Culture and traditions are what defines most countries. It’s what makes them unique. The advancement of technology has led to having said culture and traditions meet and experience each other. This has led to people from all over the world interacting with one another and in some cases fall in love. However, even love has been defined by the traditions in countries such as religion. So what can you do if you have met someone with a different faith and want to marry?

Can you get married if you’re Christian and Muslim?

Christianity and Islam are the top two religions in the world in terms of population with 2.3 billion and 1.8 billion respectively, as per InfoPlease. Religion has a strong impact and it does have an effect on the laws of the countries. For example, countries like the UAE and Saudi Arabia, known to be Islamic countries, govern themselves by the Islamic laws. Therefore, ceremonies such as weddings are quite strict in these places. 

In most countries, there is a philosophical concept known as the Separation of Church and State. In short, it is the idea that there is a defining distance between the religious organizations and the state. It allows the country to govern fairly between all of its residents even if they are not of the same religious belief. This means that marriage by the state or a Civil Marriage can be done without religious restrictions.

What happens to couples with different religions?

Most cases of religious belief are instilled in individuals by birth. This creates scenarios such as being born in a certain religion, but not necessarily practice their beliefs when they are older. The practice of faith is common between families and most likely shared by the people in your area. This creates immense pressure on the individual to live and abide by the religion as doing otherwise can be frowned upon by your family.

This creates a scenario in which interfaith relationships always face. It is if both practices differ so much that between individuals they cannot practice the faith together. Families who are intensely religious would always like to have individuals marry with the same faith, even go as far as banning other religions in the family.

Not only does your direct family put pressure on individuals, but the government as well. As mentioned above, religions do affect the country’s laws in a way. This means that if you happen to live in a country where interfaith relationships are only accepted once the additional processes are done, then you have to abide by the additional processes. Failing to do so can lead to complications within the marriage and the family you are trying to raise.

What can you do if you want to marry someone with a different religion?

What you can do is

1. Decide between the both of you which avenue/faith you would decide to go for. This applies if you are deciding to follow a religious wedding
2. If you both decide to keep each other’s faith and proceed with a civil wedding. Check with your respective embassies first for the requirements.
3. If there are too much steps and you want to get married as soon as possible, then you should get married in another country where your religion would not matter in the marriage license process
4. Decide where you are going to live in after or where you will decide to start a family and prepare the additional documents required for.

What you should mainly consider is where you are going to be living after you are married. You should abide by the laws that the country would be regulating under and understanding what they are is crucial in avoiding any legal dispute.

In terms of actually getting married, your best option would be to marry in countries where religions wouldn’t matter in terms of marriage. Civil wedding is the best case for you to have an official marriage license and getting married there will validate the marriage certificate all over the world. Every situation is unique, find out what would be best for you by contacting our legal team.

The world is so wide and vast that there should be no such thing as impossible. It is about you and what you want to do about your situation. Finding out how to approach your differences can make the world’s difference. There are solutions out there. You just need to be clear and understand what you are doing so that you would know what steps to take. And we can help you with that.

Do you know any couple who could not marry because of religion? Share their story but not their name!