese couples, an option to circumvent conversion is to have a civil marriage in Cyprus. Based on a comparison made between the 2011 and the 2018 electoral registration records, a slow but steady change in mixed marriages is measured. The data shows an increase in the percentage of Lebanese marriages that were interreligious without conversion, from 0.9% in 2011, to 1.31% in 2018. [44] In general interfaith marriages represent between 2 percent and 5 percent of all marriages among Lebanese. [45]

In her book Love Across Difference: Mixed Marriage in Lebanon, Lara Deeb explores the histories of several interfaith couples and their lived experiences. In this work, Deeb describes how partners negotiated strategies to continue practicing their respective religions and how to handle religious differences in raising their children. Furthermore, the book describes familial reactions (both nuclear and extended) to interfaith marriages, as well as social reputation and class related concerns, and religious prejudices in Lebanon. The reactions depicted in the book varied widely, ranging from immediate acceptance to rejection and shunning. Deep discusses not only interfaith marriage, but also points to similar issues arising from marriage between different religious sects. According to the author, interfaith marriage is becoming increasingly accepted in Lebanon. However, the disagreement between those in favor of and those against interfaith marriage is growing. [44]

By religion

Abrahamic religions

Baháʼí Faith

According to the Baháʼí Faith, all religions are inspired by God and interfaith marriage is permitted. A Baháʼí ceremony should be performed with the non-Baháʼí rite (or ceremony). If both ceremonies are performed, the non-Baháʼí ceremony should not invalidate the Baháʼí ceremony; the Baháʼí partner remains a Baháʼí, and is not adopting the religion of the other partner in the ceremony. The Baháʼí partner should also abstain from vows (or statements) committing them to a declaration of faith in another religion or that are contrary to the principles of the Baháʼí Faith. The two ceremonies should be performed on the same day; their order is not important. The Baháʼí ceremony may be performed in the place of worship of the other religion if it is afforded respect equal to the non-Baháʼí ceremony and is clearly distinct from the non-Baháʼí ceremony.

Christianity

A Lutheran pastor in Germany marries a young couple in a Protestant church. Ev Stadtkirche Ravensburg innen.jpg
A Lutheran pastor in Germany marries a young couple in a Protestant church.

In Christianity, an interfaith marriage is a marriage between a Christian and a non-Christian (e.g. a wedding between a Christian man and a Jewish woman, or between a Christian woman and a Muslim man); it is to be distinguished between an interdenominational marriage in which two baptized Christians belonging to two different Christian denominations marry (e.g. a wedding between a Lutheran Christian and a Catholic Christian). Almost all Christian denominations permit interdenominational marriages, though with respect to interfaith marriage, many Christian denominations caution against it, citing verses of the Christian Bible such as 2 Corinthians 6:14–15, while certain Christian denominations have made allowances for interfaith marriage, which is referenced in 1 Corinthians 7:14–15, verses where Saint Paul addresses originally non-Christian couples in which one of the spouses became a Christian after the marriage had taken place. [46] [47] [48] [49] The consensus of the early Church Fathers was that "interreligious marriage undermined the ecclesiological integrity of the Christian community" though as Christianity rapidly spread in the Roman Empire, cases would arise among non-Christian couples in which one person converted to Christianity; Apostolic Tradition , an early Christian Church Order, references such an interfaith couple in its instructions on Christian prayer at the seven fixed prayer times and the ablutions preceding them, stating: [50] [51]

Around midnight rise and wash your hands with water and pray. If you are married, pray together. But if your spouse is not yet baptized, go into another room to pray, and then return to bed. Do not hesitate to pray, for one who has been joined in marital relations is not impure. [51]

The early Christian Council of Elvira prohibited interreligious marriage "no matter how few eligible men there are, for such marriages lead to the adultery of the soul." [52] The Church of the East, in the Council of Seleucia-Ctesiphon in AD 410, ruled that "Christian women should not marry across religious boundaries" though it allowed for Christian men to marry "women of all nations" (neshē men kul 'ammin) in order that Christian men would "instruct them in the ways of Christianity." [50] The cultural context at the time was that a couple's children would follow the religion of the father. [53] The Synod of Elvira forbade Christian parents who permitted their daughters to marry nonbelievers to receive Holy Communion, "even at the time of death". [52]

In the Presbyterian Church (USA), the local church congregation is tasked with supporting and including the interfaith couple in the life of the Church, "help[ing] parents make and live by commitments about the spiritual nurture of their children", and being inclusive of the children of the interfaith couple. [54] The pastor is to be available to help and counsel the interfaith couple in their life journey. [54]

The Catholic Church recognizes as sacramental, (1) the marriages between two baptized Protestants or between two baptized Orthodox Christians, as well as (2) marriages between baptized non-Catholic Christians and Catholic Christians, [55] although in the latter case, consent from the diocesan bishop must be obtained, with this termed "permission to enter into a mixed marriage". [56] To illustrate (1), for example, "if two Lutherans marry in the Lutheran Church in the presence of a Lutheran minister, the Catholic Church recognizes this as a valid sacrament of marriage." [55] On the other hand, although the Catholic Church recognizes marriages between two non-Christians or those between a Catholic Christian and a non-Christian, these are not considered to be sacramental, and in the latter case, the Catholic Christian must seek permission from their bishop for the marriage to occur; this permission is known as "dispensation from disparity of cult". [57]

In Methodist Christianity, the 2014 Book of Discipline of the Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection discourages interfaith marriages, stating "Many Christians have married unconverted persons. This has produced bad effects; they have either been hindered for life, or have turned back to perdition." [58] Though the United Methodist Church authorizes its clergy to preside at interfaith marriages, it notes that 2 Corinthians 6:14 has been interpreted "as at least an ideal if not an absolute ban on such [interfaith] marriages as an issue of scriptural faithfulness, if not as an issue of Christian survival." [59] At the same time, for those already in an interfaith marriage (including cases in which there is a non-Christian couple and one party converts to Christianity after marriage), the Church notes that Saint Paul "addresses persons married to unbelievers and encourages them to stay married (see 1 Corinthians 7:12–16)." [59] The Wesleyan Holiness Association of Churches teaches that "For a Christian to marry an unbeliever is unscriptural. If one does marry an unconverted party and trouble follows, he/she cannot blame God for his/her wrongdoing but must expect to pay the penalty, for the marriage covenant is morally binding so long as both live and, therefore, may not be dissolved at will (1 Corinthians 7:39)." [60]

Islam

Interfaith marriage between Muslims and Christians is discussed in the Ashtiname of Muhammad, a treaty that was recorded between Muhammad and the abbots of Saint Catherine's Monastery, which is depicted in this icon. Icon Iakovos Moskos.jpg
Interfaith marriage between Muslims and Christians is discussed in the Ashtiname of Muhammad, a treaty that was recorded between Muhammad and the abbots of Saint Catherine's Monastery, which is depicted in this icon.

While the legality of interfaith marriage varies in contemporary Muslim-majority countries, in traditional Islamic culture and traditional Islamic law Muslim women are forbidden from marrying non-Muslim men, whereas Muslim men are permitted to marry Christian or Jewish women. [62] [63] It is lawful for Muslim men to marry Jewish or Christian women but not a polytheist woman (Quran 5:5). [64] In the case of a Muslim-Christian marriage, which is to be contracted only after permission from the Christian party, the Christian spouse is not to be prevented from attending church for prayer and worship, according to the Ashtiname of Muhammad, a treaty between Muslims and Christians recorded between Muhammad and Saint Catherine's Monastery. [61] [65]

On the other hand, according to the traditional understanding of interfaith marriage in Islam, Muslim women are forbidden from intermarrying with non-Muslim men based on Islamic law. [66] [67] [68] [69] The Quran states:

Do not marry polytheist woman until she believes; a slave believing woman is better than polytheist women though she allures you; Do not marry (your girls) to polytheist man until he believes: A man slave who believes is better than a polytheist man, even though he allures you. They do (but) beckon you to the Fire. But God beckons by His Grace to the Garden (of bliss) and forgiveness, and makes His Signs clear to mankind: so that they may understand.

—  Quran 2:221 [70]

O ye who believe! When there come to you believing women refugees, examine (and test) them: God knows best as to their Faith: if ye ascertain that they are Believers, then send them not back to the Unbelievers. They are not lawful wives for the Unbelievers, nor are the Unbelievers lawful husbands for them.

—  Quran 60:10 [71]

In some societies outside the traditional dar al-islam , interfaith marriages between Muslims and non-Muslims are not uncommon, including marriages that contradict the historic Sunni understanding of ijmāʿ (the consensus of fuqāha ) as to the bounds of legitimacy. [62] [72] [73] The tradition of reformist and progressive Islam, however, permits marriage between Muslim women and non-Muslim men; [73] Islamic scholars opining this view include Khaleel Mohammed, Daayiee Abdullah, and Hassan Al-Turabi, among others. [74] ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (634–644) denied interfaith marriage to Muslim men during his command of the ummah . [75]

Many Muslim-majority countries allow interfaith marriages to Christian or Jewish women but not to Christian or Jewish men. [76] In Lebanon for example, there is no civil personal status law. Conventionally, marriages are performed according to the sect the spouses belong to. Turkey allows marriages between Muslim women and non-Muslim men through secular laws. [77] In Tunisia since 16 September 2017, Muslim women can lawfully marry any man of any faith, or of none. In Malaysia, a non-Muslim must convert to Islam in order to marry a Muslim and the offspring of such unions are automatically Muslims. [78]

Canadian Islamic scholar Ahmad Kutty has expressed disapproval of all interfaith marriages, citing Umar. [75] According to Canadian Islamic teacher Bilal Philips, the verse permitting Muslim men to marry non-Muslim women is no longer valid for several reasons (including its misinterpretation). [79] Canadian Islamic scholar Shabir Ally has also said that it is makruh for a Muslim man to marry outside his religion. [80] The movement of progressive Islam permits marriage between Muslim women and Non-Muslim men; Members opining this view include Muslim scholars Khaleel Mohammed, Daayiee Abdullah, and Hassan Al-Turabi, among others. [74]

Judaism

In the Hebrew Bible, Ruth was a Moabite woman who married an Israelite man, Mahlon. She is the person after whom the Book of Ruth is named. Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld- Ruth im Feld des Boaz.jpg
In the Hebrew Bible, Ruth was a Moabite woman who married an Israelite man, Mahlon. She is the person after whom the Book of Ruth is named.

Interfaith marriage in Judaism was historically viewed with disfavor among rabbinical Jewish leaders, and it remains a controversial topic to this day. The Talmud and poskim prohibit non-Jews to marry Jews, and discuss when the prohibition is from the Torah and when it is rabbinical. [81] In 1236, Moses of Coucy encouraged Jewish men who had married Christian or Muslim women to divorce them. [82] In 1844, the reformed Rabbinical Conference of Brunswick permitted Jews to marry "any adherent of a monotheistic religion" if children of the marriage were raised Jewish. [83] This conference was controversial; one of its resolutions called on members to abolish the Kol Nidre prayer, which opens the Yom Kippur service. [84] One member of the conference later changed his opinion, becoming an opponent of intermarriage. [85]

Traditional Judaism does not consider marriage between a Jew by birth and a convert to Judaism as intermarriage; [86] [87] [88] Biblical passages which apparently support intermarriage, such as that of Joseph to Asenath and Ruth to Boaz, were regarded by classical rabbis as having occurred after the non-Jewish spouse had converted. [89] Some still considered Canaanites forbidden to marry even after their conversion to Judaism, although this did not necessarily apply to their children. [90]

Orthodox Judaism refuses to accept intermarriage and tries to avoid facilitating them. Conservative Judaism does not sanction intermarriage but encourages acceptance of the non-Jewish spouse by the family in the hope that such acceptance will lead to the spouse's conversion to Judaism. [91] In December 2014, the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism's United Synagogue Youth controversially modified a binding rule that its leaders would not date non-Jews, replacing it with a "recogni[tion of] the importance of dating within the Jewish community." [92]

Reform and Reconstructionist denominations of Judaism do not generally regard the authority of classical rabbis; many rabbis from these denominations are willing to officiate at interfaith marriages, [93] [94] although some try to persuade intermarried couples to raise their children as Jews. In 1870, some Reform Jews published the opinion that intermarriage is prohibited. [95]

In 2015 the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College voted to accept rabbinical students in interfaith relationships, making Reconstructionist Judaism the first major movement within Judaism to allow rabbis to have relationships with non-Jewish partners. [96] Humanistic Judaism is a nontheistic alternative in contemporary Jewish life, defining Judaism as the cultural and historical experience of the Jewish people. The Society for Humanistic Judaism answers the question, "Is intermarriage contributing to the demise of Judaism?" on its website: "Intermarriage is the positive consequence of a free and open society. If the Jewish community is open, welcoming, embracing, and pluralistic, we will encourage more people to identify with the Jewish people rather than fewer. Intermarriage could contribute to the continuity of the Jewish people." [97]

During the early 19th century, intermarriage was relatively rare; less than one-tenth of one percent of the Jews of Algeria, for example, practiced exogamy. [98] Since the early 20th century, rates of Jewish intermarriage have increased. In the United States from 1996 to 2001, nearly half (47 percent) of marriages involving Jews were intermarriages with non-Jewish partners [99] (a similar proportion—44 percent—as in the early 20th century in New South Wales). [100]

In Israel, the religious authorities, which are the only entities authorized to perform weddings in Israel, can only perform marriages within the confines of whatever religion they are a religious figure for. Therefore, interfaith couples can usually be legally married in Israel only if one of the partners converts to the religion of the other. [40] For this reason, interfaith couples from Israel and Lebanon often travel to Cyprus to be legally wed. [101]

Dharmic religions

Buddhism

Hinduism

Photograph of a bride and bridegroom of the Shudra caste in a horse-drawn vehicle (1908) Women of all nations; a record of their characteristics, habits, manners, customs and influence (1908) (14596144980).jpg
Photograph of a bride and bridegroom of the Shudra caste in a horse-drawn vehicle (1908)

In Hinduism, sacred texts like the Vedas do not have any views on interfaith marriages by differentiating between people of different religions. This is because there was no other known religion in ancient India during their composition. Law books like the Manusmriti , Yajnavalkya Smriti , and the Parashara Smriti speak of marriage rules among various kula and gotra , i.e. marriage outside of the Hindu caste system (varṇa). [1] According to the caste system, marriage is normally between two individuals of the same varṇa. Marriages between men of higher birth and women of lower birth (anuloma) was sanctioned, but marriages between men of lower birth and women of higher birth (pratiloma) were frowned upon. [102] Ancient Hindu literature identified four classes of varṇa: Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras. However, the Hindu Marriage Act requires that both the bride and the bridegroom belong only to Hinduism or other Dhārmic religions (Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism) with the exclusion of non-Dhārmic religions, and if any of the two parties converts to any non-Hindu and non-Vedic religion, the marriage automatically becomes null and void. [103]

Sikhism

Despite some gurdwaras allowing weddings between a Sikh and a non-Sikh, the vast majority oppose it. [1] As per the 1945 Sikh Rehat Maryada (Code of Conduct), an interfaith anand karaj is not allowed within the Sikh faith. [104] The 10th Sikh Guru had indicated within The 52 Hukams of Guru Gobind Singh that "a Sikh’s daughter must be married to a Sikh". In 2014, the Sikh Council in the United Kingdom developed a consistent approach towards marriages in gurdwaras where one partner is not of Sikh origin, following a two-year consultation with Gurdwara Sahib Committees, Sikh organizations, and individuals. The resulting guidelines were approved by the General Assembly of the Sikh Council in the United Kingdom on 11 October 2014, and state that gurdwaras are encouraged to ensure that both parties to an Anand Karaj wedding ceremony are Sikhs, but that where a couple chooses to undertake a civil marriage they should be offered the opportunity to hold an Ardas, Sukhmani Sahib Path, Akhand Path, or other service to celebrate their marriage in the presence of family and friends. [105] Some gurdwaras permit mixed marriages, which has led to controversy.

Serer religion

In orthodox Serer religion (an ethno-religious faith), interfaith and interracial marriages are forbidden. Banishment and disinheritance may be levied against a Serer who disobeys the law. [106] The Serer-Noon (a sub-group of the Serer people) adhere strongly to this teaching. [106]

Zoroastrianism

Zoroastrians in the Indian subcontinent disapprove of and discourage interfaith marriages. When a female adherent marries a partner from another religion, they go through the risk of not being able to enter the Agyaris and Atash Behrams. In the past, their partner and children were forbidden from entering Zoroastrian religious buildings; this is often still observed. Alternatively in a few cases such as that of Suzanne RD Tata, the non-Zoroastrian spouse has been allowed to convert Zoroastrianism by undergoing the navjote ritual. [107] Interfaith marriages may skew Zoroastrian demographics, since the number of adherents is low.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Religion in India: Tolerance and Segregation – Chapter 3: Religious segregation in India". The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. Washington, D.C.: Pew Research Center. 29 June 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2025. Very few Indians say they are married to someone who currently follows a different religion than their own. Indeed, nearly all married people (99%) report that their spouse shares their religion. This includes nearly universal shares of Hindus (99%), Muslims (98%), Christians (95%), Sikhs and Buddhists (97% each). (The survey did not include enough interviews with married Jains to report on the religion of their spouses.)
    Not only are interreligious marriages rare in India, but in recent years, some couples marrying outside their communities have experienced severe consequences, including being ostracized and even killed by family members. The Indian public prioritizes stopping the interreligious marriage of women and men at nearly equal rates. About two-thirds of Indians (65%) say it is very important to stop men from marrying into another religion, while roughly the same share (67%) say stopping interreligious marriage of women is a high priority.
    Most Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Jains say it is very important to stop men and women in their community from marrying outside their religion. But considerably fewer Christians and Buddhists feel this way. Among Christians, 37% say it is very important to stop the interreligious marriage of women, and 35% say the same about men. Among Buddhists, 46% say stopping the interreligious marriage of women is a high priority, and 44% say this for men. Highly religious Indians are especially likely to prioritize stopping interreligious marriage. For example, among adults who say religion is very important in their lives, a majority (70%) give high priority to stopping the interreligious marriage of men, compared with 39% of those who say religion is less important to them.
  2. ↑ "The Universal Declaration of Human Rights" . Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  3. ↑ "UN Covenant on Civil and Political Rights" . Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  4. ↑ "AMERICAN CONVENTION ON HUMAN RIGHTS". cidh.org. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  5. ↑ "Interfaith marriage is common in U.S., particularly among the recently wed". 2 June 2015.
  6. ↑ "Interfaith marriage is common in U.S., particularly among the recently wed". 2 June 2015.
  7. ↑ Joan Boocock Lee; Stan Lee (2010). With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story. Event occurs at 0:47:20. OCLC   1038407559.
  8. ↑ Eastman School of Music - University of Rochester - Sibley Music Library: John J. Serry Sr. Collection score "Processional March (1951, Revised for Organ 1968)" Folder 18 p. 10 archived at the University of Rochester Eastman School of Music Sibley Music Library Special collections on esm.rochester.edu
  9. ↑ The New York Times, 21 June 1964, p. 84
  10. ↑ The New York Times, 9 June 1965, p. 47
  11. ↑ The New York Times, 14 June 1987, p. LI22
  12. ↑ The New York Times14 June 1987, P. New York Region
  13. 1 2 Mitchell, Ellen (14 June 1987). "Interfaith Chapels in Demand". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
  14. ↑ Mehta, Samira K. (13 March 2018). Beyond Chrismukkah: The Christian-Jewish Interfaith Family in the United States. UNC Press Books. ISBN   978-1-4696-3637-5 . Retrieved 28 January 2025– via Google Books.
  15. ↑ "No Headline". The New York Times . 18 March 1984. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  16. ↑ "Ther ese O'Hara and G. A. Krebs Wed". The New York Times . 6 November 1983. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  17. ↑ "Eastman School of Music – University of Rochester – Sibley Music Library: John J. Serry Sr. Collection: Series 3, p. 6 – Scrapbook containing musical programs as archived at the University of Rochester Eastman School of Music Sibley Music Library Special collections on esm.rochester.edu" (PDF). Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  18. ↑ Ganguly, Sumit (27 January 2021). "The problem with India's 'love jihad' laws". The Conversation.
  19. ↑ "To Harass Hindu-Muslim Couples, Rightwing Activists Are Now Using Their Marriage Documents". The Wire.
  20. 1 2 Indian court strikes down provisions against interfaith marriage
  21. ↑ "Muslims targeted under Indian state's 'love jihad' law". the Guardian. 14 December 2020.
  22. ↑ "A New Law In India Is Making It Harder For Interfaith Couples To Get Married". NPR.org.
  23. ↑ "India's interfaith couples on edge after new law". BBC News. 15 March 2021.
  24. ↑ Tamalapakula, Sowjanya (2019). "The Politics of Inter-caste Marriage among Dalits in India: The Political as Personal". Asian Survey. 59 (2): 317. doi:10.1525/as.2019.59.2.315. ISSN   0004-4687. JSTOR   26663710.
  25. ↑ Tamalapakula, Sowjanya (2019). "The Politics of Inter-caste Marriage among Dalits in India: The Political as Personal". Asian Survey. 59 (2): 324–326. doi:10.1525/as.2019.59.2.315. ISSN   0004-4687. JSTOR   26663710.
  26. ↑ Tamalapakula, Sowjanya (2019). "The Politics of Inter-caste Marriage among Dalits in India: The Political as Personal". Asian Survey. 59 (2): 330. doi:10.1525/as.2019.59.2.315. ISSN   0004-4687. JSTOR   26663710.
  27. 1 2 3 Hyde, Henry J.; Lugar, Richard G., eds. (6 October 2004). Annual Report on International Religious Freedom 2004 and Designations of Countries of Particular Concern: Hearing Before the Committee on International Relations, House of Representatives, 108th Congress, 2nd Session. Washington, D.C.: U.S. House Committee on International Relations. p. 86. Saudi Arabia doesn't allow religious freedom to any of its citizens, to foreign expatriates, to Muslims, even to those who are Wahhabis. The word "freedom" is what is missing. The [Saudi] government control over the religion and understanding of Islam is the core cause of extremism in the country. The faith of Islam has been used by the government as a political tool to oppress reformers, critics, and opponents. Saudi Arabia is a glaring example of religious apartheid. The religious institutions extending from government clerics, judges, religious curriculums, and to all religious instructions in media are restricted to the Wahhabi understanding of Islam, adhered to by less than 40% of the population.
  28. 1 2 Laoust, H. (2012) [1993]. "Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb". In Bearman, P. J.; Bianquis, Th.; Bosworth, C. E.; van Donzel, E. J.; Heinrichs, W. P. (eds.). Encyclopaedia of Islam (2nd ed.). Leiden and Boston: Brill Publishers. doi:10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_3033. ISBN   978-90-04-16121-4.
  29. 1 2 Haykel, Bernard (2013). "Ibn ‛Abd al-Wahhab, Muhammad (1703-92)". In Böwering, Gerhard; Crone, Patricia; Kadi, Wadad; Mirza, Mahan; Stewart, Devin J.; Zaman, Muhammad Qasim (eds.). The Princeton Encyclopedia of Islamic Political Thought. Princeton, New Jersey and Woodstock, Oxfordshire: Princeton University Press. pp. 231–232. ISBN   978-0-691-13484-0 . Retrieved 15 July 2020. Founder of a revivalist and reformist religious movement centered in Najd in central Arabia and commonly referred to as the Wahhabiyya or Wahhabis, Muhammad b. 'Abd al-Wahhab belonged to a prominent family of Hanbali scholars, the Al Musharraf of Ushayqir
  30. 1 2 Esposito, John L., ed. (2004). "Ibn Abd al-Wahhab, Muhammad (d. 1791)". The Oxford Dictionary of Islam . Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. p. 123. ISBN   0-19-512559-2 . Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  31. 1 2 "Ibn Abd al-Wahhab, Muhammad - Oxford Islamic Studies Online". www.oxfordislamicstudies.com. Oxford University Press. 2020. Archived from the original on 12 July 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  32. 1 2 Wagemakers, Joas (2021). "Part 3: Fundamentalisms and Extremists – The Citadel of Salafism". In Cusack, Carole M.; Upal, M. Afzal (eds.). Handbook of Islamic Sects and Movements. Brill Handbooks on Contemporary Religion. Vol. 21. Leiden and Boston: Brill Publishers. pp. 333–347. doi: 10.1163/9789004435544_019 . ISBN   978-90-04-43554-4. ISSN   1874-6691.
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  34. 1 2 Nahouza, Namira (2018). "Wahhabism: A Historical Overview". Wahhabism and the Rise of the New Salafists: Theology, Power, and Sunni Islam. London and New York: I.B. Tauris. pp. 61–78. ISBN   9781788311427.
  35. ↑ Ágoston, Gábor; Masters, Bruce, eds. (2009). "Ibn Abd al-Wahhab, Muhammad". Encyclopedia of the Ottoman Empire. New York: Facts On File. pp. 260–61. ISBN   978-0-8160-6259-1. LCCN   2008020716 . Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  36. ↑ [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [34] [35]
  37. ↑ Bokhari, Kamran; Senzai, Farid, eds. (2013). "Conditionalist Islamists: The Case of the Salafis". Political Islam in the Age of Democratization. Basingstoke and New York: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 81–100. doi:10.1057/9781137313492_5. ISBN   978-1-137-31349-2.
  38. ↑ Hanna Lerner (2011). Making Constitutions in Deeply Divided Societies. Cambridge University Press. p.  214. ISBN   978-1-139-50292-4.
  39. ↑ "Civil marriage now". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 4 September 2017. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  40. 1 2 Michel Chabin 2013-06-13 Married On The Mediterranean — But Not In Israel Archived 3 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine The Jewish Week. Retrieved 2015-10-01
  41. ↑ Endelman, Todd M. (2015). "7. Neither Jew nor Christian. New Religions, New Creeds". Leaving the Jewish Fold: Conversion and Radical Assimilation in Modern Jewish History. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. p. 275. doi:10.1515/9781400866380-010. ISBN   9781400866380 . Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  42. ↑ Endelman, Todd (31 December 2015). Leaving the Jewish Fold. Princeton: Princeton University Press. doi:10.1515/9781400866380. ISBN   978-1-4008-6638-0.
  43. ↑ Pew Research Center (8 March 2016). "11. Intergroup marriage and friendship" . Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  44. 1 2 Deeb, Lara (31 December 2024). Love Across Difference: Mixed Marriage in Lebanon. Stanford University Press. p. 260. doi:10.1515/9781503640764. ISBN   978-1-5036-4076-4.
  45. ↑ Deeb, Lara (10 August 2024). Love Across Difference Mixed Marriage in Lebanon. Stanford University Press. ISBN   9781503640764.
  46. ↑ Soards, Marion L. (1999). New International Biblical Commentary: 1 Corinthians. Hendrickson. p. 150. ISBN   978-0-943575-97-1. Although the church has attempted to work from these lines in formulating policies about so-called mixed marriages, the present verses do not deal with the majority of interfaith marriages as we know them in the late twentieth century. Paul is writing to first-century, first-generation converts, many of whom had religious backgrounds in paganism and many of whom might have spouses who were not believers.
  47. ↑ Lukito, Ratno (6 August 2012). Legal Pluralism in Indonesia: Bridging the Unbridgeable. Routledge. p. 163. ISBN   978-1-136-28557-8. Furthermore, from the judges' understanding of Christian teaching, interfaith marriage is similarly disallowed in the New Testament (2 Corinthians 6:14).
  48. ↑ Juergensmeyer, Mark; Roof, Wade Clark (2012). Encyclopedia of Global Religion. SAGE. p. 563. ISBN   978-0-7619-2729-7. ... most Christian churches support members who take part in intermarriage, citing 1 Corinthians 7:12-14.
  49. ↑ Hurtado, Larry W. (2 November 2005). "To Live and Die for Jesus: Social and Political Consequences of Devotion to Jesus in Earliest Christianity". How on Earth Did Jesus Become a God? Historical Questions about Earliest Devotion to Jesus. Grand Rapids, Michigan and Cambridge, UK: Wm. B. Eerdmans. pp. 63–64. ISBN   978-0-8028-2861-3.
  50. 1 2 Weitz, Lev E. (24 May 2018). Between Christ and Caliph: Law, Marriage, and Christian Community in Early Islam. University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 204. ISBN   978-0-8122-5027-5.
  51. 1 2 Hippolytus. "Apostolic Tradition" (PDF). St. John's Episcopal Church. p. 16. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  52. 1 2 Witte, John (31 January 2012). From Sacrament to Contract, Second Edition: Marriage, Religion, and Law in the Western Tradition. Presbyterian Publishing Corp. p. 62. ISBN   978-1-61164-192-9. The Council of Elvira also prohibited interreligious marriage: 15. Christian girls are not to marry pagans, no matter how few eligible men there are, for such marriages lead to the adultery of the soul. 17. If parents allow their daughter to marry a pagan priest, they shall not receive communion even at the time of death.
  53. ↑ Sahanam, L. E. (2009). Belonging But Not Believing: Interfaith Marriage. ISPCK. p. 25. ISBN   978-81-8458-088-4.
  54. 1 2 Interfaith Marriage. Presbyterian Church (USA). 6 October 2010. p. 2.
  55. 1 2 Foster, Michael Smith (1999). Annulment. Paulist Press. p.  83. ISBN   9780809138449. The Catholic Church considers marriages of baptized Protestants to be valid marriages. So if two Lutherans marry in the Lutheran Church in the presence of a Lutheran minister, the Catholic Church recognizes this as a valid sacrament of marriage.
  56. ↑ Burke, John (1999). Catholic Marriage. Paulines Publications Africa. p. 98. ISBN   9789966081063. We might remind ourselves here that a marriage between a Catholic and a baptized person that takes place in the Catholic Church, or in another Church with permission from the diocesan bishop, is a sacramental union. Such a marriage is a life-long union and no power on earth can dissolve it.
  57. ↑ "Are non-Catholic marriages valid in the eyes of the Catholic Church? What if a Catholic marries a non-Catholic?". Catholic Answers. 1996. Archived from the original on 21 December 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2015. Supernatural marriages exist only between baptized people, so marriages between two Jews or two Muslims are only natural marriages. Assuming no impediments, marriages between Jews or Muslims would be valid natural marriages. Marriages between two Protestants or two Eastern Orthodox also would be valid, presuming no impediments, but these would be supernatural (sacramental) marriages and thus indissoluble.
  58. ↑ The Discipline of the Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection (Original Allegheny Conference). Salem: Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection. 2014. p. 33.
  59. 1 2 Burton-Edwards, Taylor (2010). "Interfaith Marriage: Pastoral Discernment and Responsibility". The United Methodist Church . Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  60. ↑ Declaration of Principles: Manual of the Wesleyan Holiness Association of Churches. Wesleyan Holiness Association of Churches. 2017. p. 22.
  61. 1 2 Ahmed, Akbar S. (2013). Postmodernism and Islam: Predicament and Promise (1st ed.). London and New York: Routledge. p. 62. ISBN   978-1-134-92417-2. The Quran speaks favourably of the People of the Book. For example, Surah 3, verse 199, carries a universal message of goodwill and hope to all those who believe, the People of the Book irrespective of their religious label—Christian, Jew, or Muslim. Muslims can marry with the People of the Book [...].
  62. 1 2 Elmali-Karakaya, Ayse (2020). "Being Married to a Non-Muslim Husband: Religious Identity in Muslim Women's Interfaith Marriages". In Hood, Ralph W.; Cheruvallil-Contractor, Sariya (eds.). Research in the Social Scientific Study of Religion: A Diversity of Paradigms. Vol. 31. Leiden and Boston: Brill Publishers. pp. 388–410. doi:10.1163/9789004443969_020. ISBN   978-90-04-44348-8. ISSN   1046-8064. S2CID   234539750.
  63. ↑ Leeman, A. B. (Spring 2009). "Interfaith Marriage in Islam: An Examination of the Legal Theory Behind the Traditional and Reformist Positions" (PDF). Indiana Law Journal . 84 (2). Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Maurer School of Law: 743–772. ISSN   0019-6665. S2CID   52224503. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 November 2018. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  64. ↑ Quran   5:5  (Translated by  Yusuf Ali)
  65. ↑ Timani, Hussam S.; Ashton, Loye Sekihata (29 November 2019). Post-Christian Interreligious Liberation Theology. Springer Nature. p. 196. ISBN   978-3-030-27308-8.
  66. ↑ Saeed, Hassan (2004): Freedom of Religion, Apostasy and Islam. Ashgate Publishing. ISBN   978-0-7546-3082-1.
  67. ↑ Daniels, Timothy P. (2005): Building Cultural Nationalism in Malaysia. Routledge. ISBN   0-415-94971-8.
  68. ↑ Altstein,Howard;Simon, Rita James (2003): Global perspectives on social issues: marriage and divorce. Lexington, Mass: LexingtonBooks. ISBN   0-7391-0588-4.
  69. ↑ "Marriage to Saudis". U.S. Department of State. Archived from the original on 14 June 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  70. ↑ Quran   2:221  (Translated by  Yusuf Ali)
  71. ↑ Quran   60:10  (Translated by  Yusuf Ali)
  72. ↑ Ghouse, Mike (8 February 2017). "Can A Muslim Woman Marry A Non-Muslim Man?". The Huffington Post . Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  73. 1 2 Leeman 2009.
  74. 1 2 Jahangir, Junaid (21 March 2017). "Muslim Women Can Marry Outside The Faith". The Huffington Post . Archived from the original on 25 March 2017. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
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  76. ↑ "The Need to Unify Personal Status Laws in Arab Countries". Archived from the original on 29 April 2009.
  77. ↑ TWENTY-FIRST-CENTURY LOVING: NATIONALITY, GENDER, AND RELIGION IN THE MUSLIM WORLD Archived 2011-07-19 at the Wayback Machine
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  85. ↑ Ludwig Philippson, Israelitische Religionslehre (1865), 3:350
  86. ↑ Berakhot 28a
  87. ↑ Kiddushin 5:4 (Tosefta)
  88. ↑ Rabbi Yosef Karo, Shulchan Aruch III:4:10
  89. ↑ Genesis Rabbah, 65
  90. ↑ Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Sanctity, Laws of Prohibited Relations, 12:22 and Maggid Mashnah ad. loc.
  91. ↑ Leadership Council of Conservative Judaism, Statement on Intermarriage, Adopted on March 7, 1995
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  99. ↑ National Jewish Population Survey 2000-01
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  102. ↑ Ray, Bharati (15 September 2005). Women of India: Colonial and Post-colonial Periods. SAGE Publications India. p. 36. ISBN   978-81-321-0264-9.
  103. ↑ India, Parliament of. Hindu Marriage Act, 1955.
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