Does the verse in Surat Al-Ma’idah, which forbids taking Jews and Christians as awliya’, mean not to take them as friends or protectors, or does it only mean helpers? And if it does not mean friends, then how do we reconcile that with loving a non-Muslim wife and dealing with her according to Islamic Sharia?

There are Shar'i (Islamic legal) controls for dealing with Jews, Christians, and all other disbelievers: It is permissible to speak with them about permissible matters, but it is not permissible to take them as allies by loving them or preferring them over believers. It is permissible to deal with them in buying, selling, and lending. As for the treatment of a Kitabiyyah (a woman from the People of the Book) as a wife, justice and kindness towards her are permissible, and this does not fall under al-Muwalah (taking them as allies). It is permissible to marry a Kitabiyyah in the hope of her embracing Islam, but it is not permissible to marry a polytheist woman.