muslim-christian relationship.. HELP?

Question

i'm a middle eastern christian female, and my husband to be is a muslim and lives in saudi arabia.
i'm not perticularly religious.. i mean i do pray and all, but i'm so uncomfortable with public display of religion,
and my husband to be (who by the way is an amazing person and i'm so in love with him!) prays 3 times/day.
i totally respect that fact, but i'm not sure i can handle it. i've never been exposed to such a behavior before, and in saudi arabia, it's all i'm gonna be exposed to.
can anyone please help me clear my mind? my man is the most amazing creature to have ever existed ever, and i so want this to work out between us.

i know they pray 5 times/day, but it's "them", not "him":)
as for the Valium.. know where i can make a lifetime membership?:D

guys, please, try not to be too negative about this, i'm scared enough as is...
i really want to believe he's a good person, and he'll still treat me the same way he does right now even after we're married. i don't want the whole "betty mahmoody" thing to happen to me, but i love him!

truth seeker.. i'm not gonna deny what you just said, i do need to work on myself.. i just don't know where to begin from..
as for the choice part, i do have a choice, i mean i don't have to marry him, and i'm not in cuffs or anything. but he treats me do good, and with all the respect i never thought existed.. i can't just ignore that... man i'm so lost!

Answer 1

I'm an American who's been married to a Muslim man and lived in Saudi Arabia for twenty years. It's a pleasant, comfortable place to live, with a high standard of living.

In Saudi Arabia, religion is part of life. All work stops five times a day so that people can pray. We have Ramadan coming in a few days, now, and the school and work schedules will change to make fasting easier and to encourage people to offer the special Ramadan prayers. At the end of Ramadan, the schools will have two weeks' vacation and most businesses, five days or so.

We love Ramadan in Saudi! We're happy when it starts and sad when it's over.

There is another issue you need to discuss with the man you are thinking about marrying. The Saudi government will not recognize your marriage if you are Christian. This means that they will not give you a visa. You will have to live in a nearby country, like Egypt, and he'll have to fly back and forth. Is that what you want?

Answer 2

Let me get this straight, you not "particularly religious" yet your about to move to the most religious spot in the universe?

Wow, first thing you need to do is some homework on Islam and Saudia Arabia. This is not some small change in lifestyle...you will be immersed in an Islamic culture and your life will change drastically.

Love leaves over time. What keeps people together over time is similarties. Common beliefs is CENTRAL to long term happiness, and ther is no bigger gap in beliefs than between the non-muslim and muslim.

If you dont do you homework about Islam, you deserve what you are certain to get.

EDIT: This is so odd, I mean, your acting as if you have no choice in the matter. Are you so insecure that you cannot invision any other choices? Maybe you need to do some work on yourself before you make such a committment.

Answer 3

If you really love him this shouldn't bother you..... why do you care about OTHERS' demostrations/display of faith? As long as they don't compel YOU to do something you're uncomfortable with and bother you with their demostrations, you should just be respectful of how others express their beliefs. If they want to kneel in the middle of the street and pray for half an hour, why should that bother you? If this man is respectful of you and does not force you into his habits/customs, why would it bother you? It's HIM who prays 3 times a day, not you. Now, you also have to think about your kids: you will have to raise them under 1 faith, and most probably it will be your husband's.......... will you agree with that? Will you feel comfortable having your children praying 3 times a day and not following your faith? Do you know the rights that Islam gives the husband upon the children (and which is equal to NO RIGHTS for the mother)? There are many things you DO have to think about your future family life before marrying, and if you won't be able to handle them then it's still a good time to back out..... marrying a muslim is very tough on a non-muslim..... so think about it...... I think the 3-times-a-day praying is the least of your concerns!!

Answer 4

Honestly, that is a very sensitive subject for anyone with the respect for religions and anyone who has common sense not to speak without first thinking and doing research. It depends on your feelings for each other. God teaches us to not be descrimanitive, to think and respect and to forgive. The Lord says, "If you follow these two Golden Commandments the Ten Commandments you have already followed." One, to Love the Lord with All thy heart, All thy soul and Two, Love thy neighbor as ye loves thy self. So, the Lord teaches us to love everyone regaurdless of colour, race, creed, etc. So, basically if you love each other spiritually, physically and unconditionally, I don't see where there should be any reason not to. See, society and some families will speak poorly about the Muslim religion because what happened years ago but, YOU are the one that makes the descissions about your own mind, heart and soul. The Lord allows us to make small mistakes, it's not condoned but, repentance is needed to be forgiven. I've seen the Muslims in Iraq and i've seen Iraqi people change their beliefs because of the Terrorists that killed their families, friends and anyone else that has anything to do with the American military. So, see the poor publicity of the terrorists has created a conundrum for the true Muslims that just want to live in peace and harmony with everyone else, the Iraqi people that work for the govt. on military installations there in Iraq. Prejudism runs in other countries as well as in America. So I say do what you feel needs to be done in your life. And learn about each others religion and respect it regaurdless. I hope this helped you out some. It might not seem to helpful but, like I said it's a touchy subject for one to speak about unless one listens and thinks before one speaks. Only true Christians speak from the heart because they know their place and the teachings of the Bible and the Lords words.

Answer 5

Sorry to disappoint you: he'll be amazing until he gets you in his clutches, then you're a "goner". Saudi Arabia is the most restrictive of ALL muslim states, the sharia IS the constitution and women have no rights whatsoever. I'd suggest you try to find out a lot more about what you're getting into.

Answer 6

Well if three times a day praying has gotten you depressed,break out the Valium because religious Muslims pray FIVE times a day. Saudia Arabia is VERY observant.

Answer 7

If you are uncertain, you should wait.

Talk to him about your fears. If you get married, Islam WILL be a part of your life. Your children will be Muslims. If you cannot love Islam, as a part of your family life, best not to get married.

How well do you know your fiancee? Have you met his family? Would you describe them as liberal, conservative, or what? (This is important.) As you know, there are good reasons for concern.

Answer 8

Well, you do seem to love him...love can work miracles. Maybe if you didn't stress or worry about it and did a little reading on Islam then maybe an answer would present itself. i wish you Peace and good luck.