Reuters reports: A new Vatican document on migrants recognizes troubles Catholic women have had in mixed marriages with Muslims, particularly in Muslim countries.
66. Belief in God the Creator and the Merciful, daily prayer, fasting, alms-giving, pilgrimage, asceticism to dominate the passions, and the fight against injustice and oppression are common values to be found in Christianity too, though they may be expressed or manifested in a different manner. Beside these points of agreement there are, however, also divergences, some of which have to do with legitimate acquisitions of modern life and thought. Thinking in particular of human rights, we hope that there will be, on the part of our Muslim brothers and sisters, a growing awareness that fundamental liberties, the inviolable rights of the person, the equal dignity of man and woman, the democratic principle of government and the healthy lay character of the State are principles that cannot be surrendered. It will likewise be necessary to reach harmony between the vision of faith and the just autonomy of creation63.67. When, for example, a Catholic woman and a Muslim wish to marry, bearing in mind what is stated in No. 63 and local pastoral judgements, bitter experience teaches us that a particularly careful and in-depth preparation is called for. During it the two fiancés will be helped to know and consciously “assume” the profound cultural and religious differences they will have to face, both between themselves and in relation to their respective families and the Muslim’s original environment, to which they may possibly return after a period spent abroad.
If the marriage is registered with a consulate of the Islamic country of origin, the Catholic party must beware of reciting or signing documents containing the shahada (profession of the Muslim belief).
In any case, the marriage between a Catholic and a Muslim, if celebrated in spite of all this, requires not only canonical dispensation but also the support of the Catholic community both before and after the marriage. One of the most important tasks of Catholic associations, volunteer workers and counselling services will be to help these families educate their children and, if need be, to support the least protected member of the Muslim family, that is the woman, to know and insist on her rights.
68. Finally as regards the baptism of the children, it is well known that the norms of the two religions are in stark contrast. The problem must therefore be raised with absolute clarity during the preparation for marriage, and the Catholic party must take a firm stand on what the Church requires. Conversion and the request for baptism by adult Muslims also require very careful attention, both because of the particular nature of the Muslim religion and the consequences that follow from this.
The full text is on-line.
It's very important that the Vatican put out this document. Books such as "The Princess Diaries" and "Not Without My Daughter" chronicle the horrors that Western women have faced after marrying Muslim Middle Eastern men, and then at some point accompanying them to their homeland.
Major media have chronicled the illegal Pakistani "wife kidnapping" PI's who bring Pakistani women who have fled abusive husbands in the UK, back to the home country--where they face beatings and death. Scotland Yard has had limited success in breaking these organizations.
Writers such as Jamie Glazov have chronicled the really awful lot of Islamic family life. The Islamic world view is *vastly* different from the Christian world view, and it anchors an extremely different view of women, marriage, and children.
The Vatican has downplayed the stark differences between the Christian and Islamic understandings of God in recent years,in the name of "interreligious dialogue," and probably out of fear for Catholic minorities in Islamic countries.
But make no mistake about it: when the Catechism says we worship "the same God" as Muslims, that only applies to the "what"--a monotheist Creator. The *who* is entirely different. The Christian God is a loving Father who creates people as His children with a share in His dignity by making us in His image. That means we are family, "sons and daughters not slaves" as St. Paul says, destined for an eternal life of beatific union with God.
But the Islamic God is a hateful tyrant because he does not vest us with a share of His Image, and it is blasphemy to call Him Father. That would be anthropomorphism, you see. Thus we are slaves, not sons and daughters. Without God's image, there is no objective theological basis for the intrinsic dignity of the human being--and for Christianity's absolute prohibition of killing innocent human beings. That's a large part of why women have it so rough in Islamic cultures.
In addition, that's why Islamic "Heaven" doesn't consist of Beatific union with God, but an eternal whorehouse--a travesty that is utterly unfitting for the human person. If we aren't made in God's image, we have no meaningful analogical commonality with Him, and thus can hardly be spiritually married to God in an eternal Wedding Feast of the Lamb.
This document is one small step in the right direction. The Church needs to offer much, much more theological critique of the Islamic view of God. The Islamic view of God is a threat to humanity for *specifically theological reasons* that get very little air play, and little attention from theologians or bishops.
There are also problems the other way 'round. Marriages made under Islamic law can be very simply made and unmade (depending on the type). In fact, some "pious" Muslim men go to brothels where they "marry" a woman for a night, and "divorce" and pay her a "settlement" the next morning.
A very boneheaded friend of a friend (not Catholic) "married" a Muslim man here in this way. When in a few months he had tired of her, he "divorced" her. Lovely way to have your cake and eat it too. *roll eyes*
Though, to be fair, a lot of Muslim foreign students have justifiable complaints about American women....
Maybe true love can conquer all, but true love caught in this severe of culture differences has to be very clever and wise.