'Love is not a crime, when will they stop treating interfaith love as a crime?’
- labibakarim
- Jan 3, 2015
- 2 min read
(Secrets and Lies of Love; Part one)
Interfaith relationships occur more around society than people notice. They are relationships that are hidden and camouflaged with a certainty that the public should not find out.
Amrita (23), student from Birmingham talks about her experience in the world of love covered with secrets and lies. To protect their relationship from her families views against the acceptance of her partner.
"I’ve been in a relationship with my partner for almost 3-years, it’s been well hidden from public. It pains me to know I can’t hold his hand when we go out to town. We want to express our love, yet it’s so hard when you have to hide behind the blanket of opinions and views from people", she said.
Her partner a Muslim and herself as a Sikh can cause possible debates. "You can imagine the controversies that would over power our relationship, if we came clean to our parents. I fell in love with him, I did not make a mistake".
She explained how she wishes the older generation would understand, "even if my parents accepted our relationship, they will have to listen to a hundred negative whispers from relatives – that’s the truth".
"How would you live happily? I’d have two choices to life. First to either marry someone of my own religion so my parents are happy. I’d be unhappy, and would not be able to provide the love he would deserve. Second, to marry my partner of my choice, but leave my parents in pain and sadness".
Amrita added, "whose happiness do you fulfil? Either way no one wins, someone has to lose in this battle of religion. After all it’s my life partner, why should my parents have to choose who I would marry? They will not marry my husband, I will, so why is it that I don’t have the freedom to chose?"
The 23-year-old stated how she wants the society to change their perspectives on interfaith relationships, and to grow out of the traditional culture that is a barrier to the younger generation.
"I thought all that mattered was if the life partner you have chosen is a good person who will look after you. Not the religion".
"For all I know, I will never be able to replace my boyfriend for another man of my parents choice", she said.
Getting married is a massive life changing decision. The 23-year-old strives for a change to accept the decisions of interfaith relationships, to maintain happiness and peace amongst traditional cultures.
"I hope parents will do their duty to prevent losing their children due to their beliefs, and for once think about their happiness for their daughter or son. Love is not a crime, when will they stop treating interfaith love as a crime?"
"To all the parents and older generations, I want you to stop thinking about what society think and listen to what you really believe – You’ll find an honest answer that may tell you the truth.
"Don’t be the sheep and follow the crowd. My parents will never be able to find a better life partner for me than my boyfriend. It’s a shame I fear that they will reject", she said.
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