1. Am I correct in understanding that Islam allows a man to marry women of different faiths but that a woman who marries a non-Muslim man becomes an immediate apostate (Murtadd)? Isn't that discriminatory?
First of all, let me say that I am astounded by the attitude of the questioner. One does not describe the laws of Allah as discriminatory. The statement that Islam allows Muslim men to marry women of different faiths needs qualification. Muslim men can only marry women of the People of the Book - that is Christians and Jews. The rights of Christian and Jewish women in a Muslim household are enshrined in Islamic law. They are able to practise their religion freely without any restriction and they can live in the knowledge that their prophets will be honoured. A Muslim man has no right to force such women to change their religion. A Muslim man believes that it is an article of faith to treat his Jewish or Christian wife this way.
At the same time, the Muslim man is the dominant member of the family unit and he is responsible for taking the final decision in matters. If a Muslim woman was to marry outside of her faith then her religious status is not guaranteed. Someone may object that we live in a free society in which men and women have equal rights but we say no thank you! We do not believe in human rights but in faith rights. It is natural that the man has the final word in the affairs of the family. He is the breadwinner, he is the one who provides for her children.
When non-Muslim men want to marry our women we say to them that rather it is they who are discriminating by not wanting to convert to Islam. We say to them: you are narrow-minded and you simply want to destroy our women.
(8 - Munakahat 1)
2. My children are due to go on a school visit to a farmyard where I expect they will get acquainted with all the farm animals. I am concerned that they will be introduced to pigs. I know that they are Haram to eat but is it permissible to touch them?
There is an Islamic view which says all live animals are clean, which means we are allowed to approach them and touch them. The children are being introduced to one of the creatures of Allah and so there is no harm in them being introduced so long as the pigs are dry. There is only one exception. Dead dogs and pigs are considered to be dirty and we are not allowed to have anything to do with them even though on this particular point, there are those scholars who consider that tanning their skins makes them pure and permissible for use.
(80 - Animals Etiquette 2)
