It's a pity that Indian people look up to Bollywood stars to establish their faith and learn about their religion. It's getting very common in India for muslim girls to marry hindu boys and not converting...they look at Shahrukh & Gauri Khan as their role models and in fact raise their kids with both sets of religious practices. Not just that, they even defy Quranic principles and have redefined Islam to suit their lifestyle.
Oh well, who are we to judge? I guess it all boils down to whether you watch these movies for pure entertainment or for guidelines on how to live your life.
I agree with Niks.
And one thing I will add here is something we're all forgetting. SRK, SAK, SK, AK...none of these guys are religious. Since when did religion become an issue...it hasnt been for the past 25 years so why now?
Another thing: they work in Bollywood...they're livelihood is Bollywood. Who do you think they owe more to right now in their mind? Muslims all over the world who they dont know or people like Karan Johar who pay for SRK's lifestyle? If this movie was not about hindu-muslim marriages...what other marriage would it be about? Yes, its a little idealistic but to be completely honest...its a reality of life for these people in Bollywood. They cant function or move without hindu support. They better be supporting hindu-muslim unions otherwise...their careers are over.
Now, can it work? I think any type of marriage can work as long as both parties are invested in it. Yes, it can work and in SRK's case - not religously speaking - its working. They have a comfortable arrangement. He brings home the bread and she maintains the glamazon-wife/mother image as well as help him in the Bollywood industry by simply being hindu.
I never thought about it this way PSquared but that makes so much sense, the public image part...like oh what will people think if Gauri converted, oh how bad muslims are to convert others or look how we hindus and muslims can live together in peace or see we respect each others space...yup.
My only question is that the kids of such couples, are they OK with learning that shirk is the biggest sin and then doing shirk right after that, as in SRK and Gauri's children who are being raised as both Hindu and Muslim? Don't they get confused? I completely understand respecting other religions and letting people be, not imposing and all that, but how do you raise a child with such contradictory education?
I feel bad for such children...they will have identity crises. They might not even take religion seriously because of the amount of conflict between the parents on this topic.
If a child growing up in the West coming from Pakistani parents can have serious identity issues, imagine being raised by parents of completely different faiths. At least in Abrahamic faiths, the basics are vaguely similar...but in hindu-muslim marriages the beliefs are completely contradictory.
Just saw Shah Rukh Khan's new movie "My Name Is Khan".It presents a romanticized view of Hindu Muslim marriage.It portrays that Hindu muslim marriage can be long lasting even without any partner converting.How would you view the survivability of such marriages specially in North American and European context?
i heard he stole some islam from your father in law's tijori while you werent looking, nasir pai..
from what i know, SRK and his wife were married even before he was in his first movie, so hmm.. maybe he did really liked her as a person and not a religious tag.
seriously though, interfaith marriages are not for practicing muslims and hindus. there is a significant proportion of non-practicing/cultural hindus and muslims, who have enough other interests in life to connect over; atleast in upper-middle class india. not much of a big deal for them to be married and celebrating their religious festivities together with their kids.
of course, the kids most likely wont grow up and be a maulvi sahab or punditjee. and would get to experience prejudice, and accusations about their parents right from their own god-loving relatives. valuable life lessons, if you ask me..
My only question is that the kids of such couples, are they OK with learning that shirk is the biggest sin and then doing shirk right after that, as in SRK and Gauri's children who are being raised as both Hindu and Muslim? Don't they get confused? I completely understand respecting other religions and letting people be, not imposing and all that, but how do you raise a child with such contradictory education?
I have a friend from US whos mom is a hindu and father is a muslim. Shes almost my age and shes both hindu and muslim. Obviously her father isn't really practicing muslim, he drinks and everything but shes just muslim by name. She doesn't know anything about Islam really, but calls her self half muslim. She was never confused about her identity, she was happy to be part of both.
My aunt (chachi) is from India and she told me these kind of hindu-muslim marriages are very common over there, not just limited to people from bollywood. Apparently many of our distant relatives are married off to hindus.
I have a friend from US whos mom is a hindu and father is a muslim. Shes almost my age and shes both hindu and muslim. Obviously her father isn't really practicing muslim, he drinks and everything but shes just muslim by name. She doesn't know anything about Islam really, but calls her self half muslim. She was never confused about her identity, she was happy to be part of both.
My aunt (chachi) is from India and she told me these kind of hindu-muslim marriages are very common over there, not just limited to people from bollywood. Apparently many of our distant relatives are married off to hindus.
I have a friend from US whos mom is a hindu and father is a muslim. Shes almost my age and shes both hindu and muslim. Obviously her father isn't really practicing muslim, he drinks and everything but shes just muslim by name. She doesn't know anything about Islam really, but calls her self half muslim. She was never confused about her identity, she was happy to be part of both.
My aunt (chachi) is from India and she told me these kind of hindu-muslim marriages are very common over there, not just limited to people from bollywood. Apparently many of our distant relatives are married off to hindus.
How can anyone even be half-Muslim? It's not an ethnicity, it's a religion.
Ina country where there is official Islamaphobia (ie their anti Muslim elemnst in govt and local agency level...) it's a beautiful thing when a Hindu falls for a Muslim.
Even if they are following Islam mildly ( I know the Mullah's here will cyber shoot me for saying this) but Im a firm believer that when someone steps a little closer to Islam, Allah swt walks 7 times closer to them. These people will learn (even if a little) the beauty of our faith and will no doubt have a strong respect for the Faith (even if they dont for the followers anymore...)
There are glaring examples of this in the media (Shahid Kapoor is a good example) and they carry a feel good vibe about the positivity of both faiths. Hinduism has a lot of consistent aspects with Islam when followed according to the Upanishads and Vedas (in their specific essences) and even Shahzada Dara Shikoh, the prince and heir apparent to Mughal Shahenshah Shah Jahaan wrote an amazing treatise on this where he proved that the serious sects of Hinduism (non idol worshippping sects) Yogis and Sadhus were in fact the Ahl e Kitab.
I dont wanna get into a debate here, but just showing a different alternative here. If some Hindus come closer to Isklam, Allah swt may guide them further into Islam and the Shahadah if He (swt) chooses....
Idealistically speaking, there might not be anything wrong with it. Practically speaking, there are several flaws with this kind of union. But then again, when have we all seen a problem free marriage taking place?
Regardless, when religion comes into play...that nikah is no longer valid because Hindus are not ehl-e-kitab. Or am I wrong here? Even more so if its the guy thats not muslim. Im not anti-Hindu or anti-anything but a fact is a fact isnt it?
I too think its a beautiful thing to see some of my hindu friends asking questions and wanting to know more about Islam...makes me happy because they must have seen something they loved.
Its one thing to not follow Islam but another entirely when you try to change it.
Idealistically speaking, there might not be anything wrong with it. Practically speaking, there are several flaws with this kind of union. But then again, when have we all seen a problem free marriage taking place?
Regardless, when religion comes into play...that nikah is no longer valid because Hindus are not ehl-e-kitab. Or am I wrong here? Even more so if its the guy thats not muslim. Im not anti-Hindu or anti-anything but a fact is a fact isnt it?
I too think its a beautiful thing to see some of my hindu friends asking questions and wanting to know more about Islam...makes me happy because they must have seen something they loved.
Its one thing to not follow Islam but another entirely when you try to change it.
You are right when you say the nikah is NOT valid and this kind of marriage is not recognized in Islam and both are guilty of Zinna. But most muslims who marry Hindu or any non-muslim for that matter isn't really practicing Muslim anyway. Would it make any difference if SRK married a so-called muslim woman? He is still doing all those sinful things like touching half naked women and dancing with them, drinking, so what differnce does it make if he's marrying a hindu? I have never seen a hijabi woman marrying a hindu man or a guy with a beard who prays 5 times a day marrying a non-muslim woman. The only people who are in these marriages are totally nonreligous people who just have a Muslim name, thats it.
I see it as a positive thing since inter religous marriages brings more tolerance in my opinion but I can see why people are outraged since it's unislamic. However I don't see so much outrage against muslim women dancing with na mehrams at their cousins weddings on inappropriate indian song lyrics wearing capris and no dupatta and free mingling between na mehrams everywhere. So in the end everyone just draws the line somewhere..
Just saw Shah Rukh Khan's new movie "My Name Is Khan".It presents a romanticized view of Hindu Muslim marriage.It portrays that Hindu muslim marriage can be long lasting even without any partner converting.How would you view the survivability of such marriages specially in North American and European context?
I have seen so many beautiful hindu- muslim marriages working successfully in North America with kids. Both of the partners are not super religious and neither are their kids.
It would interesting to see statistics on muslim divorce rates versus hindu-muslim divorce rates in north america / europe.
I had a friend in college who was sooo confused as to why I was so strict about the idea of only marrying a muslim and our other friend was so strict on the idea of only marrying a hindu. The confused friend was hindu herself and I guess has a TON of hindu-muslim marriages in her family. All of her aunts and uncles I guess. She totally thought of religion as a non-issue. She told us that kids were taught about both religions in detail and then were expected to "Choose" one once they were a bit older (12-14 yrs old). That was the trend in her family. It was common in her family where one sibling chose the hindu faith and the other chose muslim.... and both turned out to be extremely religious. I never said anything to her but it all seemed so bizaare to me... it seemed like everyone in her family was practicing their religion (I met a few of her family members so I knew she wasn't lying) .....but what I couldn't understand is how these "practicing" muslims could marry hindus? The nikkah wasn't valid! And then later when one of their children chose the faith of islam and another chose hinduism... how would the child that chose islam feel when they learn that all non-believers go to hell??? And their mom (or dad) and siblings are Hindu. It all just seemed so contradictory to me....... and my friend that strictly wanted to marry hindu because she was hindu.... she found the whole thing bizaare too.
I have never seen a hijabi woman marrying a hindu man or a** guy with a beard who prays 5 times a day marrying a non-muslim woman**. The only people who are in these marriages are totally nonreligous people who just have a Muslim name, thats it. .
I have seen these kind of guys marry non-muslims... its quite common here. But they marry christian women (always a blonde I have noticed). Sometimes these women convert...sometimes they dont. But these men always remain all high-mighty pious and religous despite doing this. And yea yea ...I know its allowed for men to marry a woman of the book.....
Now, can it work? I think any type of marriage can work as long as both parties are invested in it..
^ But yes - I agree with this completely. These couples that are having inter-faith marriages make it work because they keep religion a non-issue in coming in the way to a successful marriage. People like me who have strong feelings about "how can this even work??? and strong feelings about "the baychaaray bachay" in these situations.... are not the type that would marry someone of another faith in the first place.
I have seen so many beautiful hindu- muslim marriages working successfully in North America with kids. Both of the partners are not super religious and neither are their kids.
It would interesting to see statistics on muslim divorce rates versus hindu-muslim divorce rates in north america / europe.
that would be interesting and i wouldn't be surprised if muslim only couples have a higher divorce rate. i can think of 2 practicing muslim friends off the top of my head who got married to their muslim husbands and they got divorced soon after giving religion as a reason... like in his past he use to drink, date, etc.- not present, but past. it's interesting when you think of something like that and compare it to a hindu-muslim couple who might not be that religious but i have a feeling they would try a lot harder to save their marriage.
i am in no way promoting a hindu-muslim union, i still think it's not the best way to go and is wrong. it's just a thought that came to my mind.