Interfaith Relationships- Yes or No?

Relationships are not a piece of cake to begin with. Add in the adjective "interfaith," and you have yourself some difficult roads to navigate.

Before you go any further, I'd like to preface by saying I've no intention of giving you the good ole' hallmark line of "Love Conquers All". Not every story ends like the one y'all saw in Ishaqzaade.

Even the most passionate of love stories sometimes end with the most brutal of heartbreaks. Bottom line? Interfaith dating can be extremely difficult to navigate. No pressure, though. There is nothing that a dose of Idyll can't fix for you!

What Is Interfaith Dating?

To make sure that we are on the same page about everything, I'd like to begin by speaking of the meaning of interfaith dating. Girl meets boy. They start dating. They fall in love. But there's a catch, which is that they don't practice the same religion.

Being raised by a generation who believes that holding hands with a member of the opposite sex is the biggest sin you can commit leads you to carry the notion that marriages and love should be based on convenience, similarities, and arrangements (mostly made by the elders in one's family).

While there is nothing wrong with a marriage or relationship of Convenience, it can also make it extremely tricky for your parents to approve of your dating conquests. Add in different religions, and you, my friend, are now looking at passive aggressive comments, hushed gossips, and taunts from every relative of your family for at least the next 10 years of your life.

You see the problem? From the outside looking in, interfaith relationships are frowned upon. Sorry, but there is no better way to put it. You put yourself and your lover out there in the world, and you will not be met with showers of roses or sincere congratulations. No matter how accepting Gen Z is, the cards are still in the hands of the older generation or your parents, who, at the end of the day, will decide what your future looks like. How to navigate this is what I'll be talking about.

Problems With Interfaith Dating

Different Beliefs

Let's start with the most obvious one. Religion is the most sacred part of our lives. It is the entity that makes and shapes us into the people we are today. Without it, one can experience a lack of direction in life. Being in an interfaith relationship expands your belief system to accommodate your partner's religious values and ideas. This can sometimes cause conflict, as acceptance of another religion may not come so easily.

Family Acceptance

Getting your family to accept your partner as a suitable option for you in an interfaith relationship is the major reason Interfaith dating is considered to be doomed to end in tragedy. It's considered forbidden, taboo, and off-limits. Like Romeo & Juliet. Bound by love but separated by circumstances. This lack of acceptance can strain the relationship, causing emotional breakdowns and the crumbling of the relationship.

Future Planning

Where you might be dreaming of having saat phere at your big 3-day wedding, your partner might want to walk down the aisle in a beautiful white dress with her father's arms around her. See the miss-match? Sometimes, it can be really difficult to find common ground on issues like marriage ceremonies, choosing whether to raise children within one or both religious traditions and deciding how to celebrate religious holidays and traditions.

Social Pressure

If the parents don't object, then society will. People like uncomplicated relations- same faith, same caste, and the same values. The moment someone deviates from that perfect little box, all hell breaks loose. This pressure can create feelings of alienation, insecurity, or guilt, leading to conflicts within the relationship.

How To Cope With These Problems?

Open Communication

Communication (and I will never stop saying this) is the key to a good and healthy relationship. However, it's a little easier said than done, especially in interfaith dating. Sometimes, without being honest about your thoughts and emotions, you may just accept your partner's beliefs. You may project yourself as the perfect boyfriend/girlfriend, while on the inside you don't feel as comfortable. This might seem like a good option in the short run but it can explode badly in the long run.

The only solution to this is to keep the lines of communication open. Being in an interfaith relationship already puts you two against the whole world. Being disloyal and deceitful to the person you love would decrease your odds of making it.

Respect Differences

Remember how you felt when you first saw your now-significant other? The butterflies, the strong craving to know everything about them, the urge to hold them against you as you live this life—just the two of you? Channel that feeling.

There is nothing that can come in the way of two people who madly love and respect each other. There is something that makes your partner the perfect person for you, and that something will never change. So embrace and respect each other's religious beliefs and practices, even if you don't share them.

Dealing With Parents

Parents want what's best for their child. They are the pure representation of unconditional love. They want you to end up with someone who can give you the same type of love. So if you think that you've found that someone, then convince them of the purity and beauty of your connection.

Start by talking to the parent, who might understand more easily. If you convince them, they might help you talk to the other parent. But don't make them fight each other. You want them both to support you and your relationship, not argue about it.

Focus On Common Grounds

Interfaith dating is all about the shared love and adoration, that you carry for each other. Religion is not what you think of when you are with them. It's the shared secret smiles, the late night deep conversations, or the burning of food because you're too busy arguing about what movie to watch. Its these simple things and more. Focus on them, not what makes you different.

Even the differences should be embraced and loved. If you do that, there's nothing that can tell you that the odds are stacked against you. And if it gets too much for your partner to handle, then just tell them, "It's you and me against the world."

Love Is Love!

Navigating interfaith relationships isn't easy—it's like trying to walk through a maze blindfolded. You're not just dealing with your own feelings, but also the expectations and judgments of others. From the disapproving glances of relatives to the silent worries of parents, it can feel like you're carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders.

But amidst all the chaos, there's something beautiful—a love that transcends boundaries and beliefs. It's those stolen glances, late-night conversations, and shared dreams that make it all worth it. Love isn't always a fairytale, but it's the messy, imperfect moments that make it real.

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