Islamic marriage: a haven in an uncertain world

The article derives from a recent three-year research project on young Bangladeshis, Islam, love and marriage, in Bangladesh and in the UK. We found that many young Bangladeshis in Bangladesh and in the diaspora are concerned about the instability and insecurity of marriage today, and that they see marriage to a partner who shares their Islamic commitment as more likely to endure. In a society where neither their parents' values, nor those of the wider culture around them, seem to offer stability and security, contemporary Islamic movements can provide both an ideology that offers a more convincing answer, and a community of people with shared values among whom both friendship and an enduring marital relationship can hopefully be found. The interviews also provided evidence of the ongoing transformation of Bangladeshi marriage away from the hierarchical model of the extended family towards a more companionate and nuclear family-centred model, a transformation that was often articulated in Islamic terms.