How do I approach marriage with a sister whose family are Rafidah? They see themselves as Muslims and oppose her marrying a Sunni. She is serious about marriage but isn't comfortable appointing an Islamic wali because he is a stranger. - I live in London and she lives in Germany. I'm also an ex Shia

May Allah make your path to marriage easy. The nikah (marriage contract) is not valid without a wali (guardian). The Prophet ﷺ said: لا نكاح إلا بولي There is no Nikah without a wali (reported by Abu Dawud and al-Tirmidhi; graded sahih by Imam Ahmad, Ibn Ma'in and other imams of hadith). Her wali is her father, then the closest male relative after him, and a family's wilayah (guardianship) is not simply set aside, because removing it from a specific person depends on rulings that only the people of knowledge and authority can establish about him.