Forced Or Arranged Marriages?

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Muslims are often accused of forcing their daughters into marriage

Arranged marriage is not synonymous with forced marriage, as it only becomes forced when both grooms or one of them does not want to. Thus, it is possible that even in an arranged marriage, the bride and groom accept and like each other.

It is important to clarify that forced marriage has no Islamic basis, so even if it is possible to arrange a marriage, the final word will always be with both bride and groom.

There are some media that have distorted the truth and created victimist polemics, stating that there are women who are forced to marry in Islam. Value analyze:

1 – There is no basis, that is, there is no support for forced marriage, whether for a man or a woman;

2 – Forced marriage may exist, but as mentioned above, it is not Islamic, but cultural between people who have not abandoned pre-Islamic customs that are not consistent with Islam;

3 – Third and no less important: if there is forced marriage for women, then there is forced marriage for men too, of course none of this is supported by Islam. However, some media hide some facts, freezing the image of sad women forced to marry, as if this did not happen to men.

Arranged marriage is not a problem, the problem is if it is forced. If in a society there is forced marriage, it may happen that only the spouses, man or woman, are interested or none of them are. So it’s not just the woman who can face this but the man too, there are men who are forced into marriage and Islam is not in agreement.

Consider the following key factors:

1. Islamic law requires that females must give their permission before they are married.

Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said,

“The permission of virgins should be taken and their silence is their consent. ”

On one occasion a woman came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and informed him that her father had married her off without her permission. He offered to annul her marriage, however, she did not accept his offer saying that she only wanted to confirm her right. A previously married woman has the right to choose for herself.

2. Muslims are encouraged to help their children find suitable marital partners since males and females are raised separately in society. Women are spared having to look for their own mates.

3. From a Western perspective, where teenagers are often required to leave home and go out to work and look after themselves, it would seem ludicrous for parents to later on suggest whom they should marry.

4. It has become a practice among some Muslims to force their children to marry their cousins.

For Muslims in the West it becomes a means to help their family members also reach the West. Consequently, there have been a number of cases reported in the newspapers in England of the Home Office rescuing Muslim girls from forced marriages at the airport. There are also many Muslim girls who have run away from home rather than be forced to marry relatives in villages in Pakistan or India. Such girls are being given new identities by police authorities and will likely lose their Islam in the process.

Forced Or Arranged Marriages?

Forced Or Arranged Marriages?

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