Marriage outside the five religions illegal in Indonesia<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Religion can be a touchy subject for couples, particularly for
\nthose of different faiths.<\/p>\n
Predominantly Muslim Indonesia prohibits interfaith marriages
\nand denies the civil rights of followers of religions other than
\nthe five major state-recognized faiths -- Islam, Catholicism,
\nProtestantism, Hinduism and Buddhism.<\/p>\n
Data from the Indonesian Conference on Religion and Peace
\n(ICRP) shows that more 400,000 people follow nondenominational
\nfaith Kepercayaan Terhadap Tuhan Yang Maha Esa (Belief in One
\nGod), which is not officially recognized by the state.<\/p>\n
Nor does Indonesia recognize Khonghucu, a faith to which many
\nethnic Chinese adhere.<\/p>\n
According to the ICRP, there are around 245 nondenominational
\nfaith organizations across the country.<\/p>\n
These groups are under the supervision of the Ministry of
\nCulture and Tourism instead of the Ministry of Religious Affairs,
\nas they are categorized as mysticism or cultural concepts rather
\nthan religions.<\/p>\n
Followers of nondenominational religion are discriminated
\nagainst, regardless of the integrity of their beliefs.<\/p>\n
In 1973, calls increased for such beliefs to be given an equal
\nfooting with the five officially recognized religions. However,
\nthe 1978-1982 State Policy Guidelines (GBHN) stated that a
\nspecial ruling stipulated that Kepercayaan Terhadap Tuhan Yang
\nMaha Esa was not to be recognized as a religion.<\/p>\n
Marriage between believers of these faiths is illegal under
\nthe law, and thus, couples are not entitled to marriage
\ncertificates, unless they convert to a state-recognized religion.<\/p>\n
If they refuse to comply with the law, children born in
\nwedlock are nevertheless declared illegitimate.<\/p>\n
In Bogor, West Java, many residents follow the Khonghucu faith
\nbut their ID cards often state otherwise -- they have converted
\nto official religions on paper only.<\/p>\n
The ICRP said the existence of nondenominational sects had
\nbeen observed by the government's Society of Spiritual Ideology
\nMonitoring (PAKEM) team.<\/p>\n
The team comprises officials from the Ministry of Home
\nAffairs, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Ministry of
\nJustice and Human Rights, the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the
\nIndonesian Military (TNI), the National Intelligence Agency (BIN)
\nand the National Police.<\/p>\n
Moreover, the government considers the groups associated with
\nthe unrecognized religions merely as mass, not religious,
\norganizations.<\/p>\n
ICRP secretary-general Siti Musdah Mulia has called on the
\ngovernment to give every religion the same recognition and rank,
\nas required by the 1945 Constitution.<\/p>\n
\"Religion is like love, it can't be rationalized. It's
\nridiculous that people have to follow only recognized religions.
\nIndigenous religions were practiced in this country long before
\nthe major religions arrived,\" said Musdah, a gender expert and
\nIslamic jurisprudence scholar.<\/p>\n
She said the civil rights of followers of unrecognized
\nreligions had long been neglected and it was time to remedy the
\nsituation.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/marriage-outside-the-five-religions-illegal-in-indonesia-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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