Although once frowned upon by the rest of society, interracial and interreligious marriages have become increasingly common amongst Americans. Even interracial dating among students at AHS reflect this.

Nora Belkhayat, whose family is interreligious, knows firsthand how different ideals, morals, customs and principles can affect the dynamics of a family. Her familial diversity began with the childhoods of her parents.

Her father was born in Morocco raised as a moderate Muslim. Her mother, however, was born and raised in Illinois as a Christian. Together they have raised four kids under both religions by using a moderate combination of the two.

“My dad came [to America] from Morocco and he started attending college and could barely speak English,” Belkhayat said.

Her dad was beginning to adjust to American life when he was introduced to a girl who was studying to learn Arabic. The same girl later became Belkhayat’s mother, and taught her father English while she learned Arabic from him.

After studying together, the pair decided to get married and together had four children. The couples’ unlikely union has created a unique childhood experience for all their children, especially when immersed with the culture of both extended families.

“When I go visit my mom’s side of the family for Christmas, I always have to make sure there isn’t any pork and sometimes there’s alcohol or my mom may drink wine,” Belkhayat said. Muslims are forbidden from eating pork and from drinking alcohol

“When I go to Morocco everyone’s covered up and they make sure I pray. It’s actually really cool to be able to experience both an average American culture and a traditional Moroccan culture!” Belkhayat said.

Today, more and more families have abandoned the one-race, one-religion family image and are contributing to the growing diversity of the United States.