Muslim Marriage and Non-Marriage: Where Religion and Politics Meet Intimate Life

Unconventional Muslim marriages are a topic of public debate, but couples have different concerns from those publicly discussed. This volume examines couples' motivations, aspirations, and abilities to enter into these marriages, including the views of religious scholars, state authorities, and political actors and activists.

Format: Unspecified
Length: 370 pages
Publication date: 09 November 2023
Publisher: Leuven University Press

Unconventional Muslim marriages have sparked significant public debate, drawing attention from religious scholars, policy makers, political actors, media personalities, and women's activists worldwide. These marriages involve individuals from different religious backgrounds, crossing transnational and interreligious boundaries, and often remain unregistered. While these marriages are publicly discussed, couples entering into them have unique concerns and motivations.

To explore these perspectives, this volume conducts ethnographic research in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia, examining the motivations, aspirations, and abilities of couples involved in such marriages. The chapters present diverse conclusions and practices of these marriages, exploring how they are performed, authorized, or contested within the framework of Muslim marriage.

These marriages have the potential to challenge existing ties of belonging and redefine boundaries between religious and other communities. At the same time, they can reproduce and solidify these boundaries. The contributors, drawing from various disciplines such as anthropology, political science, gender and sexuality studies, and history, provide insights into controversial Muslim marriages, including unregistered, interreligious, transnational, and other boundary-crossing unions.

The perspectives of religious scholars, state authorities, political actors, and activists, as well as the couples themselves, their families, and their wider social circle, are included in the contributions. The authors aim to address a wide range of controversial Muslim marriages and provide a comprehensive understanding of the complexities and dynamics involved.

In conclusion, unconventional Muslim marriages continue to be a topic of debate and discussion, reflecting the diverse cultural, social, and religious contexts in which they occur. This volume contributes to our understanding of these marriages by examining the perspectives and practices of couples involved, shedding light on the complex motivations, aspirations, and challenges they face.

Weight: 532g
Dimension: 156 x 234 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9789462703810