Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Multi-Cultural Marriages? Do they Work?

One of my friend's Mom's has just adjusted into her reverting/converting to Islam. She is okay with her being a Muslim---so long as she doesn't marry a Muslim man. I am assuming her Mom means an Arab-Muslim man---since I mean, most Moms out there have seen "Not Without My Daughter"---- because I mean, a Muslim woman isn't allowed to marry a non-muslim man. Well, since I am married to a Khaleeji-Arab I know that Arab mothers have similiar fears to my Russian-Ukrainian-Irish mother. So I prepared this mini presentation for my husband and I to send to both our Mom's as a bit of a joke. Mutlicultural marriages are alot of work but if the relationship is based on Islam then races and nations cease to be important to one. And as I am going to show you, most people have more in common when it comes to culture, than they have differences:I have a Canadian passport (ethnically I am Russian-Ukranian, Irish [a very distinct tribe] and Norman-French). My husband has a Saudi passport. Polar opposites, East and West, one would assume, but are we really? The picture above is the national cultural dresses of both of our regions, his in Saudi, and mine in the Ukraine, on the border of Russia. We both wear flowers in our hair, and have striped embroidery. We both have specific kilt (or for him--izhaar) patterns, and we both DO have tribes.
People seem to think that our ancestors lived in tents. Not true. While a great deal of my ancestors lived a nomadic lifetstyle (off on Viking long boats or on these makeshift houses after raiding foreign shores), mine were quite well rooted, and established a happy village life. Most people think my husbands whole country was populated by tent-dwelling Beduoin. His people were not nomadic whatsoever. Stereotypes. Viking raider. Saudi beduoin with his camels. LOL.
And just between us two, both of our ancestors (I mean, great great grandparents) made a living breeding horses. We are both natural born riders with our weight all being centered to the part of the body that is seated on a horse, with long light legs but a shorter upper physique. We both traditionally wear weapons at our waist, both men and women. Crazy things to have in common, but its true. It is only people's stereotypes that make us think we are so different. Were I from some Saudi tribe, or he from some Norman clan, no one would bother to say, your worlds can't connect, you don't have a history, you have different ways of doing things... Cuz really, we don't. The only things different are the he is a man, and I am a woman, things, if we have Islam in common. And I am not the biggest soccer fan. I like it, but I don't cry when my team loses, ya know?

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