A religious ruling that bans Muslim men in Russia from marrying non-Muslim women sparked backlash from senior Muslim clerics across the country this week.
The ruling by the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Russia (DUM)’s advisory council of scholars says that interfaith marriages between Muslim men and non-Muslim women are allowed “in isolated cases” that only local muftis can approve.
“Most interfaith marriages result in a number of problems,” the council of scholars known as the ulema said in the ruling, pointing to possible disagreements over raising children and “absolutely different worldviews, cultures and education.”
A number of high-level Russian Muslim figures disagreed with the legally nonbinding ruling when it was made public this week.
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