Dr. Harjinder Singh Dilgeer
Interfaith, interfaith worship, interfaith conferences etc. are among the most frequently discussed subjects of the day. This essay is not a study of the seriousness, usefulness and the future of the interfaithism.1 personally fee! that instead of holding such shows, the project most needed, today, is to create an understanding respect and tolerance for religions and faith of the others. A common religion or a universal faith, in the present circumstances, and even philosophically, is not possible; though the feasibility of adoption of a common ethical system for the whole of the Globe can be, theoretically and practically, very much real.
The world has achieved a lot in the fields of technology and science. New dimensions have been reached in the realms of several such fields. Computer science, medicine etc., have made marvelous progress. On the other hand, humanism is returning lo primitive standards. Torture, hatred, disdain, tribalism, parochialism, extreme nationalism and patriotism, greed, selfishness, crime etc. are becoming accepted norms among several nations. Moral and ethical values are at their lowest ebb. Elimination of religious/ethical education has paved way for in humanism.
The mythical beliefs of Communism to eradicate and eliminate racism and Nazism 160 stand exposed. It was shocking for the world to learn that East Germans, Polish people, Yugoslavians, Bulgarians and the natives of the colonies of the Soviet Empire had turned more anti-Jewish, anti-Muslim and more racist that the residents of the Western Hemisphere. Independent India, though it declared itself as secular, has been (and is) more fanatic than Nazis. The undeclared program of distortion of the faith of the non-Hindus as well as the genocide of the Sikhs and the Muslims by the terrorist Hindus, is now, not unknown {0 a sane and impartial man. In such an atmosphere inter faith worship and conferences are nothing more than beating around the bush. Today there is necessity of teaching respect for faith of neighbors; for being tolerant to the culture of the others; for eradication of racism, tribalism, extreme nationalism and neo Nazism. Hate propaganda against the Jews, the Sikhs, the Muslims need to be stopped. In such an ugly atmosphere “shows” of interfaith conferences are mere farce.
Likewise interfaith marriages are no solution to usher a secular atmosphere. It is rather adding to the crisis. In most of the cases such marriages have (and are) proving disaster. Practically, interfaith marriages have created problems. An interfaith marriage, in several religions, is an unacceptable norm. In Judaism the children born out of an interfaith wedlock are not accepted as Jews; in Islam, the non-Muslim partner must adopt Islam before getting married to a Muslim; in Sikhism, a Sikh must marry only a Sikh, otherwise either the marriage will be unlawful or the Sikh partner will de facto and dejure be considered as a member of the Church of the non-Sikh partner, or at least he/she ceases to be a Sikh. Thus, technically speaking, an interfaith marriage is cither unlawful marriage or it is converting one of the partners to another religion or it is excommunication of one of the partners to such a marriage. Interfaith marriages have created apprehensions among the intelligentsia that the promoters of such marriages have ulterior motives. An example proves this thesis. At Panjab University Chandigarh (India) there was a Hindu Professor, Vishwa Nath Tiwari. He had married the daughter of a Sikh, He used to provoke Sikh girls to have affairs with or to marry Hindu boys, (He did not encourage the otherwise Le. marriage of Sikh boys with Hindu girls), and the incentives offered by him to such Sikh girls were good scores in examination and/or jobs. All the students of Pandit Tiwari had Sikh girls as their girlfriends/keeps; this conspiracy has been in practice with several Hindu officials/Professors. Interfaith marriages are usually unsuccessful; they don’t last long. According to a survey more than 90% of marriages of the Sikhs with the non-Sikh partners have ended in divorce, some partners of such marriages have committed suicide too, The main reason being imbalance between the price paid for the marriage and the reward. In most of the cases the Sikh boy/girl has to part with father, mother, brothers, sisters, uncles, grandparents, friends, relatives, brotherhood as well as culture, faith, heroes, history, customs, festivals, society etc. in order to get married to a non-Sikh, It is practically impossible to continue two faiths in one family, There is no interfaith society, interfaith relationship, interfaith brotherhood, interfaith culture, interfaith history, interfaith heroes etc. Particularly in Sikh faith the relationship, affection, cooperation and affinity is so great and intense that this loss can never ever be covered up by any gain/gains. The reward for such so many sacrifices is just a partner who has been chosen for infatuation, usually physical and sometimes for simply sexual tunes.
One gets surrounded by alien faith, culture, heroes, history, tradition, customs, festivals etc. Here, one has to adopt alien faith and culture, has to worship foreign heroes, join strange customs, appreciate queer traditions and worship, learn and respect a history for which one has no personal feelings and/or association. On the other hand the reward for great sacrifices is zero; The couple has already loved each other before runaway marriage. After marriage love starts decreasing. It leads to disillusionment. This author has studied the cases of one Sikh male married to a Polish Catholic femaic, nine Sikh girls married to Hindu boys, two Sikh girls married to Negroes, 15 Sikh boys married to Hindu girls, three Sikh girls married to Muslims, two Sikh boys married to Muslim girls, one Sikh boy married to a Jewish girl. Partners in almost all these cases have either chosen divorce or have remained imbalanced/schizophrenic personalities throughout their lives, the off springs out of these wed locks are mentally or emotionally retarted children.
Interfaith marriages have given birth to confusion, boredom, indecisiveness, fuss, nostalgia, despondency, anger and hatred. It leads to divorce or separation or disaster.
Thus, interfaith marriage is a disaster in itself. On the other hand friendships and associations among the boys and girls of different faiths have proved more useful and long lasting. Class mates with different faiths have remained friends and associates for decades. Such friends (and not couples) have contributed positively; they have been able to solve problems of the associates of each other. Thus, an interfaith marriage is usually a problem and a disaster but an interfaith friendship is a blessing.
Article extracted from this publication >> April 23, 1993
