Please drop the Islamophobia, very tiresome. Why is there such a chip on the shoulder when it comes to Islam; I will never know.

As someone who grew up with Pakistanis, I can testify this is not presumptuous, nor is it a prejudice or a stereotype, it is fact.

Meaning the bigotry towards non Muslims is so entrenched they have to convert to be accepted into a family.

Hindus and Sikhs not expecting people to convert to their faith is a sign of tolerance.

I’d be interested to know the equivalence for second-gen Muslims in the US, would be a good way to correct the perception “Muslim men marry out but not the women”.

“Sikh men married muslim women iduring Ranjit Singh’s reign. You think Ranjit Singh should have married his women to Pathans and Punjabis muslims?”

Didn’t know that; good to know actually.

“Hmmm… I have about ten (both Desi and Iranian) Muslim workmates, three of whom (two women and one man) are married to Christians. Is this statistically unlikely?”

Iranians tend to marry out.

The senator.

As for hindu/sikh-muslim marriages there are no stats but either way it is not likely muslim women will advertise that. And why would Akbar marry the women of his court to hose he has conquered? Sikh men married muslim women iduring Ranjit Singh’s reign. You think Ranjit Singh should have married his women to Pathans and Punjabis muslims?

One not so large survey found 4.3% of muslim men are married to hindu/sikh women while 4.5% of muslim women are married to hindu/sikh men. Google muslims marrying dharmics to find the survey.

I can see, anecdotally, that in this generation alot of Indian girls marry out of community and culture; even with Western men. Don’t want to blow this out of context but funnily enough I notice that Indian girls marry outsiders but Indian guys stick for the traditional girl back in India. Which is pretty strange in the sense if u are an ABCD to marry someone from India can be a bit of a culture shock.

I wish this mechanism existed in the Pakistani community where the culture would be more relaxed for girls to marry out of the culture. Desi men don’t want (as a generalisation) to marry highly opinionated and outspoken women; but Western men actually are much more relaxed coming from an emancipated culture.

These are my thoughts as a Desi guy so apologies if I generalize too much as most anecdotal evidence can be contrary to mainstream.

I think it is rather “presumptuous” (its definitely a prejudice/stereotype) to think that Muslim families bless sons marrying out but daughters marrying in. Admittedly its a patriarchal society but there is an overwhelming preference to marry within the community rather than “dilute” the other side.

Its these reasons why I suggest people-people contact, the most interaction will reduce these impressions.

“On a somewhat related tangent, Akbar is often held up as a paragon of syncretism because he married Hindu princesses. But I am not aware of him – or any of his successors – marrying his daughters to Hindu Rajput noblemen.”

Akbar actually instituted the policy of no marriage for Mughal princesses at all until the time of Aurganzeb.

Are there girls/women among these cousins ? Not to be sarcastic or anything but there is a general perception (belief ? prejudice ?) among Hindus/Sikhs that Muslims cross-marry to increase their numbers and this is reflected in the gender mix of such cross-marriages.

On a somewhat related tangent, Akbar is often held up as a paragon of syncretism because he married Hindu princesses. But I am not aware of him – or any of his successors – marrying his daughters to Hindu Rajput noblemen.