This dissertation explores interfaith relationships and the nexus of personal and communal religious identity in the United States. The thesis is that religious intermarriage is both a reflective and a predictive material representation of the continual movement and redefinition of the boundaries of religious traditions and the boundaries of the religious and secular. Part I chronicles key historical events that contributed to the slow erosion of theological, legal, and social barriers to intermarriage among Catholics, Protestants, and Jews. As authority over religion and marriage moved from church to state to society, an era of  ̳intra-religious‘ marriage became one of  ̳interreligious‘ marriage by the mid-twentieth century. Part II investigates the characteristics of contemporary intermarriages, based upon qualitative research in the form of in-depth interviews with 43 individuals in ChristianJewish, Christian-Muslim, Christian-Hindu, or Christian-Buddhist marriages. Contrary to the opinions of some prominent voices in religious communities, these contemporary intermarriages are not simply forms of syncretism or secularism; they are much more complex. These couples and families are developing new approaches to religious belief, practice, and communal involvement that challenge normative ideas of what may constitute a religious marriage and family life. An era of  ̳interfaith‘ marriage (as distinct from ̳interreligious‘ marriage) is emerging.

The shifting boundaries of religious pluralism in america through the lens of interfaith marriage

My PhD thesis draws from feminist and post-structuralist approaches to examine the construction of gender and Islam in Indonesian Islamic cinema between 1977 to 2011. This thesis asks: how, when, and where do Indonesian femininity and masculinity in film become ʻMuslim? Previous studies on representations of gender in Islam have shown that clothes are immediate markers of Islamic identity. This thesis, however, seeks to transcend clothing as an obvious visual marker of Islamic identity and the fixation on the Islamic veil and turban and focus instead on the dynamic relationship between modernity and (trans)-nationalism in the construction of Muslim femininity and masculinity in Indonesian cinema. The Islamic film genre produces various mechanisms to isolate Muslim characters from their non-Muslim counterparts while at the same time marking distinctions between the ‘good’ and ‘bad’ Muslim. This thesis demonstrates that such mechanisms behind the binaries of the Muslim/nonMuslim and ‘good’ Muslim/’bad’ Muslim are shifting concepts rather than fixed and selfevident. Furthermore, these shifting distinctions are achieved through narrative device, audio-visual tropes, and political discourse and governed by economic and cultural imperatives in the Islamic film genre. Ultimately, this thesis aims to make a contribution to the study of gender in Indonesian cinema more generally and to the definition of Islamic cinema as a film genre.

Gender and Islam in Indonesian Cinema

This study (N = 234) examined Muslim Canadian young adults’ openness to interfaith dating and marriage. We extended previous research on interfaith dating by examining the role of mainstream cultural identification and family connectedness, in addition to religiosity and gender. Participants reported more openness to dating than marrying a non-Muslim, although the pattern of results was similar for both. As expected, stronger religious fundamentalism and stronger religious identification were predictive of less openness toward interfaith dating and marriage. Conversely, stronger identification with mainstream Canadian culture significantly predicted more personal openness toward intimate interfaith relationships with a non-Muslim. The role of family connectedness was indirectly transmitted through religious identification. Finally, being a man was predictive of more personal openness toward both dating and marrying a non-Muslim. Findings suggest that openness to interfaith romantic relationships among you...

Personal openness toward interfaith dating and marriage among Muslim young adults: The role of religiosity, cultural identity, and family connectedness

In the last decade, a growing empirical work has focused on adaptation processes of immigrants from Muslim-majority countries who live in the West, particularly Muslim youth born and/or educated in Western countries. The current study explored how Muslim boys and girls immigrated from Morocco, Egypt and Pakistan negotiate their identity on the base of interiorized social and cultural in-group norms associated to the representation of a “good” son and a “good” daughter within the resettlement society. Participants were 45 Muslim immigrant adolescents (30 females, 15 males) coming from Morocco, Egypt and Pakistan, who were interviewed through an in-depth semi-structured interview. Thematic analysis carried out on the interview transcripts permitted to identify four themes and thirteen subthemes, revealing interesting differences based on participants’ gender and country of origin. The quality of being obedient and respectful of parents’ desires was a significant common topic among all participants, although it was differently articulated by girls and boys. For girls, norms and expectations were strictly modeled around staying at home and preserving heritage culture. For boys, a heavy mandate—that is, gaining educational success in order to become the breadwinner—weights on them. Implications of these gender-based challenges are discussed in relation to specific vulnerabilities experienced by young Muslims living in Western society.

https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/6/4/142/pdf

Being a “Good” Son and a “Good” Daughter: Voices of Muslim Immigrant Adolescents

This research uses multilevel structural equation modeling to examine Muslims’ attitudes toward interfaith marriage with Christians in 22 countries with a Muslim majority population (N = 21,373) Attitudes toward interfaith marriage, for sons and daughters separately, were measured with single items, and three binary items were used to measure participants’ religious beliefs Overall attitudes were negative and more negative toward marriage of one’s daughter compared to one’s son Stronger religious belief was associated with more negative attitudes, but less so for Muslims who perceived more similarities than differences between Islam and Christianity Perceived religious similarity was associated with more positive attitudes The proportion of Christians in a country was not associated with interfaith marriage attitudes However, the association between belief and attitude was found to differ considerably across countries

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/10508619.2018.1517015

Interfaith marriage attitudes in Muslim majority countries: A multilevel approach

Leo Barajas was a thirty-four-year-old American contractor from Texas working for the U.S. government managing reconstruction projects in Iraq. Though not particularly religious at home, he called on the Almighty often enough during his time in Baghdad. “I had to wake up by faith, sleep by faith and do my job by faith,” he said. In August 2003, Leo met a striking young Iraqi woman named Mariam Ghadeer. In a short time, she had stolen his heart. By the end of 2003, wedding plans were underway. It was not until this time that Mariam told Leo he would have to convert to Islam. Leo refused. After many tears, Mariam concluded, “I guess we can’t get married.” This Note explores the rules in Islam governing marriage, specifically those restricting marriages in which one spouse is non-Muslim. The rules for Muslim women who wish to marry outside the faith are more restrictive than the rules governing Muslim men wishing to marry a non-Muslim. Some modern Islamic scholars and commentators argue that the pluralistic nature of modern society justifies a reevaluation of these rules, and that such action is not precluded by Islamic law. Muslim women, they contend, should have marital choice similar to that of their male counterparts. Many Islamic countries are facing the challenges of modernity and social change. Interfaith marriage is one of many issues currently pitting staunch traditionalists against modern reformists within the Muslim community. The goal of this Note is to identify the sources from which Islamic law is derived and the processes through which it is

/pdf/interfaith-marriage-in-islam-an-examination-of-the-legal-4w0wuwkg4b.pdf

Alex B. Leeman

Papers

Interfaith Marriage in Islam: An Examination of the Legal Theory Behind the Traditional and Reformist Positions