Why This Conversion After Marriage?
By
Sumit Paul, New Age Islam
17 January
2023
Can't Two Individuals Stay Together In A
Marital Bond Without Changing Their Respective Faiths?
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There's a
famous English adage that it needs two to tango (Taali Donon Haathon Se
Bajati Hai).
I'm saying
this in the context of much-hyped love
jihad (a dubious term coined by the Hindu right-wingers) to malign Muslims.
While there's no denying the fact that Hindu girls have been converted to Islam
after getting married to Muslim guys, nowadays Muslims girls are also getting
converted to Hinduism to marry Hindu guys.
A recent
case of one Ilma becoming Saumya can be cited. My point is: Why on earth must
one convert for the sake of one's partner in a marital alliance? Does one
really get converted from the recesses of his/her heart?
I read
somewhere that when Amrita Pritam was in love with Sahir, a complete atheist,
she asked him why do Muslim men insist on changing the faith of their Hindu (and
also belonging to other faiths) wives? Why don't Muslim men embrace the faith
of their spouses? Sahir replied, "Aap Ek Ilhadi Se Ye Sawaal Kar Rahi
Hain Jiske Liye Mazhab Aur Khuda Ki Koi Ahmiyat Nahin Hai. Faqat Ahle-Mazhab Ko
Ye Fikr Hoti Hai Ke Ve Doosron Ka Mazhab Badalte Phirein " (You've
asked an atheist for whom religion and god have no importance. Only the
faithfuls indulge in converting others). So very true! Only those who're
believers, though there're a few exceptions to this whom I'm discounting, have
an agenda to convert his or her spouse.
Can't two
individuals stay together in a marital bond without changing their respective
faiths? Did Sunil Dutt change his faith for his Muslim wife, Nargis? Did Aruna
Ganguly become a Muslim after marrying Asaf Ali? But the Urdu-Hindi writer
Krishna Chander's second wife Salma Siddiqi claimed in an interview to Tahir
Masood that Krishna Chander embraced Islam and became Vaqar-ul-Mulk.
Changing
one's faith for someone else is always a deeply painful experience. Though I
don't belong to any religion and I've no god, I can empathise with those who're
believers and have had to change their religions for their spouses. I can feel
their angst.
At the same
time, when one embraces his/her spouse's religion, the sincerity of faith is
always missing. Did Sharmila Tagore (after marriage, Ayesha) ever accept her
Oxford-educated (yet, converting his Hindu wife!) husband Mansoor Ali Khan
Pataudi's Islam? Does she ever use her Muslim name? So, why this conversion
charade? Why can't humans stay religio-neutral? Why does religion interfere
with everything? Do you've a definite answer?
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A regular columnist for New Age Islam,
Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to
Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in
several languages including Persian.
URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/conversion-marriage-religion/d/128889
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