Here I am pointing at :

1-The mixed marriage in which two people from different religious traditions or faiths & different nationalities marry.

2-The mixed marriage in which two people from the same nationality, but different tribes marry.

It’s well known here in Oman that some or “many” Omanies marry from the same tribes or specific tribes & decline others. This has nothing to do with Islam because as Muslims we believe that being a good Muslim is what matter most.


Mixed marriage does break racism that might exist within oneself or the families & it has many advantages & some disadvantages as well. However, the society might be against such marriages & it something related to narrow mindedness sometimes.


What is your view on mixed marriages?

What are the problems that the couples might face? And what are the advantages out of it?

What is the society view about the kids? Will they face any difficulties?

Do you think Omanis now are being more flexible with the idea of the mixed marriage?

Any personal or general experiece you’d like to share?

in my case, i know ill end up being with someone of a totally different culture, language, continent and perhaps even religioin!

i like it, and have no problems so far!

as a matter of fact i love it, coz eventually my parents in law will be far away from me! :yes: :gap:

Ok i'll start with my personal experience .. My Family Gone international .. we have marriages to syrian , egyptian, american (muslim), bahraini , Saudi, Qatari and persians .. local marriages to all different tribes .. be it pure arabs (as they call themselves ) Swahili (as they call them ) , belushi & lawati :D am not kidding Seriously ..

its working perfectly although there is an element of sect , but what counts in any marriage is undersatnding, accepting each other for what they are, considering the differences and trying to work it out , ..
just like any normal marriage there r ups n downs ...

What is your view on mixed marriages?
I dont mind having it in my family but i dont wanna be in that situation


What are the problems that the couples might face? And what are the advantages out of it?

coming across the differences , background , culture , life style ..may create problems...

What is the society view about the kids? Will they face any difficulties?

Not at all

Do you think Omanis now are being more flexible with the idea of the mixed marriage

well my parents are not really Fond of it but generally yeh i guess ppl are becoming more flexible

Love is not enough sometimes and mixed marriages are an example.
Most important is that both know how the culture or belief of the other can influence their relation in the future and the destiny of their children.
Saw too many cases of italian women marrying arabs or africans without knowing islamic and country of origin of their husband laws in case of devorce and kids.

What is your view on mixed marriages?
If you are talking about different nationalites or religion, then I think its a great step. A person taking this step must think of it throughly. s/he will have kids coming eventualy and he must prepare the enviroment for them to be accepted. I remmber my sister had a friend who was shy to tell her friend that her mom was egyptian (dont know why!! :confused: ) and what could be worse than a kids ashamed of thier own mom!!
So the key word is: comitment and tolarance!!

but marraiges within different tribes but same nationality, personaly I think its recommended. I mean if thats the easiest far end you could go for, then go. But then, again its not very easy. But from experience, I think its fun to enter a total strange family and end up loving them like your own family - from experience ;)

What are the problems that the couples might face? And what are the advantages out of it?

Problems of different nationality marraiges:
- if a divorce happened, the mom/dad would go back to thier origional country most probably .. and then, the kids have to wait for vacations to meet up with thier parent!

- cultural clashes. When love is in the air, one party of the couple would be so eager to give up everything. But then, when they are at the actual situation, they might view things differently. Its not easy for example for a western woman who is open to wear whatever she wants, to go to Saudi for example when she has to fully cover up!! (its just an example)

- Kids will grow up to two differnt cultures and if the parents have no agreement on what culture they want them to grow up as .. it might affect thier personality

- This is what I personaly think of .. language barrier!! I mean for me, its important to express my self in arabic. I cant imagine marrying someone who doesnt understand arabic and then when I read a peiece of a poem and want to share it with him, to translate it :os

Advantages: its adventrous and fun, its also more healthy I guess ..


What is the society view about the kids? Will they face any difficulties?
as I explained earlier, I think they would .. but the parents have to discuss this before getting married and they could overcome it.

Do you think Omanis now are being more flexible with the idea of the mixed marriage?
well each family in Oman have different standereds.
Speaking of my family, I know they are not flexibale to some tribes what about other nationalities!!!
Though, its much easier for a guy to influnce his choice than a girl.

Any personal or general experiece you’d like to share?
Many, and very few of them are positive, even when religion is the same. My husband had an Omani friend who was married to a muslim American lady .. he brought her to meet me .. she was explaining how hard it is to get along with the husband family. They ended going back to the US.

What is your view on mixed marriages?

Great, healthy and needed!

What are the problems that the couples might face? And what are the advantages out of it?

Tons. Ppl have loads of trouble dealing with a spouses differences especially when it comes to religious beliefs because those are the most sacred to you. On the flipside you get to learn more about another belief or tribe and benifit from their ideas & such.

What is the society view about the kids? Will they face any difficulties?

Yup. They'll be outcasts and will have to be tough to brush off all the coments they get (assuming they've gone to a school which contains only one of the beliefs/cultures and not the other they are from).

Do you think Omanis now are being more flexible with the idea of the mixed marriage?

So-so.

Any personal or general experiece you’d like to share?

Well I'm American-Omani and it was difficult in school for me. Because of the anti-american attitude here and the hate towards the American govenment I was shunned by lots of close minded girls especially when I was younger. I always had some rumor or another circling around school about me :rolleyes: and it did get to me at times but by high school I was used to it. I was also blamed for political things that happened, smth I learned to joke about lol. People just don't know where to put their anger into I suppose. I've got younger siblings who study with mainly omani kids and they get alotta crap too.. kids call them 'kaffir' (for no reason at all, my brothers are muslims anyway) and will treat them badly. Some teachers do it too! I had that with a couple and you would think that the teachers were supposed to be setting an example for kids rather than encouraging this sorta behavior :duh:

But as my mom says, if it doesn't kill you it'll make you tougher! And its also made me appreciate ppl from anywhere and everywhere, I don't have a racist bone in my body because of it.

Thanks all :)

Enigma : If were American (not American-Omani) & Christian girl who lives in the US & never been to Oman nor know much about Islam, Will you marry an Omani guy? *Let's assume that you know all the difficulties that you faced* Will you think twice about your kids' future before accepting to marry him?


And there is something I didn't understand : why would others call your siblings 'kaffir' if they are Muslims? Do they act in a way that makes me look like non-Muslims or it's because the way they look like?

What is your Father's role in making his family cope with the difficulties they face?

Is it ok with your family if you chose to marry an American Muslim guy?

Do you feel that you're American more than Omani or vice versa ? or a bit of both?

Cross-cultural marriage? Yeah, why not! Let the kids learn about both cultures/religions and make their own mind up...and screw everyone else...who cares what they think? If your family and friends are racists, then find other friends.

What is your view on mixed marriages?

What are the problems that the couples might face? And what are the advantages out of it?

What is the society view about the kids? Will they face any difficulties?

Do you think Omanis now are being more flexible with the idea of the mixed marriage?

Any personal or general experiece you’d like to share?

I think its pretty good having cross-cultural marriage.

The couples in general would face a big time talkie talkie from people, and family members, which I don't really care, and I proudly say my family is a big time mix, my father is Oman, and my mother is an Indian, although her father is an Omani, her sisters, my aunts are married to non-muslims, and from what I've seen, all of them are living happy life with no problems. I see them always happy, no matter what festival comes and of which relegion, we all together celebrate it.

Like my father says, we are not getting married for our society, its our own choice, we make our family and we are happy within our families. When I come back to Oman I see my cousin sisters all together different, one big multi-cultural family, and some of them are still in England, they didn't come back, those who are married to English men. I haven't seen any of us facing any difficulties as yet, as I haven't lived in Oman that much, but yes there were some difficulties during my life time back in England, but I think that won't be there anymore.

I think Omanis are flexible in getting cross-cultural marriages, its a wonderful thing to do. But people say that we are losing our tradition, and culture when we do that, but honestly, I think even without that our tradition and culture will one day change, new things come into the world, we can't keep the old time life in our future life.

I myself am going to get married to a non-Omani girl, and I think that would only add up into my family, as my sisters aren't married to Omanis as well. The only problem I would face now would be the law in Oman made by HM in 1979 or 1976, I can't remember, but those from the big families are still doing it, so I don't care, I'll do it too.

What is your view on mixed marriages?
I encourage mixed marriages since I don’t see any harm with it. I think it would allow for people to be more tolerant of each other and less prejudice about any attribute.

What are the problems that the couples might face? And what are the advantages out of it?
There might be some opposing members from each side of the family who hate the idea of ‘mixed marriages’ the couple should overcome that and not care about what people might think or say…in the end its their lives not others. There are no advantages from having problems; but if you meant the actual ‘mixed marriage’ see above.

What is the society view about the kids? Will they face any difficulties?
I think the kids would be accepted within each culture of society there might be some difficulties which they might have to face but in the end it would make them all the more accepting and knowledgeable about the world they live in.

Do you think Omanis now are being more flexible with the idea of the mixed marriage?
I think they are more accepting and have been accepting in terms of nationalities there is still some friction between tribes in the Sultanate

Any personal or general experience you’d like to share?
I have cousins who are married to foreigners (Algerian; Lebanese wives) and are so happy together. While I also have a cousin/aunt married outside her ‘tribe’ and is also very happy. I have an uncle married to a German- happy with 3 kids who are content with their inter-mixed background.

I don’t think there is anything wrong with mixed marriages as long as the couple can deal with the various pressures they might face from others. Plus if you have understanding and love between each other then who cares what other people might think and believe.

Enigma : If were American (not American-Omani) & Christian girl who lives in the US & never been to Oman nor know much about Islam, Will you marry an Omani guy? *Let's assume that you know all the difficulties that you faced* Will you think twice about your kids' future before accepting to marry him?

Well if I was all those things then I'd probably have a different way of thinking than I do now, so its hard to answer. However I don't think there were any problems that were big enough to opt against marrying a foreigner.


And there is something I didn't understand : why would others call your siblings 'kaffir' if they are Muslims? Do they act in a way that makes me look like non-Muslims or it's because the way they look like?

Because little kids don't understand much! They just hear that the kid's mom is American and immideately give them a name. Come on, kids look for anything to tease eachother with that's how they are. And my brother's act normal btw.

What is your Father's role in making his family cope with the difficulties they face?

You make it sound so terrible, its not that bad, really! My dad has always been a solid figure, there when he's needed.

Is it ok with your family if you chose to marry an American Muslim guy?

That's what my mom WANTS! lol, their only concern is he's a good muslim. Nationalities don't matter.

Do you feel that you're American more than Omani or vice versa ? or a bit of both?

Probably more Omani.

What is your view on mixed marriages? good idea and creative thing too . bring different shapes to socity and it was made for ages ago when arab opend the world wide.

What are the problems that the couples might face? And what are the advantages out of it?
Family acceptance. But it doesn’t matter at all they can prove there existent no matter difficulties encounter them they have chose that path from the beginning and when they took the decision they know what there are going to face.

What is the society view about the kids? Will they face any difficulties?
well it depends on the way the show them self creative and non usless to the socity .
Do you think Omanis now are being more flexible with the idea of the mixed marriage? yes i think that still it is not a good idea for some tribs.

Any personal or general experiece you’d like to share? yup familly one uncle married to british lady they have 5 children and another uncle who is married to german lady too . allhamdulilah may allah keeep them : :love:

Cross-cultural marriage? Yeah, why not! Let the kids learn about both cultures/religions and make their own mind up...and screw everyone else...who cares what they think? If your family and friends are racists, then find other friends.

My exact thoughts.

I'd marry Shinoda if he were a girl.

What is your view on mixed marriages?
I'm against it if there are religious differences, because that can cause major problems. Also, different nationalites and coming from two very different cultures do not help.
But honestly, as long as they have the same beliefs, are compatible and communicate well, I don't see anything wrong with it.

What are the problems that the couples might face? And what are the advantages out of it?
If they're too different in their ways of thinking, they can have major problems as they will want very different things. This can really ruin a relationship.
Also, children. Should the children be like the mother or father? This is mainly a problem when it comes to deciding their chidren's religion, if the couple aren't of the same faith.
Good thing is because they are different, the relationship will probably be more interesting/exciting, and they will get to learn a lot of new things about a different culture, etc.

What is the society view about the kids? Will they face any difficulties?
Yes, most probably. They will not be thought of as a 'normal Omani kid'.

Do you think Omanis now are being more flexible with the idea of the mixed marriage?
To an extent, yes. No one seems to be in favour of it, but a lot can tolerate it nowadays.

Any personal or general experiece you’d like to share?
Nope.

The only problem I would face now would be the law in Oman made by HM in 1979 or 1976, I can't remember, but those from the big families are still doing it, so I don't care, I'll do it too.

OMG, So this law doesn't allow mixed marriage?!! What are you gonna do Amir? Or you have a big wasta?

People what do you think of this Law of preventing the mixed marriage?!! Are you with or against it & why?

With it and aginst it ..

With it, coz of the culture. The culture doesnt accept "women" to marry forigners (its much easier for guys). I mean, Parents will refuse to allow thier daughters to marry non-omanis mostly.
We will have a problem like whats in UAE. Guys marrying outside the country and leave the girls of the country un married. Until the cultural aspect of this becomes flexible, I think some kind of control should be done.

Aginst it, coz its personal right after all..

Cross-cultural marriage? Yeah, why not! Let the kids learn about both cultures/religions and make their own mind up...and screw everyone else...who cares what they think? If your family and friends are racists, then find other friends.


:app: :app: :app:

Well said.

The law against foreign marriages came out around 82 or 84. Anyhow, things have been relaxed now and it's much easier to get a permit to marry a foreigner. My cousin got it in 6 months I think.

OMG, So this law doesn't allow mixed marriage?!! What are you gonna do Amir? Or you have a big wasta?

No need for wasta wallah...

I've got my Australian Permenant residence, I can live here, and later come home or else like Muscati said will apply for a permit, and then get married. If I didn't get it I still have my residence visa, and doors are always open for me to enter Aussie... Not a big deal!!

I think in your case Amir, its very easy to get the permit.

Sometimes I think it would be more acceptable for me to marry an American Jew than its Omani Muslim Baluchi girl.

My country has deep racist issues. It's sad.

If your 'W' is strong (Like the Jedi Force) you can get a permit in under a month.

Seen it happen plenty of times now in the last 2 years.

I'd marry Shinoda if he were a girl.

Alrighty, wait for 'karma' to take effect when I'm re-born.

Sometimes I think it would be more acceptable for me to marry an American Jew than its Omani Muslim Baluchi girl.

My country has deep racist issues. It's sad.

Not everyone is Racist. Wish you all the best whoever she may be. :inno:

No need for wasta wallah...

I've got my Australian Permenant residence, I can live here, and later come home or else like Muscati said will apply for a permit, and then get married. If I didn't get it I still have my residence visa, and doors are always open for me to enter Aussie... Not a big deal!!

Amir Why do you need the Permit is the wedding taking place in Oman? :scary:

I think in your case Amir, its very easy to get the permit.

I don't know really, but whatever it is, I'm in a safe grounds, that's all I want!

:)

Amir Why do you need the Permit is the wedding taking place in Oman? :scary:

Its going to be in Australia ;)

LOL :laugh:

Its going to be in Australia ;)

LOL :laugh:


Wish you all the best.......... :shut:

Not everyone is Racist. Wish you all the best whoever she may be. :inno:

I'm getting married now?

Since when???

:scary:

I'm getting married now?

Since when???

:scary:

oops sorry dear I didnt know you are still a student I thought you were deeply inlove and was about to settle down. :scary:

Well save the wishes for the future eh? :shy:

Wish you all the best.......... :shut:


OK darling, thanks a lot!!

If an Omani man married a woman of different nationality, is it hard for her to get the Omani passport? Would she face any problems if she doesn’t have it?

If an Omani man married a woman of different nationality, is it hard for her to get the Omani passport? Would she face any problems if she doesn’t have it?

I heard if you are an old man of 60 the government would allow you to bring in a young wife to look after you.

I know some have married outside Oman and got their wives in too but have no idea about the sytem. :bang:

Thanks Solmaaz ... the future is soon I'm sure. ;)

For someone like me, for example, it is very easy to get married to a foreigner because they actually take things into account like if you lived abroad your entire life.

They are many other things taken into account.

So yes, it is pretty easy to marry in Oman now.

Which is a good thing I think - cause Love doesn't come with a certain passport.

If an Omani man married a woman of different nationality, is it hard for her to get the Omani passport? Would she face any problems if she doesn’t have it?


provided he got the permit before getting married, she had to live 5 years in Oman I think and would be eligable to get the passport.

coming from a family who firmly believe in marrying from 'their own kind' (and when they say that, they are very specific in who their kind are!!) - i disagree with the way my family goes about the whole marriage process. not just from a religious, but social point of view, i think its wrong to think of family backgrounds as a method of judging people. i always use this example: if there was one ba7arna (bahraini origin - my family) guy who was a drunk, abusive, jobless, horrible guy who came from a good family and there was one foreign guy - perhaps french (!!!) who was a muslim, and really nice and respectful, kind and caring, with a good job and cares about his religion, and basically has all the qualities that women look for in a husband - and both of these guys wanted to marry me ... would i choose the ba7arna just because i have to marry my own kind? im not saying that we should all marry our cultural opposites either, but just keep an open mind about people and never judge them by the things that dont really matter in the end...

Fatooma, first welcome to sabla :)

Second, you idea is totally valid .. however you have to consider the differences in ideas and concepts. If you are a person who lives all your life in Bahrain, you would certainly carry concepts derived from you own society .. it would be difficult to tolorate those differences. You need a really strong will.

provided he got the permit before getting married, she had to live 5 years in Oman I think and would be eligable to get the passport.

What if she is not interested in the Omani passport but just wants to get married to someone in Oman? This is just a general question. :laugh:

What is your view on mixed marriages?



Problems of different nationality marraiges:
- if a divorce happened, the mom/dad would go back to thier origional country most probably .. and then, the kids have to wait for vacations to meet up with thier parent!

--
.

.

well i know people who are both( husband and wife) omanis and after they got divorce the kids are staying with their mother and they go to their father's place in vacations only.......

Fatooma, first welcome to sabla :)

Second, you idea is totally valid .. however you have to consider the differences in ideas and concepts. If you are a person who lives all your life in Bahrain, you would certainly carry concepts derived from you own society .. it would be difficult to tolorate those differences. You need a really strong will.

thanks princess!! i may come off as seeming hippy-esque or new age-y but i really dont believe that different nationalities can cause a problem when both sides are tolerant of each others traditions... growing up going to an international school has made me see way beyond the faces and colors and all those things so that when i moved to oman, the prejudice and segregation that was going on was really obvious and until now i just cant understand what the big deal is!! people have to accept each other the way they are because being from a different country or religion doesn't automatically mean you're bad... diversity is a good thing!! :color: