The Constitutional Court Rejects Marriage Lawsuits To Be Different Religions, What Does MUI Say?

Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court Anwar Usman. (Between-Hafidz M)

JAKARTA - The Constitutional Court (MK) rejected the judicial review lawsuit Article 2 Paragraph (1) of Law Number 1 of 1974 related to marriages of different religions. The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) welcomed the decision. "We express our gratitude to Allah SWT. For the attitude of the Constitutional Court which rejects the entire application for the ratification of marriages of different religions," said Deputy Secretary General of MUI for Law and Human Rights Ikhsan Abdullah in a written statement, Tuesday, January 31, confiscated by Antara. Ikhsan said that the Constitutional Court decision was in accordance with Law No. 1 of 1974, namely marriage must be based on religion and belief. According to him, a legal marriage is in accordance with Article 2 paragraph (1) Law No. 1 of 1974. So the marriage is different religions, he said, is invalid according to Law No. 1 of 1975 and is not in accordance with Article 28 of the 1945 Constitution and Article 29. "Thankd the Panel of the Constitutional Court, which today remains as The Guardian Of Constitution, as a sole interpretation of the law," he said. MUI hopes that in the future there will be no citizens who commit law smuggling and also carry out religious smuggling to deal with different religious marriages. "Because if it is done it means that it has deliberately fought law and violates religious law," he said. Previously, the Panel of Judges of the Constitution of the Court rejected the lawsuit Number 1 of 1974 concerning Marriage submitted by E. Ramos Petege, a young man from Gabakainu Village, Central Mapia, Papua Province. "Rejects the petition of the applicants for the whole," said Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court Prof. Anwar Usman while reading the verdict of case Number 24/PUU-XX/2022 in Jakarta.

Meanwhile, Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture (PMK) Muhadjir Effendy assessed that the decision of the Constitutional Court (MK) on a lawsuit related to marriage of different religions could provide certainty.

"So, what has been in the gray space, the gray area, which has become a polemic, has become a debate, if it has been decided by the Constitutional Court it will become clear," said Muhadjir.*