State marriage and civil marriage: The role of state policy on interreligious marriage in central java

Abstract

This article discusses interreligious marriage phenomenon in Central Java particularly in in Surakarta, Semarang and Jepara where policies of stakeholders on judicial system as well role of demographic officials and religious leaders heavily influence each other. Interestingly, the policies of State Court as authorized institution to legalize interreligious marriage vary among those three. The Surakarta State Court receives petition and allows interreligious marriage in contrast to Semarang and Jepara which deny this kind of petition. This difference comes from several factors, namely understanding of Indonesian marriage laws, religious understanding and role of religious leaders. In the context of state and civil society relations, interreligious couples whose petitions are rejected consider it unfair, while those with accepted petition also deem it the same since they consider their marriage as a civil marriage only which the state does not wish.