Wedding Photos for Muslim couples !

[Hana Diabas]

Hello / good morning / good afternoon !

In fact , i've been hesitating a lot weather to share my concern in this forum or no ! but it turned out that i have no options !

it's a very personal matter ! i hope that u guys are understanding !

so i'm in the process of sponsoring my husband , we are Muslims Palestinians !

as everyone know , we should provide pictures for our wedding and i'm very conservative women ! and i do wear a head scarf , so sharing these pictures is against my religion and my believes !

i thought about making some adjustments to these pics like coloring my hair or hiding it in a certain way !

would that be a problem that may affect the validity of our application ?

any ideas or suggestions !


kind regards!

 

[TANMEX]

Hello / good morning / good afternoon !

In fact , i've been hesitating a lot weather to share my concern in this forum or no ! but it turned out that i have no options !

it's a very personal matter ! i hope that u guys are understanding !

so i'm in the process of sponsoring my husband , we are Muslims Palestinians !

as everyone know , we should provide pictures for our wedding and i'm very conservative women ! and i do wear a head scarf , so sharing these pictures is against my religion and my believes !

i thought about making some adjustments to these pics like coloring my hair or hiding it in a certain way !

would that be a problem that may affect the validity of our application ?

any ideas or suggestions !

kind regards!

You need to ask your local imam about sharing the pictures with government officials if it's not allowed , however and I'm not a Mofti and I think you should be fine sending select pictures with the Hijab on .

don't alter them in any way .

Salam and Hath Sa33ed .

 

[canuck_in_uk]

so i'm in the process of sponsoring my husband , we are Muslims Palestinians !

as everyone know , we should provide pictures for our wedding and i'm very conservative women ! and i do wear a head scarf , so sharing these pictures is against my religion and my believes !

i thought about making some adjustments to these pics like coloring my hair or hiding it in a certain way !

would that be a problem that may affect the validity of our application ?

Hi

Do not alter your pictures. That's a very good way raise IRCC's suspicions about the genuineness of ALL of your proofs and therefore your relationship, and likely end up with a refusal.

Canada is a very accepting and diverse country but still holds everyone to the same standard. IRCC requires wedding pics to help verify that the relationship isn't a Marriage of Convenience. There are many thousands of Muslims who sponsored or have been sponsored, including many on this forum, and they all shared their wedding photos with IRCC, so you can't really claim an exemption based on your religion.

 

[AmyR]

I can understand ur concern but pleasr dont alter or tamper with the photos. At the same time, i have noticed many muslim couples who refuse to send CIC wedding photos getting stuck in the process and being called for interviews.
Im not a islamic cleric but i think u need to see whether the situation u r in can provide u some allowance to send cic ur photos. Because without it even couples with two children get stuck in the process for YEARS.

All the best.

You need to ask your local imam about sharing the pictures with a government officials it it's not allowed , however and I'm not a Mofti I think you should fine sending select pictures with the Hijab on .

don't alternate them in any way .

Salam and Hath Sa33ed .

 

[wildemam]

The thread title should be "Wedding photo for our particular case"
CIC well knows the traditions of muslim marriages. The pride often has head scarf on as part of the ceremony. I do not know what is the problem with your case. I can guess you did not wear a head scarf. In this case, you should just consult any Imam, and I can assure you they will tell you that Government officials are regarded (q'adi) and are allowed to see evidence.

Anyway, you will have to submit photos to prove the relationship. Imagine it as the same situation as having to show your face to a qadi in a court to prove your identity.

When I first read the title, I imagined the conservative case. The case where photography is haram . good thing it is not case.

 

[Hana Diabas]

Ok , thank u guys for replying back !


the question arises in my head now is ..

can i write a letter and send it with my application explaining my concern ! and kindly asking for a female officer to process the sponsorship application ?


<

 

[TANMEX]

Ok , thank u guys for replying back !


the question arises in my head now is ..

can i write a letter and send it with my application explaining my concern ! and kindly asking for a female officer to process the sponsorship application ?

<

I think you should remove this message .

 

[AmyR]

So there was a Canadian muslim lady who had a 2 year old son with her husband whom she was sponsoring. She was a strict hijabi (i.e had ZERO photographs of her wedding and the 2 years she had spent living with her husband in another country). She was also 6 months pregnant.. she sent visa officers all that she cud apart from wedding photos and a letter explaining to them that she observes strict shariah rule whereby she cannot show her head and face to anyone in photos or in person due to her beliefs. Guess what? Her case was stuck for over 2 years! Needless to mention that it cause alot of problems and anxiety for her married life and children.

Like everybody said above, i really doubt CIC will buy in to ur explanation that u cannot show them ur photographs due to ur islamic beliefs when 99% of other muslims tend to send theirs willingly. It is indeed a very tough decision for u and also a test.

Ok , thank u guys for replying back !


the question arises in my head now is ..

can i write a letter and send it with my application explaining my concern ! and kindly asking for a female officer to process the sponsorship application ?


<

 

[jomz]

Ok , thank u guys for replying back !


the question arises in my head now is ..

can i write a letter and send it with my application explaining my concern ! and kindly asking for a female officer to process the sponsorship application ?


<

Just wait when you're pregnant and giving birth. Just because you may have a woman doctor doesn't mean she will be the one delivering your baby. So in the end you will be showing a lot more than you may have wanted to a male doctor. I am Muslim and can sympathize with you but modesty in certain situations is just not possible.

 

[I_Miss_Him]

Hello / good morning / good afternoon !

In fact , i've been hesitating a lot weather to share my concern in this forum or no ! but it turned out that i have no options !

it's a very personal matter ! i hope that u guys are understanding !

so i'm in the process of sponsoring my husband , we are Muslims Palestinians !

as everyone know , we should provide pictures for our wedding and i'm very conservative women ! and i do wear a head scarf , so sharing these pictures is against my religion and my believes !

i thought about making some adjustments to these pics like coloring my hair or hiding it in a certain way !

would that be a problem that may affect the validity of our application ?

any ideas or suggestions !


kind regards!

Salam Hana,

Please do not make any adjustment to your photos. Any adjustment will make them think that your marriage is fake.

Do you hide your hair only (Hijab) or do you also hide your face (Niqab)?

There is absolutely no problem at all to send your photos with Hijab. You don't have to show your hair. Most of my friends did that.

If in your wedding, you did not wear Hijab, go to a photographer and take photos with your husband. Make sure you are wearing a hijab and wedding dress and take as many photos with your husband, your family, his family, his friends, your friends. Focus on group photos to prove that so many people know about your marriage.
Also submit as many pictures as possible, of you with your husband, going to places such as restaurants, family visits, amusement parks, etc.. to prove that you have a long relationship and you go out together.

You may also want to write a letter and send it along with your application and explain that there was an actual wedding party but you can't submit the photos because you did not put hijab on and by Islamic law, you can't share them with others.
Also say that in case an interview is required, you are willing to show your wedding party photos to a female officer at the interview to clear an doubt.

In case they think those photos are not enough, they will ask your husband to go for an interview and at the interview just tell him to be honest and answer all questions correctly. Ask him to take your wedding party photos with him and offer to show them to a female officer if needed and you will be fine.

Last but not least, if you already came back to Canada and you can't go back to take photos with your husband, you will have to consult an Imam. I am sure he will tell you that it's okay to share photos in this case. Islam acknowledges exceptions and in your case, you want to reunite with your husband which is also part of serving our religion. Islam and your religious beliefs will not and should not stand in your way. It's not the end of the world if the officers saw your hair. It's not like they are going to focus on it and dream about it. They will quickly glance at the photos to make sure they are genuine and put them back in the folder and forget about you.

 

[I_Miss_Him]

Ok , thank u guys for replying back !


the question arises in my head now is ..

can i write a letter and send it with my application explaining my concern ! and kindly asking for a female officer to process the sponsorship application ?


<

Please read my reply above. It is important that you go to a photographer studio and take photos in wedding dress with hijab and your husband and make sure you take group photos with his family and friends as well as yours. In addition to those photos, you can write the letter and explain that you have wedding party photos but you can't share them and explain your situation. However, you can't ask for a female officer to process the sponsorship application because the application is not processed by one person. I also sponsored my husband and I am still waiting for him to get the visa. The application is processed by at least 6 people! and there is no way to guarantee that all 6 will be females.

 

[wildemam]

the question arises in my head now is ..

can i write a letter and send it with my application explaining my concern ! and kindly asking for a female officer to process the sponsorship application ?
<

Hello Hana.

Just a little warning I have to make upon your question: This letter might be the sole reason for refusing your whole application. Recent attitude among authoritative personnel in Canada is against your view.
1- It will be seen as an accusation for their male officers of non-professionalism. You MUST treat them as law enforcers and nothing other than that.

2- Your photos will be seen by tens of personnel in the system while being processed.

3- and most importantly. There is a campaign being laid our right now for what is called "Preserving Canadian Values". You might be affected by that as a person who see checking your wedding photos as a harassment to your rights. You will rightly be thought that your will not be at all involved with the Canadian society. An officer will take a negative attitude with your application at every step possible. You should expect a direct refusal for the sole reason that you did not submit any evidence of wedding.

 

[trikiliki]

Salam Hana,

Please do not make any adjustment to your photos. Any adjustment will make them think that your marriage is fake.

Do you hide your hair only (Hijab) or do you also hide your face (Niqab)?

There is absolutely no problem at all to send your photos with Hijab. You don't have to show your hair. Most of my friends did that.

If in your wedding, you did not wear Hijab, go to a photographer and take photos with your husband. Make sure you are wearing a hijab and wedding dress and take as many photos with your husband, your family, his family, his friends, your friends. Focus on group photos to prove that so many people know about your marriage.
Also submit as many pictures as possible, of you with your husband, going to places such as restaurants, family visits, amusement parks, etc.. to prove that you have a long relationship and you go out together.

You may also want to write a letter and send it along with your application and explain that there was an actual wedding party but you can't submit the photos because you did not put hijab on and by Islamic law, you can't share them with others.
Also say that in case an interview is required, you are willing to show your wedding party photos to a female officer at the interview to clear an doubt.

In case they think those photos are not enough, they will ask your husband to go for an interview and at the interview just tell him to be honest and answer all questions correctly. Ask him to take your wedding party photos with him and offer to show them to a female officer if needed and you will be fine.

Last but not least, if you already came back to Canada and you can't go back to take photos with your husband, you will have to consult an Imam. I am sure he will tell you that it's okay to share photos in this case. Islam acknowledges exceptions and in your case, you want to reunite with your husband which is also part of serving our religion. Islam and your religious beliefs will not and should not stand in your way. It's not the end of the world if the officers saw your hair. It's not like they are going to focus on it and dream about it. They will quickly glance at the photos to make sure they are genuine and put them back in the folder and forget about you.

Solid advice

 

[I_Miss_Him]

Hello Hana.

Just a little warning I have to make upon your question: This letter might be the sole reason for refusing your whole application. Recent attitude among authoritative personnel in Canada is against your view.
1- It will be seen as an accusation for their male officers of non-professionalism. You MUST treat them as law enforcers and nothing other than that.

2- Your photos will be seen by tens of personnel in the system while being processed.

3- and most importantly. There is a campaign being laid our right now for what is called "Preserving Canadian Values". You might be affected by that as a person who see checking your wedding photos as a harassment to your rights. You will rightly be thought that your will not be at all involved with the Canadian society. An officer will take a negative attitude with your application at every step possible. You should expect a direct refusal for the sole reason that you did not submit any evidence of wedding.

I agree with your first 2 points but not necessarily the third one. "Preserving Canadian Values" does not necessarily mean you should completely dump your religious beliefs. She is coming from a religious point of view not a traditional point of view. She is just asking to see what the best way is without violating her religious beliefs. However, in case she has no other choice but submitting her photos without a hijab, I don't think she will refrain from doing so and mess up her marriage life. Moreover, she is already Canadian, sponsoring her non-Canadian husband. I don't think they will refuse her husband's application, because she is finding it hard to be involved in the Canadian society. Canada treats people as independent individuals and will not punish a person if another related person made a mistake. I know a couple who did not submit wedding photos and their application was processed. However, they were asked to attend an interview and their application took longer than normal but in the end, it was approved and they re-united.

 

[wildemam]

I agree with your first 2 points but not necessarily the third one. "Preserving Canadian Values" does not necessarily mean you should completely dump your religious beliefs. She is coming from a religious point of view not a traditional point of view. She is just asking to see what the best way is without violating her religious beliefs. However, in case she has no other choice but submitting her photos without a hijab, I don't think she will refrain from doing so and mess up her marriage life. Moreover, she is already Canadian, sponsoring her non-Canadian husband. I don't think they will refuse her husband's application, because she is finding it hard to be involved in the Canadian society. Canada treats people as independent individuals and will not punish a person if another related person made a mistake. I know a couple who did not submit wedding photos and their application was processed. However, they were asked to attend an interview and their application took longer than normal but in the end, it was approved and they re-united.

Thanks for the reply, I_Miss_Him. Thanks for endorsing my points.
First thanks for pointing out she is the sponsor. Although this does not significantly make things different.
I need to indicate that the third point does not say anybody should do violate her views. I am a muslim myself, and I am familiar with her issues. The thing is; it is rare to find her situation while thousands of muslim couples submit wedding photos, conservatives of them have photos with hijab on (like my personal wedding and engagement photos which I submitted).
Being a rare case, and using the religious belief card will be really hard, I see it as hard as the case of the druz couple coming from a rare religion in Iraq who the government does not allow to marry (see here: http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/help-marriage-certificate-t469208.0.html) . Islam, my religion, is known as a religion of easing burdens for the sake of accomplishing what is the best for the person. What is at stake for her is tremendous, and a person in such circumstances can rightly choose to do what makes things easier for him/her.

My fear is that she comes under the fire of a hot political debate that is increasingly overshadowing this country see this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_tApV8fTrc). Take a safe route for the sake of your family.