Muslima Flees London to Marry Hindi
September 17, 2006 § 9 Comments
This is a very strange story, I have never heard of such a thing. I’m sure that it has happened before but it is still very shocking!
“It is a tale of forbidden love that has delighted the Indian press. But a Muslim schoolgirl’s decision to flee from London to India to marry a Hindu man she met on the Internet has not exactly pleased her parents.” (S. Bhatia; L. Bannerman, The Times)
SEYFETTİN 
Why are you shocked? The 18 year woman lived in London in multicultural Democratic polyglot England. She met the man on the no-holds-bard Internet. So far, so Post-Modern good. There was a connection via their connection and then a link after the link. Would you be as upset if it was a Hindu girl in the UK that hooked up with a Muslim guy in say Pakistan? My guess is you would be less offended.
Remember Capitalism / Modernity (or Post Modernity if you’re being trendy) is a universal solvent, class, race, religion, culture, ethnicity, and many other things are dissolved away to make the base metal that is “consumer” Add to the mix a dash of Romanticism, and individualism ei “true love concurs all” and this “news” story was inevitable.
So unless your willing to lock up your daughters in very real and 7th century sense or move to a 100% Muslim country you better get your head wrapped around the idea of mixed marriages.
I’m sure James the idiot would be equally pleased if his snow white daughter ran off to some far away land to hook up with someone. I’d be mad as hell if my kids pulled such an irresponsible stunt. Dont seek to lecture others on free markets and how to raise their children. Take your retarded stereotypes elsewhere you detestable troll.
James,
The reason this is so shocking is because there is no way a married couple can practice both a monotheistic and polytheistic religion in one household at the same time. That would make the household polytheistic and therefore against Islam… the girl either knows this, is young and has not considered the realities beyond her, “Westernized Romantic Love” or she herself just does not care and is an atheist or disinterested in Islam all together.
Actually it would be even more shocking! I find it so funny that my fellow countrymen and other Westerners have so much to say about Muslims, yet they just do not understand Islam or Arab culture. It truly is comedy… but a very dangerous comedy that usually ends in tragedy of sorts.
wasalaam
Salaam ‘Alaikum
Perhaps she is one of those hundreds of thousands of people for whom “Muslim” has become an ethnic identity, a way to remember which holidays you’re supposed to be celebrating.
Wa ‘alaikum as-salaam,
UmmZaid its good to see you commenting on Wa Salaam. I’m sorry I have not made a comment on Sunni Sister in a while. I’ve had my hands full with the new addition and taking care of my wife. We do not have the kind of support from family that makes these blessings even more enjoyable. I will say this though… I have learned what kind of articles attract you… as well a other readers and I will be posting more of these, inshaAllah. However, concerning this post you commented saying,
Thank you UmmZaid, your comment is most likely the strongest case. The scenario you described I assumed to be athiest but revisiting this post I think that label is a little harsh, wasalaam.
Hum didn’t mean to set off a firestorm, and yet….
Let us put down the pitchforks and reason here.
First a Muslim men can marry any chaste woman who is part of people of the book, or he can marry a non-Muslim who converts. But a Muslim woman is much more restricted. Thus my point of flipping the sexes. I’m not going to argue the point of Muslim Misogyny because Misogyny is an equal opportunity employer. Christians, Buddhist and others are equally oppressive of women. And please no such stuff of how women are actually treated better in Islam that’s a non-starter. Both our respective societies have a very bad record there. Some rays of light peek through the gloom on both sides too but mostly it’s still much better to be a guy in our societies.
I do love how some of you completely missed the point here. You live in the Modern world witch is guided by materialistic Capitalism. And Capitalism is at best indifferent to your Religious views. It’s not personal, Capitalism is at best Amoral and is indifferent to ALL religions. At worst amoral Capitalism can easily slip into immorality.
Thus my point about the universal solvent of Modernity, it’s everywhere for better or for worse.
And in this modern world religion does matter less that the individual. Back in the good old days when the prophet’s (pbuh) generals where fighting Charles Martel minions to a bloody draw both societies defined themselves by religion first. But Christendom took another path and thanks to some very nasty inter-religious conflict decided that that nationhood trumped religion. And then the West decided (with a significant dissent) that reason also trumped religion. So now rationalism and romanticism and the excesses of both trump religion. For better or worse the West became secular and individualist and most importantly Capitalist.
And that dear friends is the world you live in. So in a world were people are individuals first and Muslims, Shintoist, Taoist etc. second I’m not surprised that a Hindu marries a Muslim via a Internet chat session. In the West Jews marry Pagans and no one bats an eye. People hook up via their LAN servers all the time. Some of them end up married, some end up YOUNG and married.
You can do your best King Canute impression and demand the sea of Modernity to roll back but the sea is indifferent to your pleas. (This from a man who has spent way too much time screaming into the wind. “I am not a commodity, I am not a consumer, I am human being!”)
So don’t get mad, be good parents and talk to your kids, explain why the anchor of your faith is so important in the storm tossed seas of Modernity. God willing they might unplug their Ipods and listen to you. But be advised your kids can still go off the rails; they can and will do stupid things. Will this Hindu/Muslim connection fail, most likely. They’re young and very impulsive, not good traits for a lasting marriage. But here is where I differ if my (mythical) lillywhite daughter decided to marry into the Muslim religion I would respect her decision and do whatever it took ensure her happiness.
The thing I find ironic is that the girl carried on over the Internet for three years before taking the leap. Her mother referred to the internet access as an “evil entity” that somehow entered her home unbeknownst her. Oh, please…if you’re not involved in your child’s life this can easily happen.
I’m sure we won’t hear the epilogue to this story, but I would “bet” that she finds her western sensibilities well trampled upon within a few months, especially if they live in a less cosmopolitan area of India. Often times, a Hindu daughter-in-law is an unpaid servant at best and a Muslim daughter-in-law in a Hindu family will find herself forever unacceptable. India has long ago banned the caste system but sadly, it’s still in the hearts of many Indians. If this boy is from a “good family” than this is a huge scandal, if he is from a poor family the education level of his home people will be low. Chances are she will have a miserable life, and practicing her Islam if she has time to think about it, will be difficult at best.
India is a complex, beautiful place with tremendous potential. If you know Indian Muslims you will find yourself in the company of the most humble of all Muslims. My opinion of course.
Sure you did… the moment you implied that Capitalism is the glue which holds the world together when you declared,
This is a strong position to make particularly on a Muslim’s blog… you claim that you didn’t mean to stir controversy but… neither did the Pope, wasalaam.
This was more or less why I was “shocked”, because she fled London to move to India! Socially it is just a difficult situation and the odds are against her, however, I pray that she is able to live and practice Islam in peace, wasalaam.