Could 2nd (muslim) marriage ceremony and signing 2nd marriage document affect our case?

[Adnan&Liane 8]

Hi VJ'ers...I'm in need of some expert advice...

We are currently in AP for our CR-1 (have been since Oct 2011)...I am about to travel to meet my husband in Morocco - he is a UK citizen and lives in UK but grew up in Morocco and his family is there...we decided to meet in Morocco so I can meet his family...but now he also wants to do a Muslim wedding ceremony there - (first time we got married in NYC at city hall)...he said it would be a small ceremony - we would have an Imam come to the house...say a few things...and sign a paper...so here's the question...

Would having a muslim wedding ceremony and signing this document have any bearing on our visa situation?

I am not sure what exactly this document is or if it is a legally binding document of marriage. Can anyone out there provide me w/more info about it...he said it is not through the morocccan government but only through the mosque...he said if hypothetically we got divorced one day here in the USA we would still be married through the mosque until we sent them documentation of a divorce (not that we are - I love this man and he's mine for life!) I am only worried about signing another legal marriage document....I just want to make sure that we don't get accused of not submitting all marriage documents to the embassy or something like that before our AP clears...

What do you think? Is it a good idea to start signing other marriage documents while our AP is still pending? Or should we wait until another time after we get our visa just to be safe...

I have no problem w/it personally - I want to do it for him if it is what he wants - I just want to make sure it will not cause problems for us...and since I know nothing about this I could really use some advice...

Please share your thoughts...any and all advice is welcome! Thanks in advance!

Liane

[catknit 144]

As you are currently legally married in the eyes of the US govt as well as in the queue for a CR1 visa, there should be no ramifications from an additional marriage ceremony.

AP is miserable and this may be a nice little distraction for awhile! From what I can gather from your other posts, it appears that you may have slipped into a name check quagmire.

From a personal standpoint, here is a very fair and balanced marriage contract I stumbled upon that is a bit more western-lifestyle friendly [heck, it even has listed a check for STDs]. It's a good starting point to discuss the Islamic side of your marriage. It is in your best interest to be as well informed about anyone's [his, his family's, his community's - even if he was born/raised in the UK] expectations.

http://www.hijabman.com/files/islamic-marriage-contract/IslamicMarriageContractHijabManDotCom.pdf

[Adnan&Liane 8]

As you are currently legally married in the eyes of the US govt as well as in the queue for a CR1 visa, there should be no ramifications from an additional marriage ceremony.

AP is miserable and this may be a nice little distraction for awhile! From what I can gather from your other posts, it appears that you may have slipped into a name check quagmire.

From a personal standpoint, here is a very fair and balanced marriage contract I stumbled upon that is a bit more western-lifestyle friendly [heck, it even has listed a check for STDs]. It's a good starting point to discuss the Islamic side of your marriage. It is in your best interest to be as well informed about anyone's [his, his family's, his community's - even if he was born/raised in the UK] expectations.

http://www.hijabman.com/files/islamic-marriage-contract/IslamicMarriageContractHijabManDotCom.pdf

Thanks for the link...that is a really great marriage contract I did mention this when I called DOS today and they recommended that I contact the embassy to double check as well...I would think that if it was not through the government and simply for religious purposes we should be okay...but I just want to be sure...the idea of signing a form is throwing me off and I just don't want to take any chances w/this visa stuff...there is too much at stake...

Also, I was under the impression that to have a muslim ceremony, both husband and wife must be muslim...but my husband said this is not necessary....I am not muslim and I have no intention of converting...both him and his family are totally fine w/that...I am interested in learning about islam and have no problem w/having this ceremony for him

[catknit 144]

I don't think there would be any harm in contacting the embassy. Thankfully, you're not pursuing a K1 and trying to "sneak" in a religious ceremony. That would be a huge NO-NO. As you're already married, this 2nd ceremony shouldn't hold any legal weight.

From the religious side, depending on a whole host of ummm, things, your religious marriage should be fine. Just as a warning though, the following things may rear their ugly heads:

#1 - Are you "of the book" - meaning, do you consider yourself Christian or Jewish or through family-line/history are you either? There are Muslim rules that dictate that if you are "of the book" you can marry a Muslim guy.

#2 - Are you "chaste and of the book" - meaning the same as above and also have no sexual history. Some imams/sheikhs/mullahs go there with the questioning.

Some imams/sheikhs/mullahs don't care or ask. They come over, they do their thing, contracts get signed and then there's really good food.

The ceremony may not be much of a ceremony also - go to MENA and ask around. In essence, it could and may be as simple as saying yes three times and signing your name. You may not even be in the same room depending on tradition in his area. Ask around, the ladies on the MENA board know an awful lot about the ins-and-outs in Morocco.

You may ask him for a run down on etiquette around his family also. Depending on area and family rules, you may need to reign in some american behaviors. For example, I now never extend my hand or try to hug any man in my hubby's family without the man making the first move - not knowing how orthodox they are about touching women, I don't want to cause them grief. I wouldn't have thought about it otherwise, I always hug extended family on my side - but, it was something to learn.

[Adnan&Liane 8]

I don't think there would be any harm in contacting the embassy. Thankfully, you're not pursuing a K1 and trying to "sneak" in a religious ceremony. That would be a huge NO-NO. As you're already married, this 2nd ceremony shouldn't hold any legal weight.

From the religious side, depending on a whole host of ummm, things, your religious marriage should be fine. Just as a warning though, the following things may rear their ugly heads:

#1 - Are you "of the book" - meaning, do you consider yourself Christian or Jewish or through family-line/history are you either? There are Muslim rules that dictate that if you are "of the book" you can marry a Muslim guy.

#2 - Are you "chaste and of the book" - meaning the same as above and also have no sexual history. Some imams/sheikhs/mullahs go there with the questioning.

Some imams/sheikhs/mullahs don't care or ask. They come over, they do their thing, contracts get signed and then there's really good food.

The ceremony may not be much of a ceremony also - go to MENA and ask around. In essence, it could and may be as simple as saying yes three times and signing your name. You may not even be in the same room depending on tradition in his area. Ask around, the ladies on the MENA board know an awful lot about the ins-and-outs in Morocco.

You may ask him for a run down on etiquette around his family also. Depending on area and family rules, you may need to reign in some american behaviors. For example, I now never extend my hand or try to hug any man in my hubby's family without the man making the first move - not knowing how orthodox they are about touching women, I don't want to cause them grief. I wouldn't have thought about it otherwise, I always hug extended family on my side - but, it was something to learn.

Thank you so much for the tips! Very helpful

Regarding #1: I was raised christian (bethany lutheran)...but I have always been very open to all religions...my beliefs are not very structured...but more about the big picture...not sure how that weighs in regarding being "of the book"...

From what my husband has told me this will be very similar to our wedding at NY city hall...just say something/sign something/and that's it...so I don't expect a full-blown 'ceremony'...I wouldn't think that he would choose a very strict Imam...both him and his family are not very strict at all in terms of religion and are all very open-minded...I've already been briefed on not kissing him in public, but I think that is mostly because he would be embarassed in front of his family...and I'm not into PDA anyhow...so no biggie...I'll ask him about hugging/contact w/his uncles but I'm pretty sure it's not an issue for them...thanks again!