& they are encouraged to get married ASAP.
this is something i noticed. Like a woman would become a muslim and already she would have men trying to marry her? I never understood this.
I use to know( not as in a friend though) a woman who converted to Islam and a week later she was married. This happened when i still attended the mosque. I dont know if she is still a muslim or if she is still married to the guy, though. It just seems rushed to me.
Is It Because in Islam, Marriage is seen as half the deen?
thanks.
There's a few reasons for it. That's one of them. The "half your deen" shit is shoved down female converts throats (along with "hijab") literally as soon as they convert. Like I have literally seen women finish the shahadah and people are all "My cousin is looking for a wife." Even before they know how to pray.
Other things...
One may be that she was already with the guy, and she either decided to convert or his family / he insisted that she convert before marriage.
One is that converts are seen as ... you get more thwawab for marrying them and teaching them the deen.
One is that there are Muslims who see marrying a westerner as a "step up." Sort of like a trophy wife. I knew people who bragged about it. So those type of guys are all over it when they hear there is a new convert in town.
One is that single convert women are seen as being especially dangerous. There is a belief that convert women are, by and large, "fallen women" who have been reformed, and there is a fear that they will seduce the men in the community until they are safely married off. In my past observations and experiences, there are Muslim communities where the women will virtually shun the single convert until she is married, thinking that she will create fitnah in the community and perhaps steal their men or worm their way into a "co-wife" position.
One is that marriage is the best way of tying a person down, especially a woman in a religion & community where she's encouraged not to work and have her own money. Sure is hard to leave Islam and / or your marriage when you don't have money, job experience, small children, etc. If the woman is married to a Muslim guy, she's going to have that emotional and sexual and financial bond with him and it's going to be harder for her to change her mind about being Muslim. I can tell you from my personal experiences, that this is partly what happened to me and quite a few of my friends -- including male friends
Oh and one is that converts are citizens of the country, most of the time. I don't know how this works in European countries, but here, marrying a convert is a nice way to make sure your brother or friend or cousin gets a green card.