Karita..I think you misunderstood me...

Submitted by Celina (United States), Jun 9, 2006 at 18:39

Hi Karita,

I'm a little confused...I posted a comment to this site because I strongly feel that Christian women and Muslim men can have a long and rewarding relationship or marriage. I never said anything along the lines of "stop dont do it ,don't marry a muslim man it is hell to pay" because that is not how I feel.

Maybe you read that in another post...but not mine. I must re-iterate my point. Marriage offers MANY challenges, and I choose to marry in an inter-faith marriage and that has caused challenges no doubt about it. But again, I will stress that my marriage is no more difficult than I believe any other new marriage. My husband is very respectful and his Moroccan culture demands that respect from him. I absolutely without fail do not agree with his beliefs but I am also not going to refute his beliefs or get into an argument with him. We both know and have a mutual respect for our faiths. He comes to our family Christmas celebrations...of course with limits. I would never ask him to participate in my faith just as I would expect he not ask me to participate in his.

Marriages today require A LOT of work. My husband and I have communication issues but I would have these issues if I was married to a born and bred American guy because that is how I am. We both respect each other. He is very supportive of me and my profession (teaching) and he encourages me with anything I am interested in doing and vice versa. It is that mutual respect that anchors our marriage. Yes he is Muslim and yes he has his opinions on topics and yes I believe his views on certain political topics (i.e. Isreal/Iraq war) are skewed but that is his belief. Again, we don't really go there...

Again, I strongly support women getting into a relationship with a man of any faith. What one must remember, however, is do not go in blindly. Again, Muslim men can act VERY different depending on the country they are from and how they were raised. My husband even agrees that certain countries men are accustomed to treating women a particular way. It's cultural and it is difficult to break that habit. Be sure of who you are, of what you will tolerate and handle. Be firm in your beliefs and respect each other.

Celina

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