Why Do So Many Muslims Develop Romantic Feelings for Their Milk-Relatives?
The issue prevalent in many Muslim communities today is a significant lack of awareness and proper handling of milk-kinship ( rada'a ), particularly concerning the recognition and treatment of milk-mahrams. Often, individuals are not introduced to their milk-relatives or informed about their milk-kinship until the sensitive and often emotionally charged context of marriage arises. This late discovery can create significant confusion, emotional distress, and complex legal questions. In many cases, individuals remain completely unaware that a particular person is their milk-mahram until their mothers, or other older family members, recall a shared breastfeeding instance from their infancy. This lack of early knowledge and integration of milk-kinship into family dynamics is a core problem. Because people are not accustomed to treating milk-siblings as true siblings from the outset, developing the appropriate familial bonds of platonic love, respect, and care, it sadly happens that ind...