Expert: Le Anne Clausen - 8/15/2008

Question
  I was reading your recent answer to Tara's question on considering marrying a Muslim Jordanian. You intimated that conversion to Islam was elective and voluntary.

  I've read of American women marrying Muslim men and learning after the fact that during the Arabic wedding ceremony she had 'converted'. She also learned that she was one of several wives (polygamy is permitted under Islam).

 I have also heard that a Muslim woman is not permitted to marry outside of the faith and that 'honor killings' are the prescribed response to such apostasy. In Bethlehem, Muslim men coerce Christian women to marry them. If they refuse, threats and even assaults are common against the girl and her family.

   Such lawless and violent occurrences under the blind eye of the Palestinian authority have resulted in the flight of Christian from Bethlehem, which use to be 80% Christian. It would seem that Palestinian autonomy ruins the neighborhood, replacing Israeli rule of law with a "thugocracy".

  Is there any truth to these stories??

Answer
Greetings Elliott, and thanks for your question. In short, there is little to no truth to these stories; when incidents such as these occur, they are quite rare and/or often embellished.  I think a person marrying a person from another country, no matter which two nationalities are involved, are always wise to make as sure as possible that their spouse is not already married; polygamy isn't always the issue as much as other forms of deceit for personal gain.  As far as these 'conversion' stories go, no one can 'convert' to anything without themselves making a decision to do so; anything else is merely a pointless mis-labeling.  The Qur'an teaches this; and most Muslim societies recognize this as well.  I suppose a person could say they tricked another person into converting at a wedding, but what would be the point?

Regarding the 'flight' of Christians from Bethlehem, there are a few factors at work:  one is actually the increase in Muslim refugees into the city from other destroyed areas, changing the demographic; another is that the heavy bombardment, curfews, and other ongoing problems from the Israeli military occupation create conditions in which anyone who is able to leave would likely do so for the safety of their family; and third, Christian mission schools often provide students with the foreign language skill and connections that makes it much easier for them to leave and find homes in other countries.  There is some Christian-Muslim tension, but it certainly doesn't rank high on the list for Christians leaving the area.  Most human rights organizations and the churches themselves will concur.

When honor killings take place, which are generally among very conservative families and/or rural locations; they usually are due to accusations of adultery or pre-marital sex. There has been an increasing outcry from within Muslim societies against these crimes.

I have worked in Israel and Palestine for four years, including in Palestinian women's advocacy centers and in the churches, and can tell you from both experiences and extensive interviews that these stories are primarily for political propaganda.

I hope this answer helps!

peace,

Le Anne