Humanity wins over religion with the establishment of the inter-faith marriage institution. Many years ago Dr B R Ambedkar stated inter-caste marriage as the real remedy for the abolition of caste. Same as in this time, accepting interfaith marriages can remove the barriers between people belonging to different religions. Though legally it is acceptable in our society, still there are lots of barriers not only for interfaith marriage but inter-caste and inter-state marriages as well.
According to the constitution of India, a person can marry irrespective of their religion. There are provisions under the Special Marriage Act, but religious perspective does not allow such marriages. Religions like Hinduism and Islam don’t restrict inter-faith marriage, but there are some conditions. If a Muslim man wants to marry a non-Muslim woman, the women must convert to Islam. Same as, if a Hindu woman wants to marry a non-Hindu man, the person must convert to Hinduism. This is the big issue a couple has to face to establish an inter-faith marriage.
Accepting a person entirely from a different religion is not the same as accepting another faith forcefully. Believing in the almighty is very personal. Marriage and religion are different institutions and have a different role in life.
Some people say humanity is beyond religion and some prioritise religion over humanity. Family, marriage, school, office, etc., all the institutions have an important role in socialisation which is the building block of our behaviour. Our behaviour, perception, faith and nature is dependent on the people and society we share. We reflect what we absorb.
Nowadays, the young generation lives in a mixed cultural society not only within a country but globally. School, college, working place; everywhere we meet people from a different place, caste, class, religion and learn to accept people as they are. Thus, we socialise.
Acceptance, sharing, thinking beyond the boundary and humanity is the characteristics we prioritise most. For example, we enjoy “Eid ki Biryani” with Muslim friends and “Diwali ki Lighting” with Hindu friends. We love each other, help, and share and enjoy all kinds of occasion together.
Just one generation back the situation was not as it is today and of course the value systems differ man to man, family to family. We can say in crowd “unity in diversity”, but there are very few people who can accept such diversity in their own house.
Marriage is an emotional, social and physical bond between two people who are willing to make a new family. But the family of the people consider a marriage a bond between two families and prioritise their caste, class, religion and value system more than the happiness of two people. Generally, with this concept, accepting people from a different religion becomes difficult.
In this era, people are free from superstition; we are more open and liberal. This is the time people should follow the way of peace and harmony. We should judge people by virtue. Good job, the same faith, expert in cooking and beauty can’t be the pillar of any successful marriage. Nowadays, we can find several examples of divorce due to several reasons. There is a huge difference between a child of a happy couple and an unhappy couple.
People are getting depressed for small reasons. They hate each other without reason, jealousy or anxiety. All of these are common psychological disorders people are facing. No counsellor is needed to solve the issue if one has a beautiful, supportive family.
To establish a happy family with a successful marriage, one needs unconditional love, trust and understanding between two people. In 2020, society should value these things more than orthodox concepts.