What it’s like to be a young British interfaith couple
It was love at first sight for Adarsh Ramchurn. “I couldn’t control it,” he says of his flourishing affection for Nav Sangha.
But their relationship is “frowned upon” by some in their communities, they say, as Adarsh is Hindu and Nav is Sikh.
They’ve been an item for three years and say they receive hateful comments on social media when posting about their life together.
They are also abused because Adarsh, 24, has a darker skin tone than Nav, a form of prejudice known as colourism.
“We push through it,” says Nav, 22. “There are also people who are very supportive and that are in similar situations.”
Data compiled by YouGov in January suggests 45% of 18 to 24-year-olds in the UK believe there is a God, or believe there are Gods. The next highest figure, 36%, is for the over-65s.
BBC News spoke to Nav and Adarsh as well as a Christian from Married At First Sight (MAFS), a Muslim from The Only Way is Essex (Towie), and a former Jehovah’s Witness for the Sex After documentary series.
During a discussion between the participants, Nav was asked what the hardest bit about being a Sikh was. “Probably getting the backlash of being with a Hindu,” she said.
She and Ardash knew their interfaith relationship could be an issue for their parents, so spoke to them early.
“I know it’s different for every family, there can be difficult dynamics,” says Adarsh.
“But if you can have the open discussion [about] dating outside of your religion… I’d always say [you should].”
Five people of different faiths discussed the impact of religion for the Sex After series
Something Adarsh’s parents were quick to ask him about was marriage.
The couple say, if they were to wed, they would probably do a Sikh and a Hindu ceremony.
“If we have kids, I feel like it’s impor
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