The Commissioner of the National Commission for Human Rights (Komnas HAM) is in the opinion that interfaith marriage is “violating human rights”. This is according to a report released by Indonesian media.
Posted On 19 Sep 2014
Jakarta, GIVnews.com – The Commissioner of the National Commission for Human Rights (Komnas HAM) is in the opinion that interfaith marriage is “violating human rights”. This is according to a report released by Indonesian media.
Komnas HAM Commissioner Maneger Nasution had reportedly said that interfaith marriage violates human rights. Moreover, the judicial review of the Indonesian marriage law, which is conducted at the Constitutional Court (MK), is seen as contradicting to the country’s ideology, Pancasila.
“Therefore it (interfaith marriage) is contradicting Article 28B of the Indonesian law (UUD 1945) and at the same time also violates human rights (HAM),” said Komnas HAM Comissioner Maneger Nasution as quoted by Republika Online on Tuesday (16 Sep 2014).
According to the commissioner, although not a religious state, Indonesia is consisted of people with religions. It is a logical consequence of Pancasila, which is adopted as a the nation’s ideology. Moreover, because interfaith marriage could contradict the constitution, he is in the opinion that the Constitutional Court must reject the judicial review.
In the Republika report, it is also written that Nasution is in the opinion that marriages should fall under the domain of a religion and the state should only perform administrative functions.
He feels it is the religious law that should regulate the legitimacy of a marriage, not the state law. Therefore, the revision of the state marriage law is a potential conflict to the religious law. According to Nasution, the state must be able to ensure that citizens can live with their chosen belief.
As previously reported, the Constitutional Court had received a judicial review proposal of the Indonesian marriage law from a group of Indonesians who are in the opinion that the country should allow marriage between two persons coming from different religions. (Read: Should Indonesia Legalize Interfaith Marriage?)