Getting around the inter-religious marriage law<\/p>\n
Dewi Santoso, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
"Imagine ... no religion ...", as John Lennon once put it, then
\nAgus would have had no barriers against marrying his beloved
\ngirlfriend.<\/p>\n
It was back in 1986 when Agus, a native of Magelang, Central
\nJava, had to convert to Islam as it was the only way he could
\nmarry his lover and obtain legal status for their marriage.<\/p>\n
Agus met his wife in his native village in 1983. He was a
\nChristian. A year later, they decided to try their luck in
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
Once in Jakarta, Agus took a job as a cab driver and his
\ngirlfriend began teaching at a public school. It was not until
\ntwo years later that they finally decided to marry.<\/p>\n
But they were confused as they knew that inter-religious
\nmarriage was forbidden by the state.<\/p>\n
The Law No. 1\/1974 on marriage, stipulates that the state will
\nonly recognize marriages between people of the same religion.
\nThis means a couple from different religious backgrounds must
\nchoose which religious ritual they will follow in order to get
\ntheir marriage acknowledged by the state.<\/p>\n
A number of celebrities and expatriates have had their inter-
\nreligious marriage recognized by getting married in Singapore or
\nAustralia, countries where the practice is legitimate.<\/p>\n
Agus is not one of the well-off people, able to afford such a
\ntrip.<\/p>\n
"I didn't know anything about the law. All I knew was that I
\ncouldn't get married legally if my wife and I didn't have the
\nsame religion," Agus told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
He decided to convert to Islam in order to avoid all the
\nhassles and get married.<\/p>\n
"I told my wife I would convert to Islam for practical
\nreasons. I am a Muslim on paper, but I'm a Christian at heart
\nbecause I still go to church every Sunday and follow all the
\nChristian principles," Agus told the Post.<\/p>\n
As for his three children, the 41-year-old man said he gave
\nthem the freedom to choose which religion they felt at peace
\nwith. They chose Islam.<\/p>\n
Like Agus, Budi experienced a similar situation. Only in his
\ncase, his wife converted to Christianity.<\/p>\n
"We are just common people with no money. We don't know
\nanything about law. We just wanted to get married as easily as
\npossible. And since I bought the house in my name as a Christian,
\nmy wife decided to convert to Christianity," said the 32-year-old
\ntrader.<\/p>\n
However, he said, he let his wife, who hails from Jakarta,
\npractice her original religion.<\/p>\n
"My wife converted for the sake of the legality of our
\nmarriage. After that, she is free to practice her belief as a
\nMuslim," Budi, who is also a native Jakartan, said. His four
\nchildren, however, are Christians and go to Christian schools.<\/p>\n
Novi experienced a slightly different story. She was allowed
\nto maintain her religion -- Protestant Christianity, when she
\nmarried her Catholic boyfriend.<\/p>\n
"We moved from one church to another, to find out if they
\nwould recognize our marriage," the 33-year-old housewife
\nrecalled.<\/p>\n
They finally found one, but with some conditions.<\/p>\n
"There was a Catholic church willing to accept our inter-
\nreligious marriage on the condition that all our children be
\nbaptized into Catholicism," said Novi.<\/p>\n
Activists have long demanded that the government lift the ban
\nagainst inter-religious marriage, on grounds that it violated the
\nfreedom of religion and belief.<\/p>\n
In the case of Budi and Agus, religion has been reduced to a
\nmere tool to obtain legal status.<\/p>\n
As Novi put it, "different religions should not matter. To me,
\neverybody has the right to practice their own belief. After all,
\nwe worship the same God."<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/getting-around-the-inter-religious-marriage-law-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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