By Esther Bridget Nakalya
Isaac, a media personality met his wife Hajara on a local TV programme for the single and searching. In the beginning, the two say, they were uncomfortable with each other.
“My husband was a media personality and I, a conservative Muslim girl. I was clear on my demands in a lover but he still reached out yet he was not a Muslim,” Hajara recalls.
Isaac, on the other hand was smitten.
“Hajara is attractive, but I was concerned about why she would be searching for a lover in the media. I contacted her and we started dating but she was so worried about her parents’ reaction to our relationship,” Isaac recollects.
Hajara’s parents were unhappy with her choice of spouse.
“Despite the parental opposition, we settled for a civil marriage and continued preparations with a few friends and family. We also discussed where to pray from and which religion the children had to follow,” they share.
The Covenant of Muhammad is a treaty between Muslims and Christians in the Islamic law permits spouses married to Muslims, from different religious backgrounds to attend churches and prayers.
“My husband allows me to go to the mosque and whenever I am fasting, my family understands and creates space for me to isolate in prayer,” says Hajara, adding, “We decided to raise our children as Christians.”
Hajara and Isaac encourage couples in inter-faith marriages that love beats odds. We find out how such couples thrive, from how they reach a middle ground; in their prayer lives, and making decisions for their children.
Martin and Sandra Ssebugwawo
Martin says he met his wife at the Coffee Terrace during a live band performance at Grand Imperial Hotel.
“I was intrigued! I had to look Sandra up on Facebook from where I got her contact, and we started chatting and dating a few months later,” Martin reveals.
Martin was raised by staunch Catholic parents, he was sure to attend school and church which were under the leadership roles of his father. Everything spoke to their deep-rootedness in religion.
Sandra on the other hand, was raised in a staunch Pentecostal home.
“During courtship, we noticed our religious differences and were worried about it. My parents were concerned and thought I would convert but I convinced them that I would keep the same virtues they passed on to me,” Sandra recounts.
They expressed their fears to each other and discussed how to deal with the differences.
“I explained to Martin why I could not convert to his religion and we reached an agreement to respect each other’s religions. However, I still had to attend premarital counselling classes and baptism at Martin’s church,” she adds.
She confesses to have been uncomfortable with the Catholic lessons but love reigned. Click to read more…
