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<p>Iran isn’t an Arab nation, but people seemed alarmed about that culture. </p>
<p>I see a large difference between generations here. Personally I would say that is probably because of exposure to first generation immigrants as opposed to exposure to second or third generation immigrants. I know a lot of Middle Eastern kids who are practicing Muslims (Arab and Persian), but they were born in America and in some cases their parents were too, or came as small children. Some don’t practice traditional dress and neither do their parents. People may find it hard to believe there are “liberal” Muslims out there but I know plenty of kids of my school (obviously there is not such a concentration in many areas which may make it more foreign, we have an unusually high concentration) who basically are American kids who practice another religion. I’m not aware that anyone I know is specifically from Syria…but a lot of these people are kids from families that came to America for a reason. Yes sometimes their parents subscribe to the religious ideals a little more, but some people are making it sound like these people will have some switch where automatically they will be triggered to become an oppressive wife abuser. Come on now. I have no idea about the OP’s case, we would really need much information. But some of the comments on this thread have been rather generalized. You know I could marry any American and he could decide to convert to any religion or “return to traditional values” down the line, get addicted to heroin, sustain a head injury that causes a change in personality. And you know I will honestly say, yes I know some practicing Muslims who I would feel if I married them there is about as much a risk of them deciding to become super strict with their interpretation of the Shariah as marrying an American with Judeo-Christian roots and the above happening. </p>
<p>I honestly think that some people don’t have a lot of experience with all the spectrums of Islam. yes, we hear all these “Not Without My Daughter” stories. And they are compelling and obviously people should make good decisions, yes. But the truth is, you hear them because they are news and because they appeal to a confirmation bias that makes us want to hear them. I know of successful non-Muslim/raised Muslim marriages - do you hear about them on the news? No. Why not? Because they aren’t a good story. The truth is, I honestly have no idea what the “odds” are, but just like twenty million cars travel safely and you hear about the one accident on the news, so too are there probably many successful marriages of this kind that you don’t hear about. But do you not drive a car because you might get into an accident? For most of us, no, probably not. What do you do instead, you try to drive safely to minimize the risk of an accident, however the risk is always there and you will never completely eliminate it. Indeed, marrying any Muslim, you may take the risk that if they weren’t before, they may become randomly into a super strict and traditional interpretation of the religion. They may also convert to Judaism, what can I tell you? Many people may suddenly change after marriage but we do take calculated risks in life. Before marrying anyone people have to evaluate the different situations and try to predict. Muslim or not. I really don’t see Muslims as some strange breed of humans with a more delicate ability to “snap”, really there is chance with most anyone, some being more prone to it than others. Just watch Dr Phil lately, that insane husband stalker guy, he is not Muslim, and he is about as oppressive, controlling, abusive, and dangerous as they come.</p>