Posted by Christoph Heger on March 17, 1998 at 11:14:49:
In Reply to: Re: catholic women and muslim men posted by christina on March 16, 1998 at 23:02:37:
Hello Christina,
I don't know what the Catholic Canonical law says about marriage with non-Christians. I
guess it doesn't forbid it strictly, i.e. without possibility to get a dispensation.
If you are deliberating the appliance for such a dispensation seriously, you should find out all
about your rights, which means of your nearly total absence of rights as a non-muslim wife of
a muslim according to Islamic law: As a non-muslim widow you will not have any parental
authority over your children, you will not be entitled to the inheritance etc. You may think
Islamic law hasn't to faze you, since you are living under say American law. But if for instance
your husband takes your children to some muslim countries, you practically will have no
chance to get them back.
At least you should make a very diligent and detailed marriage contract.
Nevertheless, I don't think it would be wise to engage in such a marriage (as I may say to you
as one who is no more a young man). Either your Children have to grow up without baptism
and without Christ, or your husband has to agree that they are brought up as Christians.
Such a consent of your husband according to Islamic law would be tantamount to his apostacy from Islam.
As you perhaps know, Islamic law prescribes the death penalty for apostacy of the male, adult
and sane muslim. And as you perhaps don't know, the usual meaning is that, if the state fails
to execute the law, the individual muslims themselves are called up to do it.
I know of only one example of such a marriage which didn't end in catastrophe. It was a
former Iranian embassador to Germany who agreed that the Children were brought up as
Christians. Fortunately, the father was dead, already, when the mullahs seized power in Iran;
the mother and the daughter emigrated to Germany in time, where they are living now.
I hope I could be of some help to you. You may contact me privately.
Yours sincerely,
Christoph Heger