Nadia was Pakistan's most glamorous model. Danyaal was an eminent doctor. They were young and attractive and belonged to two of the most prestigious families in the country. They fell in love. But there was a problem. He was a Muslim. She was a Christian. Nadia's father, Reverend Dr. Alexander John Malik, was the Moderator of the Church of Pakistan and the Bishop of Lahore. Danyaal was the scion of a prominent Muslim family.
Love in the Time of Warring Gods
It was inevitable that this match invited snags. It was made in a country where religion is a delicate point. According to CNN, Christians constitute less than three percent of the Pakistani population, where ninety-seven percent of the citizens recite verses from the Koran. The country is the only nation apart from Israel to have been founded on the basis of religion in the aftermath of World War II.
Nadia, a graduate in Social Sciences, had stepped into modeling only after confronting the reservations of her bishop father. She had met Danyaal during a theater production in Lahore. He was one of the actors and she helped backstage. Their meetings, friendly at first, blossomed into romance with time. Then life took an interesting turn – for them, their families, their religious communities, and ultimately their nation.
Predictably, such daring multi-religious affairs are never easy. The heart is stupid to not recoil from these kinds of heretical diversions. It surely didn't help that both the lovers were stubbornly loyal to their faiths. Obstructions were further compounded by the reality of living in a society that, like most, was conservative at best and intolerant at worst. And both the families concerned were devoted to their different faiths and had difficulty accepting the relationship of their black sheep.
God or Child – Double Dilemma for the Parents
The parents of the love birds had to carry their own burden of disappointment and distress. The boy's parents considered themselves true believers of Prophet Muhammad's words. They had a hard time overcoming their reluctance in accepting a daughter-in-law brought up with the Bible, Jesus and (Allah forbid) modeling. And the girl's father was one of Pakistan's most senior Christian leaders. His priestly profession was at stake in the event of his daughter settling down into a Muslim household.
Fortunately, both god-fearing families cared about their children, who had to wait for five full years to witness a happy conclusion to their romantic agonies. The model finally got to marry her doctor on August, 2006.
Article comments
1 - diana hartman
I am pleased to tell you this article is part of the Culture Editors' Picks of the Week.
Diana Hartman
Culture Editor
Melita Teale
Asst Culture Editor
2 - heena
im hena n love with some one his mother and father are not agee what i do?i can't live without him