Couple Found Together Married Forcefully In Accordance With Islamic Custom

A couple in Belapunranga village, South Sulawesi, Indonesia was forced to marry Monday in a traditional marriage ceremony after they were found alone in a rambutan farm by local people.

According to a report by the Jakarta Post, the couple identified as Sugiani (19) and Manai (20) married in a ceremony in the presence of a “pengulu” (Muslim wedding official). Witnesses to the marriage included village officials and police personnel from the Parangloe sub-district.

The couple was spotted alone in the farm by local residents earlier in January after which they were targeted and harassed. Later, the family of Sugiani met Manai’s family and the former accused the latter of breaching the customary law of nikah siri.

Jafar Daeng Talli, head of Belapunranga village, said, “This is a problem of siri [customary law]. If not handled properly, it will lead to a disaster because it is related to the dignity of a family."

Police authorities intervened in the quarrel between the two families. With the help of the authorities and village officials, both families decided to wed the couple.

Parangloe Police Chief Abdul Majid stated, “We have a problem-solving program, which aims to create order in society through persuasive and early conflict-prevention approaches.”

Nikah siri, which means unofficial and unregistered marriage, is a widespread practice in Indonesia, a country with a Muslim majority, according to an editorial in The Jakarta Post.

Nikah siri events are performed discreetly. The religion of Islam perceives nikah siri as a lawful action as it is done in the presence of a Muslim wedding official although in certain cases, the official is not authorized by the Religious Affairs Ministry to do the duty, the editorial said.

But, according to the 1974 Marriage Law in Indonesia, a marriage is classified as legitimate if it is in accordance with religious formalities and is registered by the state.

However, the same marriage law doesn’t prohibit or criminalize anyone who practices nikah siri. This resulted in confusion among the people.

The editorial stated that the confusion escalated when the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) issued a “fatwa” (non-binding edict) in 2006 stating that unregistered marriages are accepted as long as it fulfills the requirements of the Sharia law. According to Sharia, a marriage is legitimate if the wedding is done in the presence of witnesses, a dowry and the guardians of the bride.

For these reasons, the nikah siri is widely practiced in the country regardless of its criticism.

Nikah siri is done for various reasons. Some practice it so that the parents can stop their underage daughters from involving in adultery. Another reason is to allow underage girls to get married under the law and then legalize the marriage later when the she attains adulthood.

However, the editorial stated that men used the nikah siri law to commit acts of adultery as they take advantage of the loose conditions associated with unregistered marriages.