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Can My Parents Reject a Marriage Proposal for Ethnic Reasons?

14 July, 2020
Q I wish to marry a man who is a fairly recent revert to Islam and who has good character and morals. However, he is not of the same ethnicity as I am. I have presented his marriage proposal to my parents but they refuse to meet him on grounds of culture and ethnic reasons and the biased belief that this man is not of good character and would not treat me the best despite not knowing more than a few things about him. They are questioning his intentions for accepting Islam and stating all manner of negative assumptions about him. We want nothing more than to be married respectfully in accordance with Islamic principles and with the blessings of my parents.

Answer

Sheikh Ahmad Kutty
14 July, 2020

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. 

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

In this fatwa:

Parents cannot reject a marriage proposal  from a man who is of sound faith and character for any cultural or ethnic reasons.

In responding to your question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and an Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states:

Parents cannot prevent you from marrying the man who is of sound faith and character for cultural or ethnic reasons.

It would be best if you persuaded your parents and convince them of your need to get married.

Perhaps you can also seek the help of wise people in your community to advise them to change their minds and consent.

If nothing works, you are free to get married. If you do, you should still try to keep good relations with your parents.

Almighty Allah knows best.

Source: www.askthescholar.com