ABSTRACT
When the pieces of information from chapters 4 and 5 are combined, it can be seen that Islamic and Christian systems shared common features with regard to their treatment of mixed unions. As part of patriarchal structures, medieval Christian and Islamic laws favored men’s fulfillment in cohabitation and marriage, and restricted women’s choices. Nevertheless, the rules regulating men’s access to women of different faiths were slightly different in the two traditions. Whereas a Muslim man was allowed to marry Jewish and Christian women, and up to the number of four, a Christian man was only permitted to wed one woman, and, moreover, she had to be a Christian. This reflected the view of marriage as a sacrament, as a holy sign of the relationship between Christ and the Church, and between the soul and God. In addition to marriage, majority men could, however, have legal sexual relations with minority women if they followed the restrictions put down by the laws.
