Chief, at that time it had looked like compulsion to me. And not only me. Some fellow Hindus who married Muslim girls told me that, like me, they were told in no uncertain terms that they had to do the nikka, which is the exact word their in-laws used, and submit a Muslim name or one would be chosen for them. Believe me.

I'm glad to hear you say there is no compulsion.

Gilly on the other side of the coin many Hindu boys feel  that they can nikha  for convenience just to get the muslim girl.

Both scenarios are playing out to this day.

Does this nikha thing have to do with the hindu boy getting a muslim name and throwing the kerchief over his head and the Moulvi reading?

This is the way I see it, Chief: If a Hindu boy wants to marry a Muslim girl, or if a Muslim boy wants to marry a Hindu girl, those young persons are marrying because they love each other and want to spend their future together. They are not marrying because they want to change their religion; conversion doesn't necessitate marriage.

There should be mutual respect on both sides, and indeed I witnessed a few such cases where the Muslim side did the Muslim rites and the Hindu side did the Hindu rites. Both sides win.

My father-in-law lent me his kufi so I didn't need a kerchief. A velvet black kufi.

Oh raas. Me daaj dah nikah ting wan time. Dem peeple try fuh get me fuh do dah and me tell dem me go come back fuh discuss de process.  I suspected that something was not right when the mother told me that no one would know.

Both sides winning at the wedding  produced children who lose out.

 I have seen a lot of sad ending and children being confused to the point where they lash out at their parents for being fools. Many times after the novelty and excitement  is over for the married couple they become very very bitter and each side trying their best to influence the children to take their side of the religion.

I totally disagree with you , mu advise is to choose one religion at the time of getting married. Many people think they can fool God.

You talking pure nonsense. It is also self evident since you say there is no compulsion to religion and now you are fabricating psychological states per religious confusion. If the child understand that god, if he exists, has to be conceptually all forgiving and all loving then the child will not fear a mistake if they try to live right. God in any religion is conceived to be all knowing. To then say the that all knowing god requires knowledge of specific rituals and nomenclature otherwise one becomes mentally damaged is bunk.

Mature and tolerant couples will respect each other's religion. My wife observes Muslim holidays, for instance, and I observe Hindu ones. No clash on that score.

Religion is a personal choice. I have a Christian friend whose wife is Jewish. Like us, they observe each other's feast days in the family. They have two kids and the younger one says he's a Buddhist. His parents aren't discouraging him. That's maturity.

D2 is your son Hindu?

 Again you are naming just 2 couples, I live among the people who are experiencing difficulties but is ashamed to call it a day, especially the muslim women.

Thank you Sir. Dat man is a danger to Society!!!

Nehru you drink piss and  now you frothing from your ass.

Chief, with a response like this, you surely must not expect respect as a Muslim leader.

Whatever Nehru is or says, he does not deserve that kind of answer from a community leader like you.

You have an example to set, and you must set it.

Salaam, Chameli. Have a pleasant and peaceful day.

Once, there was a birthday party held for a Madrassie fella who married a muslim girl. The father-in-law keep referring to the fella with a muslim name. One old Madrassie man at the function interrupted the father-in-law. His dispute, "In the presence of friends and family, you are disrespectful to the parents of Vallidumkandasammy." He continued, it wasn't necessary FOR YOU TO CHANGE HIS NAME and now you want the man's brothers and sisters to call him such.   

In India, they called them Mohammedans-very early in Bengal. 

THERE IS SOMETHING definitely wrong with you. It is hate. That is a demonic spirit you have. I hope you take sometime and have deep reflections. Mohammad would never have such venom. Many of you who call his name should cease. Or, if he has the power of God, he should condemn your hearts. You people are so confused, it is unbelievable that your scholars claim that Mohammad is the Comforter the Christ spoke about.

Mek up alyuh blasted mind.

When the Bible speaks of what is required of women, it relegate them to subservient creatures. There is no culture of women lib there. They were there for men's joy and satisfaction. 

Mohammedan was a term devised by a European to describe Muslims who used it like we all used terms given to us by our European masters. Once we free our minds of these masters, we find a way to free ourselves of their labels also. Similar to how Bombay is back to being Mumbai.  

Yet when Michael Hart wrote about who is the most influential person in history, he placed Muhammad as number one. Ahead of even Isaac Newton. And his list was not even based on theology. Hart even placed Paul ahead of Jesus because he argued that Paul was responsible for Christianity, not Jesus. There are numerous non-Muslims, religious or not who concluded that Muhammad was the most successful religious figure of all time. Want to go to the other major world religion? Read what Gandhi wrote about Muhammad. People can disagree how much they want but the record is there for all to see if they care to do so.

It would be good to move this topic to the Religion forum.

Well, if you dispute the God of the Jews who came down on Mount Sinai in Fire and cloud. And Who spoke to Moses on earth in comparison to Mohammad who claimed was taken up just as Enoch and Elijah, then you claiming no one at the time knew of One God. And the entire world was worshipping the multiplicity of the Hitite gods when Mohammad lived. Next you goan tell me that the library of books Mohammad first wife had, there were nothing of ancient writing. Suh wah was Mohammad reading?   

The religious explanation given as to why it is advised that Muslim women do not marry non-Muslim men was precisely in line with what Chief is stating above. In the days of the Prophet, women were property and have to do as men tell them to. Since there was concern that a Muslim women would be prohibited from practicing her religion in a non-Muslim home, she was advised to marry a Muslim. On the other hand, a Muslim man was also prohibited from forcing his wife to give up her religion so she was deem to be safe in a Muslim home. Now a lot has changed from those Muhammedan  days where today Muslim are forcing others but that was not Muhammad's expectation. Another way in which he raised the level of women.  

Is there any point given for being up front with your plan. I know this story of a Muslim girl who went to Surinaam to escape the Burnham destruction of Guyana and she met a Hindu boy and agreed to marry him. His mother claimed that she knew no English and the boy said that they will have a quiet wedding between family. He did not discuss that the wedding would be a Hindu religious one until the girl found herself in that situation. The girl was not pleased and because the boy was not religious, she was able to return to her Muslim ways after they left Surinam where they were living with his mother. Sometimes people trick others into doing things rather than be up front with them. In my opinion, deceit is unforgivable. 

This is very true. And it is not limited to only Muslims.

You are ignoring those growing years that Chief refer to when the novelty has worn off and the two parents are in constant dispute over religion and the child is now essentially in a state if virtual child abuse. Maybe later one when that child has grown they will find the maturity you are referring to but those growing years don't not exist. No different from when parents are arguing about things that are not religion related where Psychologists label it as child abuse. Couples do have those disagreements.

Agreed but not everyone is matured. You cannot ignore that for those not able to have that same maturity, Chief's suggestion of staying within their culture/religion is better for them.

When it is convenient, some people like to see the world through rose colored glasses.

It is difficult for married couples to stay together even from the same faith. Why add more stress when there is a constant battle as to who going to MANDIR AND WHO GOING TO MASJID.

Did I misrepresent the passage in the Bible. Or are you upset that the quote from the Bible is venomous? Muhammad was about truth He dis not mince the truth. Jesus prophesized that Muhammad will be the Spirit of Truth. If you don't like what the Bible stated, take it out with the Bible, not me. It is the same Bible that stated that the two sisters like penises the size of donkeys' whose ejaculations were the quantity of horses'.

Then again these Hindu men do not go to Mandirs. According to the Pandits here in NY women makes up for 80% of the congregation.

Gilbaka I sure the Mrs. Gilbacka is praying her namaaz, when last you wentt to the Mandir?

Muhammad wasn't reading anything. He could not read. He never even read he Qur'an, only recited it many times. It was narrated to him and he passed it on to us. Just like Jesus stated, "he will not speak of his own but whatever he shall hear so he shall speak"

My Hindu in-laws don't go to the Mandir. On a few occasions in the past they have used the pandit to do their jhandi but it turned out that the same pandit never visited my nephew since his accident. Multitudes of people have been there to see my nephew but not this pandit who usually go to the same hospital to take food for his father who works in the pharmacy there. This same pandit who said that he was studying to be a medical doctor. My in-laws have concluded that the pandit is not worthy of his title. 

Too many Hindus place trust in the Pandits  than the Lord.

I remember that day when my brother in law lost his mind after his son's accident. My mother in law who believed that the pandit can say a prayer to help him asked me to take her to a mandir down the street from us. She explained her dilemma to the pandit and he sent her away. Maybe because she doesn't go to that mandir. My mother left feeling so down. I told her to pray herself because no one can know her pain more than her.

Lot's of Hindus are converting to Christianity. Entire villages in Guyana has become Christian .

Very true indeed. You do not see the muslims being converted. I do admire the muslim leaders for keeping the followers in the faith.

With all seriousness, Muslims in Guyana when we were growing up depended too much on the imam also. We even used to go to them for tabeej. That has all changed when we became more individually educated on our religion. Now thankfully those imams don't have the same power they once did and it is better for us. Had we known better, we would have known that this name change thing doesn't matter.

I think the conversion has more to do with escaping all the necessary stuff one has to do with being a Hindu...lots of rules for marriage, funerals etc etc