logo
episode-header-image
Apr 1
27m 42s

Mixed Blessings

Bbc Radio 4
About this episode

Giles Fraser and guests hear from novelist and opinion writer Lisa Solod on her negative experience of marrying outside of her Jewish faith, and from Amy and Takbir, on how they navigate marriage between a Christian and Muslim.

What if your Mr or Mrs Right doesn't share your religious tradition and values? Is interfaith marriage a problem? And, what are religious traditions doing in an increasingly liberal, secular society to help couples navigate mixed relationships?

To explore Giles is joined by: Eleanor Nesbitt, a Professor in Religions and Education at Warwick University, a Quaker who has been in an interfaith marriage with a Hindu partner. She is a specialist in the religious socialisation of young people of Christian; Hindu and Sikh background.

Rev Dr Paul Smith, an Interfaith Advisor for the Diocese of Oxford and author of Intimate Diversity, a book looking at the realities of interfaith marriage in modern Britain.

Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra, an Imam from Leicester and former Assistant Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain. He has contributed to guidelines on inter-faith marriage for the Christian-Muslim forum.

Producer: Linda Walker & Alexa Good Editor: Tim Pemberton

Up next
Apr 22
Cultural Religiosity
Giles Fraser meets columnist Giles Coren, who was raised in the Jewish tradition, became an atheist and who now feels at home in a Christian church, to explore what it means to be culturally religious.Is cultural religiosity an oxymoron and totally untenable? Is it on the rise or ... Show More
27m 29s
Apr 15
Claiming Christianity
Giles Fraser meets the Revd Canon Fr Phil Harris, of the Anglican Church in North America, to discuss defending Britain’s Christian heritage.Christianity has been deployed as a tool by those who have been labelled as far-right by their opponents, or by people supporting far-right ... Show More
27m 14s
Apr 8
Faithful Food
We hear from the volunteers serving an average of 1,500 meals a day at the Gurdwara Siri Guru Singh Sabha in Hounslow and explore the significance of langar in the Sikh and wider community. Mona Siddiqui and the panel explore the role food plays in religion. Do all religious trad ... Show More
27m 20s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2022
Jordan Peterson, White Supremacy & the Perils of Engagement - with Yahya Birt
Is there a problem with Muslim public intellectuals and scholars that engage with the political right? My guest this week, Yayha Birt, believes that white convert scholars that interact with the likes of Jordan Peterson should evaluate whether they risk confirming their anti-Isla ... Show More
1h 7m
Feb 2021
The Place of Religion After the Uprisings
Dr. Shadi Hamid (Brookings Institution; contributing writer, The Atlantic) and Professor Nadia Oweidat (Kansas State University) give a talk for the Middle East Centre Friday seminar series. Chaired by Dr Usaama al-Azami (St Antony's College). It is often noted that the Arab upri ... Show More
57m 21s
Sep 2021
Islamic Governance, Caliphates and Emirates - with Iyad Hilal and Kamal Hussain
Since the demise of the Ottoman Caliphate, the Muslim world has moved from one crisis to another. The parlous state of the ummah is now the subject of many discussions and numerous Islamic groups have attempted to find the magic formula to reverse this decline. Invariably and cor ... Show More
1h 31m
Feb 2020
Who wants the Caliphate? - Dr Ovamir Anjum
My guest this week, Dr Ovamir Anjum , although abhorring all that Isis may stand for, suggests that its brief rise to notoriety has opened up space for intelligent minded Muslim’s to reimagine a world with a just Caliphate. Dr Anjum calls for a new wave of thinking on the subject ... Show More
1h 8m
Feb 2023
common Q&A's on menstrual cycles & fiqh | rabata x islamic feelings
Menstrual cycles & fiqh can be a pretty complex topic for alot of women for various of reasons. Between understanding fiqh correctly, dealing with taboos or even cultural norms, or simply not being educated on this as a whole.. the topic of periods & fiqh is a pretty important on ... Show More
31m 46s
Sep 2020
Majid Daneshgar, "Studying the Qur’an in the Muslim Academy" (Oxford UP, 2019)
“Consider the works of the renowned Nobel-prize-winning African American writer, literary and social critic, and activist Toni Morrison (b. 1931),” writes Majid Daneshgar. “Hers—like Said’s—are popular in the West and cover most of the principal themes covered by Orientalism, inc ... Show More
40m 34s
Mar 2023
Love in Islam Q&A w/ Dr. Tamara Gray | Islamic feelings
Love in islam is a complicated topic. Unfortunately, with the severe spread of false information on social media, it becomes difficult to navigate what exactly Islam says. So I went on my Instagram and asked you guys to send in your questions for our special guest, Dr. Tamara Gra ... Show More
42m 27s
Aug 2022
Religion in Pre-Islamic Arabia
Sources/Suggested Reading:al-Jallad, Ahmad (forthcoming) "The Religion and Rituals of the Nomads of Pre-Islamic Arabia: A reconstruction based on the Safaitic Inscriptions". Pre-Print Darft (Version 2: April 3, 2021).al-Jallad, Ahmad (2019). "The 'One' God in a Safaitic Inscripti ... Show More
22m 38s