Nikah/Marriage officiants for Muslim women marrying non-Muslims – and other resources

This is one of the most common requests I receive from people – Muslim women asking me for names/contacts of people who will officiate their marriage to a non-Muslim because the imams at the mosques in their communities won’t do it (some Muslims unfortunately claim that Muslim women aren’t allowed to marry non-Muslims – but that Muslim men are!).

This list will be updated periodically as I get more folks to add to the list. If you officiate interfaith nikahs (involving Muslim women), please feel free to let me know and I’ll gladly add you to this list! Send me your name and contact info, location, anything else you want others to know.

P.S. Yes, I know that in Islam, a male imam is not required as an officiant – but many traditionalist Muslim families require that their daughter’s wedding be officiated by a male Muslim imam so that they know that God approves, and so some couples are forced to choose a male imam. But the list below includes several women, too. See below for suggested readings on nikah officiation for more details.

And sorry about the formatting!! I’ll have to fix them some other time – wordpress is being weird.

Resources for Muslim Women Marrying Non-Muslims

Muslim Officiants –for Muslim women marrying non-Muslims, but apply to Muslim men in interfaith relationships as well
Note: More resources listed below at the end of this document, including religious/Islamic support for Muslim women’s interfaith marriage).

• A collaborative doc from the FB group Muslim Christian Interfaith Families – you have to be a member of the group to see the document. Link to group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/MuslimChristianFamilies/
  Link to document:
  https://www.facebook.com/legacy/notes/618941858476635/ 

Organizations/Groups/Mosques

1. Muslims for Progressive Values: https://www.mpvusa.org/marriage-services

Various officiants, varying prices. Will travel at the expense of the couple seeking services. Officiants based in Atlanta, Los Angeles, and New York City.

For services on the West Coast email: info@mpvusa.org

For services on the East Coast email: jamal@mpvusa.org

For services in the Midwest email: chaplain@mpvusa.org

2. Atlanta Unity Mosque (AUM) (U.S.): Email: info@atlantaunitymosque.org. Kelly Wentworth of AUM says: “I officiate weddings from Atlanta through Atlanta Unity Mosque as does Imam Trina there. If you are local we do not charge. If we travel, we do ask for assistance. I’ve also made arrangements for virtual ceremonies where I mail my stuff bc I don’t need to physically be there (the couple and witnesses should be in the way I practice). Local = Atlanta/Chattanooga – anywhere we don’t have to spend the night.”

3.Through (Un)veiled Divine Technologies: https://www.tayloramarilittle.com/matrimonial-services/
Please note: exclusively for Black couples, couples of color, queer + trans non-white Muslims, and Turtle Island Natives

North America

1. Imam Qazi Qayyoom of Jackson Heights, NY (U.S.) – read a review from someone here: https://boards.weddingbee.com/topic/interfaith-imam-in-nyc/
2. Imam Zia in Virginia, U.S.: https://imakespace.com/?fbclid=IwAR1l0YIYLuwB85nGa11NLj5c-0L_jg52Rbp9NxcVlRK0eQjjyxRi9HIoN1I
3. Abdullah Antepli, Duke Divinity School (North Carolina, U.S.), but travels for nikahs: https://divinity.duke.edu/faculty/abdullah-antepli
   Note: very highly recommended by those who’ve used him as an officiant!
4. El-Farouk Khaki, legal officiant in Ontario (Canada)
   Officiates for couples of all religious backgrounds, genders, and orientations. Can officiate nikahs as customary union ceremonies or legally registered in the Ontario government. Zoom nikahs can be customary only and have no legal status in Ontario. No conversion, and no wali, required.
5. Seemi Ghazi, Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada): https://amne.ubc.ca/profile/seemi-ghazi/ Does nikahs on zoom.
6. Rabea Benhalim, located in Colorado, Denver (U.S.) but travels. Contact: r.benhalim@gmail.com
7. Ezra Katz, Ustadhah with the online masjid Daar ul-Gharib, in Miami, Florida (U.S.) but willing to do virtual. Contact at ezravkatz@gmail.com
8. Dr. Imam Achmat Salie of Michigan (U.S.) (travels for nikahs):  https://kevinssong.org/speaker/dr-imam-achmat-salie/
9. Samia Ann El Moslimany, Seattle, Washington State (U.S.): samiaelmo@gmail.com  
10. Elizabeth Asmaa Valencia: (contact info TBD)
11. Philip J. Touley – based in northern California (U.S.): shorturl.at/cuBHL Travels for nikahs and does on Zoom also.  
12. Daisy Khan, New York (U.S.) Contact on Twitter: https://twitter.com/daisykhan?lang=en
13. Faisal Nahri – Vancouver, Canada: https://www.heartnsoul.care/?fbclid=IwAR0AH4RnuDmbchITiSOuxnSZwKpWLPnw79G3qkOtdI1hAEMd-YAASpflsks Doesn’t officiate for a living but available when families require a Muslim male officiant.
14. Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, New York City (U.S.) – apparently charges $10,000 according to someone who asked him (https://boards.weddingbee.com/topic/interfaith-imam-in-nyc/).  
15. Imam Abdur Rashid Taylor of Toronto (Canada): https://muslimlink.ca/directory/toronto-gta/muslim-services/imams-chaplains/3477-imam-rashid-taylor?city=Toronto%20GTA Will travel.
16. Nicole Correri, currently in Boston, MA (U.S.) but will travel. ncorreri@bu.edu  
17. Hakim Archuletta (contact info/location not yet available except: https://hakimarchuletta.com/?fbclid=IwAR0auaUJAlTJ_kNRnHDbjeEQ7VvNcp0HM7B72-dBJmJc9sbcVM_4MHogb-0)
18. Sumayah Soler, founder of Islamic Society of Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico) For contact info, email whatthepatriarchy@gmail.com
19. Pamela Taylor, Cincinnati, Ohio (contact info not yet available)
20. Shehnaz Haqqani (me, Orbala, author of this blog), Georgia, USA (but can do anywhere in the U.S. currently – just let me know ahead of time about your location)
    Email: whatthepatriarchy@gmail.com

Europe

1. Inclusive Mosque in London (Muslim LGBTQ+ supporting as well) – https://inclusivemosque.org/
2. Dr. Sahil Warsi, London, UK: sahil.warsi@gmail.com
3. Dr. Usama Hasan (dr.usama.hasan@gmail.com) – based in the UK but travels for weddings. Details: https://www.imamconnect.com/listing/imam-dr-usama-hasan/
4. Mariam Mosque in Denmark: https://www.mariammoskeen.com/

Australia

1. Imam Nur of Australia (that’s all the info I’ve got!): Instagram link here

Other resources for Muslim women marrying non-Muslims

1. Religious justification for women’s interfaith marriage: Shehnaz Haqqani has a chapter on this topic in a book on Muslim marriages, edited by a scholar of Islam and gender (professor, academic, author of many, many books on Islam). You can read this chapter and other chapters from this book online for free at: https://open.bu.edu/ds2/stream/?#/documents/434556/page/2
   There are also chapters in this book on nikah contracts (like how to make them egalitarian) and a guide for officiating a nikah.
2. A video on Muslim women’s interfaith marriage in Islam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MoSkQ1Gvcg (~21 mins long)
3. Another freely available book (online) on American Muslim marriages and divorce in the 21^st century, also edited by Kecia Ali: https://www.bu.edu/religion/files/2021/06/Half-of-Faith-American-Muslim-Marriage-and-Divorce-in-the-Twenty-First-Century-June-2021.pdf  
4. A Facebook group exclusively for Muslim women in interfaith marriages/relationships: https://www.facebook.com/groups/617862433007519
5. A thread in a Facebook group on Muslim women’s experiences in interfaith marriages/relationships: https://www.facebook.com/groups/feministfitna/posts/2035636320094776/
6. A blog post of mine on Muslim women’s marriage to non-Muslims in Islam: https://orbala.wordpress.com/2017/08/01/the-quran-does-not-prohibit-womens-marriage-to-people-of-the-book-and-other-facts-about-interfaith-marriage-in-islam/

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