Other+Religious+Faiths'+Views+on+Interfaith+Marriage

__**Views of** **Judaism**__

Interfaith marriages in Judaism has historically been looked down upon with great disfavor by Jewish leaders, it is still a very controversial issue in the Jewish community today. According to the NY Times, a  2013 survey by the Pew Research Center’s Religion & Public Life Project found that intermarriage rate to be 58% among all Jews and 78% among non-Orthodox Jews. The Bible's position on interfaith marriage is very ambiguous Although most of the rabbis in the Talmud considered the Deuteronomic law to refer only to marriage to Canaanites, they considered all religious intermarriage to be prohibited at least rabbinically. Christian rulers regarded unions between Jews and Christians unfavourably, and repeatedly prohibited them under penalty of death. Traditional Judaism does not consider marriage between a Jew by birth and a convert as an intermarriage. Progressive rabbinical associations have no firm prohibition against intermarriage; according to a survey of rabbis, conducted in 1985, more than 87% of Re-constructionist rabbis were willing to officiate at interfaith marriages, and in 2003 at least 50% of Reform rabbis were willing to perform interfaith marriages.

http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/145413/jewish/Intermarriage.htm http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/8137-intermarriage http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/01/us/poll-shows-major-shift-in-identity-of-us-jews.html?ref=us&_r=0 __**Views of Islam**__ Islamic Law  has different regulations on interfaith marriage, depending on which of the two spouses is Muslim. It permits a Muslim man to marry up to four non-Muslim women from the People of the Book however they must be chaste and all of the children must be brought up Muslim. The conversion of the wives to Islam is encouraged, but not obligatory, as their children will legally be Muslim regardless. However Muslim women are prohibited by Islamic Law from marrying polytheists or idolaters. This prohibition serves to preserve the Islamic faith from dilution and expand it, within societies which are patriarchal but multi-faith. There also exists a minority view that does permit convert women to remain with non-Muslim spouses as an exception to the general rule. The early jurists of the most prominent schools of Islamic jurisprudence ruled in   fiqh law     that the marriage of a Muslim man to a Christian or Jewish woman is disliked if they live in a non-Muslim country. In practice, many Arab countries allowed interfaith marriage to Christian or Jewish women but not to non-Muslim men. Interfaith marriage especially between   Hindus     and    Muslims     often have been the bone of contention and have resulted in communal riots in    India    .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7boA3baF2dg http://www.onislam.net/english/ask-the-scholar/family/marriage/174258-marriage-to-a-christian-woman-unrestrictedly-permitted.html

__  **Views in Hinduism**   __ Most schools of  Hinduism   hold that there are innumerable paths to God and that one’s belief or perception of God is a personal matter, and it is best left to the individual to decide his own path. Also, because of the self-designation of Hinduism as "the eternal way," there is no theological distinction made between a non-Hindu and a Hindu as the religion is simply seen as self-evident truth. Interfaith and intercaste marriage are common in India, but to a lesser extent in the rural areas. There are many social rules surrounding marriage and individuals are under enormous pressure to marry within their caste and religion. In developed and metro areas, it is much more common to see marriage between members of different castes and religions. Nevertheless, social pressures (especially from family) often discourage interfaith marriages in India.