Little has been raised in the public domain in the United Kingdom about the growing tide of interfaith marriages that are taking place. As communities continue to mix, there is a natural tendencey for people from different races, cultures and religions to come into contact with each other and relationships naturally follow. It has been part of the history and cycles of human nature for such links and relationships to develop.
Some who work in the world of developing interfaith relations see mixed marriages as being a threat to the future of their faith communities whilst others see it as a strength and a natural course when communities come together. The former celebrate engagement whilst maintaining identities and the latter celebrate engagement and the development of what are natural processes of affection and love. Furthermore, the latter group also believe that interfaith unions and marriages are not a threat and that ultimately, marriages are about compromises and where two consenting adults can work out the future identities of their children and this can also provide the space for the healthy development and a flexible social outlook for their children.
We within Faith Matters believe that this is an area where more work is needed and we are conducting a study to find out the impacts of interfaith marriage on couples. We are looking for couples to contact us so that we can conduct interviews with the end result being a study on the impact of interfaith marriages in England. As more and more couples chose this path, it is essential that any myths and stereotypes be cleared away so that we can understand and get to know the experiences of couples.
Faith Matters welcomes the experiences of couples of different faiths and if you are interested in taking part in this study, please do contact us on info@faith-matters.co.uk.