Section 8.6: Religion versus Culture

Section 8.6: Religion versus Culture

Rasid says:

I am a revert (to Islam) from Catholicism, and married to divorced Asian woman. I had no problem with her not being a virgin, as I was not either. I had a relationship before too.

I have grown to the life of a Muslim over the past 8 years, and am accepted in my community and mosque where I live. I believe that when children are sent to mixed schools, and then go on to college and university, each culture, both East and West, mix freely. However the community culture is different.

The elders of the Asian communities in the UK for example, not all of them, but the majority, think that to be a Muslim is all about culture. The elders can go around freely living the Western lifestyle but they want their women to be all cultural. Their young sons are to be married as soon as they are 17+, to a girl from Pakistan because they believe they will be more cultural than the girls in this country. But this is not always the case, as young men meet English girls and then are promised a girl from Pakistan. It is not the fault of the boy. He doesn’t want to upset his family as it will shame them in the so called community. That is culture.

Asian girls in the UK, have it hard. They get married to someone they don’t even know, sometimes from Pakistan who can’t speak English and treats them badly. Then they feel trapped as they don’t want to shame the family or let them down… culture again.

I have seen and heard a lot of stories similar to the women on this site. It’s a shame that the family didn’t let them chose their own partner.

Culture should stay in Pakistan, not in the West… then everyone would be happier. MasAllah. —Rasid

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