Why This Conversion After Marriage?

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 17 January 2023 Can't Two Individuals Stay Together In A Marital Bond Without Changing Their Respective Faiths? ----- There's a famous English adage that it needs two to tango (Taali Donon Haathon Se Bajati Hai). I'm saying this in the context of much-hyped love jihad (a dubious term coined by the Hindu right-wingers) to malign Muslims. While there's no denying the fact that Hindu girls have been converted to Islam after getting married to Muslim guys, nowadays Muslims girls are also getting converted to Hinduism to marry Hindu guys. A recent case of one Ilma becoming Saumya can be cited. My point is: Why on earth must one convert for the sake of one's partner in a marital alliance? Does one really get converted from the recesses of his/her heart? I read somewhere that when Amrita Pritam was in love with Sahir, a complete atheist, she asked him why do Muslim men insist on changing the faith of their Hindu (and also belonging to other faiths) wives? Why don't Muslim men embrace the faith of their spouses? Sahir replied, "Aap Ek Ilhadi Se Ye Sawaal Kar Rahi Hain Jiske Liye Mazhab Aur Khuda Ki Koi Ahmiyat Nahin Hai. Faqat Ahle-Mazhab Ko Ye Fikr Hoti Hai Ke Ve Doosron Ka Mazhab Badalte Phirein " (You've asked an atheist for whom religion and god have no importance. Only the faithfuls indulge in converting others). So very true! Only those who're believers, though there're a few exceptions to this whom I'm discounting, have an agenda to convert his or her spouse. Can't two individuals stay together in a marital bond without changing their respective faiths? Did Sunil Dutt change his faith for his Muslim wife, Nargis? Did Aruna Ganguly become a Muslim after marrying Asaf Ali? But the Urdu-Hindi writer Krishna Chander's second wife Salma Siddiqi claimed in an interview to Tahir Masood that Krishna Chander embraced Islam and became Vaqar-ul-Mulk. Changing one's faith for someone else is always a deeply painful experience. Though I don't belong to any religion and I've no god, I can empathise with those who're believers and have had to change their religions for their spouses. I can feel their angst. At the same time, when one embraces his/her spouse's religion, the sincerity of faith is always missing. Did Sharmila Tagore (after marriage, Ayesha) ever accept her Oxford-educated (yet, converting his Hindu wife!) husband Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi's Islam? Does she ever use her Muslim name? So, why this conversion charade? Why can't humans stay religio-neutral? Why does religion interfere with everything? Do you've a definite answer? ---- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/conversion-marriage-religion/d/128889 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism