If i marry a Muslim, would i have to convert?
You’re not allowed to marry her until you convert. Muslim men can marry women “of the book,” although they’re not allowed to marry Hindus, Buddhists, or atheists. In Islam, the man is believed to be in charge of the family and is considered the dominant parent (Muslim women have no right to custody of their own children in the event of a divorce). They assume that children will be raised in their fathers’ religion, and Muslim women aren’t allowed to marry non-Muslim men so that the children of Muslim women will be raised Muslim. There’s all kinds of weak rationalizations for this – “she may be confused if she’s told to do something against Islam, like serve alcohol or serve pork…her husband may not understand that she needs to pray” and that kind of silliness – which say more about how voiceless women are in marriage in Islam than anything else, but the real issue is “ownership” of children.
