It is a joy to bring two different souls together to live in harmony and peace while we wait for the groom and the bride, I take the time, usually 15 minutes, to do a short pluralism workshop.

It begins with the question, what is my loss if someone prays prostrating, kneeling, standing, or hanging upside down from the tree? Then what is the essence of such worship? What is the meaning? What is my loss if a woman wears the Hijab, a Sikh wears the Turban, or the Arabs wear long dresses? Regardless of what you wear, the goal is to cover your body per your culture. Irrespective of how you worship, the goal is to acknowledge a higher eternal power than all of us, which makes us on par with everyone.

I officiated my 223rd wedding on Friday; most are interfaith marriages, and I have traveled to almost all the states in the United States to officiate weddings between people from different faiths. I Officiated this wedding as Muslim Wedding Officiant

If we can learn to respect the otherness of others and accept the God-given uniqueness of each of us, then conflicts fade, and solutions emerge.

Mike Ghouse
Wedding Officiant
www.InterfaithMarriages.org
www.MuslimWeddingOfficiant.org