RSS Feed

12/21/2022

Topic Reading-Vol.3906-12/21/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Indonesia passes criminal code banning sex outside marriage
Indonesia is a diverse country with over 1,000 distinct native ethnic and more than 700 linguistic groups. However, as the vast majority of the 275 million are Muslims, religious pluralism dominates politics. Recently, the parliament overwhelmingly approved a new law that strictly bans sex outside marriage throughout the country regardless of religion, ethnicity, nationality, or age. Expatriates and tourists aren’t excluded. LGBTQ couples and ethnic peoples who have different marital practices are also affected by the new law. Even though extramarital sex has been banned, the law has not been enforced much. Under the new law, if one of the family members reports such conduct to the police, the couple could be jailed for up to a year. So, what will happen to the visitors to popular tourist destinations like Bali? The governor of Bali said authorities would not check the marital status of tourists, at least for now. However, as the law takes effect in three years, there will be a lot of arguments and protests from people, groups, and businesses.
Read the article and think about the influence of religious pluralism.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-63869078

No comments:

Post a Comment