al-firaushah

Study: Unwed Mothers ‘Tend to Not Marry Well’

October 5, 2005 on 12:46 pm | In Benefits of an Islamic Lifestyle, Zina | No Comments

In Islam, zina, or sexual intercourse between a man and woman who are not married to each other, is strictly forbidden. Of course, in Western society today, the sin of zina is rampant; however, the following news item may be of interest. Published by livescience.com, a recently published study shows some of the negative consequences for women who conceive children after having committed zina:

Women who have children out of wedlock are about 30 percent less likely to get married than childless single women, according to a new study.

When unwed mothers do marry, they are more likely to land husbands who are significantly older and less educated than those of women who don’t have children.

“It’s more difficult for unwed mothers to get married, and if they do, they tend to not marry well,” said Zhenchao Qian, associate professor of sociology at Ohio State University.

More than a third of female-headed families with children live in poverty compared to only 6 percent of married couples with children, Qian said. Marriage may not help unwed mothers economically, however, because their partners tend to lack education and are less likely to have opportunities for good-paying jobs.

The study drew from data collected in the Current Population Survey between 1980 and 1995. The sample included 102,722 women aged 18 to 34.

Their results are detailed in the current issue of the journal Social Forces.

(Emphasis mine.)

One more reason to follow Islam!

Islam and same-sex marriages

September 7, 2005 on 11:02 pm | In Homosexuality, Adultery, Zina | No Comments

Someone has come to my blog looking for a response to the topic, “Islam and same-sex marriages.” Not knowing what this person was looking for exactly, I assume he or she was wondering whether a same-sex marriage is allowable (halal) in Islam. The answer, of course, is “no.” Homosexuality by itself is haram (forbidden) in Islam, so we would not condone a same-sex marriage either. This does not mean that two people of the same sex could not live together (e.g., such as roommates), but homosexual activity (whether male or female) would not be permitted between them (this being a major sin), and their marriage by civil authorities would not be recognized by the Muslim community.

Should the gay community feel that Muslims are treating gays harshly by not allowing homosexuality, they should also remember that for Muslim heterosexual couples, pre-marital sex is also not allowed within Islam (this being known as zina or adultery, with its own severe punishments), nor are couples allowed to live together prior to marriage.