The state`s obligation will come after a religion has given a marriage legal status.Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Central Council of Religions (MATP) has agreed to give the authority to each religion to decide regulations on matters regarding marriages, including interfaith marriages.
"We have agreed to fully leave the authority to each religion to regulate whether it will permit or ban interfaith marriage based on its teachings," said Slamet Effendy Yusuf who represented the Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) during the announcement of the MATP agreement at MUI office here Friday.
The agreement was based on the awareness that since marriage is a sacred event it should be based on the teachings of the religion of respective individuals, he said.
The states obligation will come after a religion has given a marriage legal status, Slamat explained.
"The state must register a marriage after religion gives it a valid status based on Law No. 1/1974," he said.
The MATP will not directly reject or accept an interfaith marriage, because such an attitude is a right of religions, he said.
The MATP -- which is composed of representatives from the MUI, PGI (Communion of Indonesian Protestant Churches), KWI (Indonesian Catholics Bishop Conference Council), PHDI (Indonesian Hindu Dharma Council), Walubi (Indonesian Buddhist Council) and MATAKIN (Kong Hu Cu Council)-- met Friday at the MUI office to discuss interfaith marriage issues.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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