SDM of Dagestan allows Moslems to marry Christian and Hebrew women on "situation-variation" basis

A Moslem should not marry a Christian or Hebrew woman, runs the comment of alims (scientists) of the Canonical Division of the Spiritual Department of Moslems (SDM) of Dagestan.

The issue of marriage of a Moslem to "people of the Book" - Hebrew and Christian women - was raised in an address of a Dagestanian who lives in Moscow for many years. The young man wanted to know whether he has right to marry a Russian girl with whom he got acquainted in Moscow.

Based on provisions of Shariat, the workers of the Canonical Division of the SDM of Dagestan have concluded that the present Christians and Hebrews are not at all those "people of the Book", marriage to whom the Koran permits, the "Islam.ru" writes.

However, the official explanation of the SDM of Dagestan and Board of Muftis of Northern Caucasus treats this conclusion as a "not quite balanced" opinion of one of the employees of the Canonical Division.

"The Shariat resorts, in the issue of marriage of Moslems to the people of the Book (Christians and Hebrews), to the situation-variation approach. It assumes that the aims and intentions of the bridal couple should be accounted, as well as their creeds and religious literacy, social position and status of the intending spouses, political situation in the region, canonical and social expediency, history and traditions of the nations and other circumstances," the "Gazeta.Ru" quotes the explanation of the SDM of Dagestan.

At the same time, Anas Pshikhachev, first deputy chair of the Centre of Moslems of Northern Caucasus, has indicated that Islam has a clear provision accepted by everyone: a Moslem woman cannot marry a non-Moslem, except for the cases when her groom tends to Islam and promises to accept it, as the "Interfax-religion" writes.