What is the ruling on a Muslim studying in the West marrying a woman from the People of the Book?

Eid Abbasi : What is the ruling on a Muslim studying in the West marrying a woman from the People of the Book?

The Shaykh : There is no doubt that the ruling in this matter is known by the text of the Qur'an: This makes it permissible, and this is the opinion of the majority of Muslim scholars in the past, and they have unanimously agreed on it recently. However, a ruling that is permissible by the Shari'ah may be surrounded by factors that make it prohibited in some cases. I see that this type of marriage falls into this category. The reason for this goes back to the nature of the Muslims who marry women from the People of the Book on one hand, and also to the nature of the women from the People of the Book on the other hand. I mean that these Muslims who go to those lands, the lands of disbelief and misguidance, are mostly—mostly, and we do not single out a specific person or persons—mostly not protected by Islamic morals, nor even by Islamic creed. If a person is stripped of anything, we might look the other way, except for creed; because it is through creed that one is saved from eternal abode in the Fire. As for what is below that, it is perfection for the human being. Many of these young men who go to those countries have not been educated in the correct Islamic culture, and perhaps it is permissible for us to say: not even in Islamic culture, whether correct or not; because they do not study Islam at all; whether what we call traditional Islam or the Islam based on the Book and the Sunnah. They study a type of secular scientific studies today, and then they go to those countries to complete their studies. So they are mostly not armed with this weapon of correct Islamic culture, and it is rare for any of them to be characterized by correct Islamic morals; that is, to live in a family environment that still retains all Islamic customs. This is very rare in our countries.
Therefore, when these young men go to those countries and want to take a wife from those countries, for example a Christian woman, as for a Jewish woman, it is currently overlooked; because people are influenced by reality a lot, and a lot. Although, in reality, from the Islamic perspective, there is no difference between Christianity and Judaism. If today the general Muslim mind has rejected and turned away from the thought of marrying a Jewish woman, because the Jews have occupied a precious part of our Islamic lands, this distinction was not based on knowledge but on the prevailing reality. What is the difference between Judaism and Christianity from the Islamic perspective? There is absolutely no difference. What is the difference between Jews and Christians in that they are all enemies of the Muslims, as the Lord of the Worlds said: ?
It is also known that a decision was made to exonerate the Jews from the sin of killing and crucifying Isa (peace be upon him), as they claim. So all of these are enemies of Islam, with absolutely no difference between a Jewish woman and a Christian woman. But—regrettably—people still look at Christians with a different view than they look at Jews. So these who go to those countries want to marry a Christian woman. First: this Christianity is not the description that Allah gave it when He said: Where are the chaste women today in the lands of disbelief? Corruption, lewdness, and zina have spread there, and so on.
I do not forget that when I was still a young man, perhaps forty years ago, a Turkish officer who had fought in "Romania" during the time of the Turks would frequent my shop. He said: We entered some of those countries and stayed there for months. He learned from some of the Christians there that it is the custom of the midwives in those countries that when the fetus first falls from the mother's womb, if the midwife sees that it is a girl, she breaks her virginity at that moment. Why? Because the society is entirely based on lewdness. So when the girl reaches the age of marriage and the young man marries her, he has been taught beforehand that she is, in the Syrian expression, "used" from the moment she fell from her mother's womb. They find that acceptable and there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. So a nation has reached this low point; where would this Muslim find this chaste Christian girl? He will not find her. And even if she is found—and this is very rare, and the rare has no ruling—does he have that strong Muslim personality that helps him to bring her to him, and for her to raise his children according to his religion and according to the principles of Islamic upbringing? Or will he leave the matter to her, and she will raise her children with European upbringing?
We are raising our children in the lands of Islam with a non-Islamic upbringing without any reason; so how if a non-Muslim woman is in charge of this upbringing?!
For these reasons and other reasons, we do not see that the Muslim should enjoy this ruling that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) has made permissible in the text of His Book; because the least that can be said is that He conditioned that she be chaste—that is, modest and protected—and this is rare, and the rare has no ruling.

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : Perhaps this extent is sufficient, and praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.