Interfaith Marriage - EB

Dear diary,

Today David and I are planning our wedding! I am really excited but we both have different views on how our wedding ceremony should be conducted. This is because David is Jewish and I am Muslim but we are both willing to put aside our religious differences and have a perfect day that means something to the both of us.

Disaster! We knew that our families would not see eye to eye because of the conflict between our two religions. David's parents are unwilling to accept things that are different and my family are threatening to shun me because they want me to have an arranged marriage. What should I do?

The one thing I did not want was to tear our families apart. So to solve this, David and I have decided to take different aspects from both backgrounds of weddings. We thought that I should wear a  Salwar-Kameez outfit in scarlet with gold thread and have my hands and feet decorated with henna. Both of us and David's parents agreed to have a Chuppah which is a Jewish canopy that symbolises the new home being built by us when we are husband and wife and be wedded by a Rabbi on a Sunday because in Jewish religion you cannot get married on the Sabbath day. I do not know whether my family will support me in my decisions and come to celebrate my wedding. If they did not come I would still be able to forgive them because I have gone against all their teachings so I cannot blame them. Although, they should respect the choices I have made because I am very content with David and I am their only daughter!

Another issue that worries me is what other people think. This is because both religions are at war over Palestine and seems odd that one person from each faith are getting married. David does not seem to be fazed by this and just lets them think what they want to because we are happily together. I am just worried that our future family will be affected by this. 
  
There is another problem that David and I face, it is what religion should we raise our children? David thought that they should be raised as Jewish but I thought we should raise them as Muslim because I cannot disappoint my family anymore! I respect David's views and I am sure that we will come to an agreement because at the end of the day we both believe in similar beliefs and our God is all loving and so should accept whatever decision we make. I think we may raise them as Jewish but I am saddened by this because my religious heritage is not going to be continued throughout our family.