1998/01/01 by Dina N. Khan, Khan, Dina
Social Sciences · #Education and Islamic Studies #Marriage and Sexual Relationships #Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
paper · doi:10.5287/ora-8razbo9yw
openalex publication_date 1998/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/01
WITH increasing multiculturalism it seems inevitable that there will be a corresponding increase in inter-cultural marriages-a topic fundamental to social anthropology. However, a review of the current literature shows a dearth of material on mixed marriages as a whole, and particularly as regards the social implications and consequences of marriage between non-Muslim women and Muslim men. Yet this type of relationship is not unknown; on the contrary, a substantial number of such marriages occur within the Islamic world. This article focuses on the dynamics of mixed marriages in Pakistan and their implications for current debates about personal and cultural identity. 1 Observations of mixed couples known to me personally indicate that there is a marked variation in the way foreign wives adapt to life in Pakistan. This ranges from complete acceptance of the local norms and culture through to total rejection of everything Pakistani. Even the children have different perspectives on their mixed heritage, depending on the attitude of their mother. It appears to me that there must be some factor which determines to a large extent how and why a