A Western woman witnesses a traditional Muslim wedding in Qatar.
We edged to the back of the room and took in the scene. It must have taken teams to concoct the topiary-like hairdos and apply the rich colors to the women’s faces. From the array of outfits it appeared we were in a cafeteria for extras from different movie sets. A distinctly Western accent interrupted my thoughts. "Have one," a young woman said, motioning to a pile of sticky, honey-glazed deserts on the table next to where we stood. "Dinner won’t get started for hours." She was costumed and made up like a belly dancer, her long gleaming hair flowing straight down her back. In the U.S. this would have been a wildly slutty costume at a Halloween party, but among these women she looked tame.
A woman going through divorce learns a lesson in love from a traditional culture.
Qatar is a Muslim country and most of the women I met had been brought up in sex-segregated households and educated in sex-segregated schools. Prior to joining our co-educational campus, the only members of the opposite sex they'd encountered were relatives. I found their various attitudes about marriage quite jarring.
How religion changes one woman's approach to finding love.
How much does your religion guide your attitudes towards the opposite sex and your decisions on your choice of a partner?
As a South Asian Muslim, my faith has shaped my attitudes towards men, dating and marriage from a young age. Since I was ten years old living in Westchester County, NY my mom has been drilling this mantra into my head, “You are a Muslim and you will not date.”
Maybe Khadija Ahmed will help the region lighten up a bit about sex toys.
Khadija Ahmed is the proprietress of a joint called Khadija Fashion House in a town called Manama. It's a shop specializing in lingerie and various sex toys. Is the region becoming a little less conservative about these things? Or is Bahrain just an anomaly?
A politician wants government officials to marry single moms.
Good news, for all the single mamas in Kelantan, Malaysia: a state representative wants local legislators and magistrates to marry you. The chairwoman of the state's family and health committee thinks that dudes with good, stable jobs should up their "quota" for wives. Polygamy is legal in Malaysia for Muslim men.
Advice for dating someone of a different religion.
Religion has never played a large part in my life. I grew up celebrating "Christian" holidays like Easter and Christmas, but in America, these days are so mainstreamed and commercialized, they almost seem secular. I've never minded not having a religion, and I like the fact that because I'm a blank religious slate, I can approach new religions without prior assumption. I've learned Hindu traditions while in India, marveled at the Muslim mosques while in Indonesia, caroled in a Carmelite monastery, and recently visited a Zen Buddhist center for meditation.
Religion and relationships: interfaith dating, sex and spirituality, dating and more.
Religion, faith and spiritualiy are essential components of a relationship—or are they? Religion is a fraught topic in today's society, and YourTango wants to help answer your questions about interfaith relationships, conversion, sex and religion, dating someone of a different faith, spirituality and religion within marriage and other questions. Check out our stories below to learn more about the intersection of love, sex and religion.
The New York Times reported this weekend that Muslim clerics are increasingly agitated about depictions of premarital sex and loosened-up gender roles on TV. During the holy month of Ramadan, which is taking place right now, there have been an usually high number of programming canceled at the behest of religious leaders. But these programs aren't anywhere near as racy as Sex & the City and Desperate Housewives. No, these shows cover content that we often take for granted in the West.
A Muslim woman gave up her past to provide her family with a future.
Is religion an essential factor to the foundation of a strong family? Torang Sepah tells the story of how love brought her to a new spirituality. "Six months after we married, we began discussing the idea of conversion. Ron and I had both been raised in secular homes, and he felt connected to Judaism on a cultural, rather than religious, level. I, on the other hand, have never really felt tied to Islam. I believe in gay marriage—and I believe that a woman can do anything a man can do. I don’t think there’s a lot of room in Islam for liberal, or even moderate, viewpoints. With Judaism, I felt like there was still a way for me to be progressive. Though Ron told me early on that he didn’t need me to change religions, I decided I wanted to convert—for love, and for the family we would raise."
