Page one
My decision as a Christian to marry a Muslim sounds wired and awkward right? Fine! I want to tell you that it is a decision I have thought through it to know the effects (positives and Negatives) and I was strike by one effect which has really influence this decision to marry a Muslim and that is “Unity”. To me, unity supersedes all things. It makes all things especially marriage beautiful. Without unity there can exist love. Yes! You heard me right. Without Unity there cannot be love.
Before I proceed with my reasons to why I want to marry a Muslim, I want to explain and tell the meaning of marriage. From the 21st century Dictionary it states that “A joining together; a union between a man and a woman which is a civil or religious ceremony during which this act is performed as a wedding to make the man and woman and remain as a husband and a wife. Also the Bible defines it in Genesis 2:24 that “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife and they shall become one flesh.” The Quran and the Hadith also describes marriage as the union between a man and a woman. I have cited three wonderful books here describing and teaching the understanding of marriage.
Now my worries and fears is about why some people think I should not marry a Muslim and vice versa when the two powerful books, Bible and Quran is silence on who to marry as a being. What did I read in the dailies and heard on radio about a year ago? That there is religious intolerance in my country, Ghana? Is it that this came out as poor reportage or that is the real fact stated? All the same any of the two is unfortunate.
I have grown to see Ghana to be a very peaceful country even on the verge of deep arguments and misunderstandings across the political divide in this nation. Why then do we allow religious intolerance to separate and divide us, despite the peace pipe we smoke, indifferences and background?
Growing up, I was fortunate to live in a society very close to the Zongo. I had the chance of mingling and playing with some Muslim children of my age. We knew nothing about who a Christian is and who a Muslim is, all what we knew was that we were one people united by common goals and visions devoid of religious interference.
I admired and always loved the way Muslim ladies dressed with their Hijab on. I admitted and wrote in my 2012 diary that I wished my wife dresses like the Muslim ladies, if she would not be one. I remember I always prayed to God to help me marry a Muslim, because I believe that was my own way of promoting peace and harmony in our livelihood as Ghanaians.
Unfortunately there are many who are killing this dream and prayer of my diary, reasons been that a Christian, including myself goes propose to a marriage to a Muslim and all what he will be told is that “I will love to marry you, YES, but er… you know en…, marriage is between families not a man and woman only. With that my family has warn me NOT to bring a Christian home to seek my hands in marriage.” This, to me, I thought is antique to our Generation but it is real and it is has divided my homes.
I will wish to end here because I am tired now and continue sometime soon. In Page two of this story in my diary, I shall share names of ladies I wrote in my diary and prayed I marry one of them one day. Also, names of persons who are Christians but have married Muslims and they are still living happily as married couples without any problem. Just follow me as I share stories from my diary.
Akwasi Boakye (diplomat)
Kumasi.
