Interfaith Marriages in Islam from a Woman’s Perspective: Turkish Women’s Interfaith Marriage Practices in the United Kingdom

Abstract

Interfaith marriages among Muslim immigrants in the UK are under-researched, despite the increase of these marriages; and Muslim women’s exogamy is even less researched. Such a practice is controversial since it is regarded by Muslims as being both religiously and socially unacceptable. Inter-religiously married Muslim women in Britain come from different ethnic backgrounds, but the focus here is on Turkish Muslim women. Examining the stories of twenty Turkish women in the UK who are currently in interfaith unions, this article discusses the Islamic view on women’s interfaith marriages. This research assesses the impact of individual women’s decisions, the challenges they face theologically and socially, and the strategy they adopt to deal with their unique situations and their individual experiences. It reveals that Muslim women rely on two main strategies to deal with religious differences within the context of family life: pre-marriage discussion and conflict avoidance.