"Arranged Marriages get a Little Reshuffling" by Lizette Alvarez

As a new modernized world approaches, the belief of arranged marriages which are a tradition in the British Muslim faith, are progressively getting to be a more lenient practice. According to Lizette Alvarez's article "Arranged marriages get a Little Reshuffling," Lizette talks about how the number of Muslims practicing this tradition in the old-fashion manner are decreasing. More Muslims in Britain are instead leaning towards a more informal approach. Normally how arranged marriages work are that the young woman is introduced to the family of the her future husband and the two families sit and talk. As Ms. Sapra a British Sindu says, "You sit there looking cute and like the ideal housewife. The matriarchs do the talking." After ten formal arranged meetings, Sapra no longer takes this route, instead she has resulted in the new norm speed dating. For many young Indians and Pakistanis speed dating is slowly becoming more popular and the formal arranged methods are becoming more informal. Instead of meeting with the family first, the younger generations are meeting the prospective mate without the involvement of the families. As the author says, "what is happening is that the arranged marriage is becoming a bit more open and children are getting a bit more say in this so it becomes a nice compromise." However for some elderly parents, they begin to worry that their son or daughter will go unmarried with this new creation. Though some traditions of Muslim practice remain the same, the idea of arranged marriages continue to shift towards the modernized culture, in order to c0unteract the change in the world.

Though I am not a Muslim, I believe that in order for a marriage to work their has to be some sort of connection. Why should two people have to suffer through life as a married couple if they do not love each other? Love is the sole reason as to why a relationship works. Without love, there is no relationship. I think that this "reshuffling" is for the better. It will allow British Muslim men and women to be able to share that larger connection with their spouse. Though the parents may be just looking out for their son or daughter, it is the son or daughter who has to live with the other person. Arranged marriages may ensure that all Muslims become married, but I think that I would rather not be married then to be married unhappily. Marriage is forever. We should at least all have the ability to choose our spouse!