For same-sex couples, the relationship can bring more headaches.
While homosexuality is not strictly illegal, such as in Singapore and Malaysia, the province of Banda Aceh has recently sentenced two young gay men to public caning and a series of raids across the country has seen hundreds of men arrested. Phelim Kine, Deputy Asia Division Director of Human Rights Watch, noted that Banda Aceh has been gradually adopting Sharia-inspired ordinances which criminalize same-sex relations, leading to the recent verdict.
Although marriage may seem an important goal for many Indonesians, expats and foreigners who marry in Indonesia are bound by certain legal agreements. Prenuptial agreements which decide what happens should the marriage dissolve are a necessary step for protection of assets.
Expats should also keep in mind Indonesian law currently does not allow foreigners to own freehold property. In the event a local partner was to die, foreign partners are required to sell the property to another Indonesian citizen within 12 months. Data shows that 43 percent of Indonesian women between the age of 18 years old to 34 years old still live with their parents and many will tell you how important family is in their lives.
Unlike in the West, an invitation to meet the family of a local partner can mean more than a casual family dinner. Likewise, the approval — or lack of it — from family can make or break a relationship. Foreigners and expats should also keep in mind that Indonesians value loyalty to family and that loyalty shapes reputations. Family units are likely to make big decisions together and respect the advice of older members. Premarital sex in the West is now considered the norm, but the same cannot be said of Indonesians. While engaging in sexual activity is not uncommon , it is likely partners would want to keep it hidden.
When dating Indonesians, foreigners should keep in mind that a sexual rejection does not necessarily mean they are not into the relationship. With most Indonesians possessing rhesus-positive blood type, those looking to have children together best conduct medical research as rhesus plays a significant role in the safety of babies. So, for first-time pregnancies, rhesus incompatibility does not affect the child. It is recommended couples seek medical advice. Sharon Hambali is a writer and editor at Content Collision.
Muslim marriage and Islamic wedding customs are traditions and practices that relate to wedding ceremonies and marriage rituals prevailing within the Muslim world. Although Islamic marriage customs and relations vary depending on country of origin and government regulations, both Muslim men and women from around the world are guided by Islamic laws and practices specified in the Quran. According to the teachings of the Quran , a married Muslim couple is equated with clothing.
The purpose of marriage in Islamic culture is to preserve the religion through the creation of a family. In Islam, polygyny is allowed with certain restrictions; polyandry is not. The Quran directly addresses the matter of polygyny in Chapter 4 Verse 3, " Marry of the women that you please: But if you feel that you should not be able to deal justly, then only one or what your right hand possesses.
That would be more suitable to prevent you from doing injustice. The groom kisses the bride 3 times on the cheek and 1 on the forehead. Although practices of polygamy have declined in practice and acceptance in most parts of the Muslim world such as Turkey and Tunisia who have completely outlawed it , it is still legal in over countries in Africa, Middle East, and most countries in the third world. With changing economic conditions, female empowerment, and acceptance of family planning practices, polygamy seems to be severely declining as an acceptable and viable marriage practice within the Muslim world.
Both male and female homosexuality are forbidden in Islamic law , although only male homosexuality is explicitly condemned in the Quran. The specific passages of Islamic text that address the issue of interfaith marriage are in Quran 5: This day the good things are allowed to you O you who believe! Despite the Quranic text that seem to detest interfaith marriage [ example needed ] , a growing movement of modern Islamic scholars are beginning to reinterpret and reexamine traditional Shari'a interpretations.
While these scholars use "established and approved methodologies" in order to claim new conclusions, they are still met with a considerable amount of opposition from the majority of orthodox Islamic scholars and interpreters. In most Islamic societies and communities it is not a common practice for young people to actively seek a partner for themselves by following modern and Western rituals, such as dating.
Young Muslim men and women are strongly encouraged to marry as soon as possible, since the family is recognized as the foundation of Islamic society. These traits are pointed out in Quran Chapter 33 Verse 35 "For Muslim men and women, for believing men and women, for true men and women, for men and women who are patient and for men and women who guard their chastity, and for men and women who engage much in Allah's praise, for them has Allah prepared forgiveness and great reward.
Forced marriage is absolutely and explicitly forbidden. Since traditional Muslim societies are generally religiously homogeneous, it is much easier for individuals to find socially acceptable partners through traditional methods. Within these communities, families, friends, and services are used to help people find a significant other. These Muslims must use alternate methods in order to find a partner in a way that closely simulates the traditional process. Muslims in non-Islamic countries like the United States use Islamic institutions or imams to help them find partners.
For any individual who values religious piety in a partner and does not have a Muslim social network, the imam is a valuable source of guidance.
The internet also offers new opportunities for Muslim individuals to meet one another. In the past 10 years, Matchmaking sites for Muslims have become an increasingly popular way to meet one's spouse.
This is the reason why young Tausug males and females typically marry a few years after they reached the stage of puberty. I do love science and math. It's a breathe of fresh air being able to message suitable Muslims without ever having to give your email address or phone number! Journal of Religion and Popular Culture. Hello Molly, thank you for the info, I appreciate it..
Adeem Younis, the founder of the website, designed it in accordance with Islamic principles. Halal sites like SingleMuslim. In some societies in both the Islamic world and the West, traditional matchmaking practices do not necessarily include this kind of expression of personal characteristics; therefore, these websites expand individuality while maintaining traditional Islamic ideals of matchmaking. Considering that there are over 1. There are 49 Muslim majority countries and each contains many regional and cultural differences.
Additionally, many Muslims living in the West then mix family traditions with their host countries. Muslims in the United States come from many backgrounds, but the largest segment are those from South Asia, Arab countries, and more recently from East Africa. When it comes to Muslim weddings the culture they come from heavily influences the kind of rituals that will take place.
African-Americans , Caucasians , Hispanics and others have elements of both local, and Muslim influence. The central event in all American-Muslim Weddings will be the Nikah.
This is the actual wedding ceremony, usually officiated by a Muslim cleric, an Imam. Although a Nikah can be done anywhere including the bride's home or reception hall, it is preferable and usually done these days in a mosque. For example, the two most popular wedding dress colors are red and white.
Whereas in traditional Muslim countries marriages have been arranged, in the United States, Prominent Muslims in China, such as generals, followed standard marriage practices in the 20th century, such as using western clothing like white wedding dresses. Chinese Muslim marriages resemble typical Chinese marriages except traditional Chinese religious rituals are not used. Muslims in the Indian subcontinent normally follow marriage customs that are similar to those practiced by Muslims of the Middle-East , which are based on Islamic convention. On the eve of the wedding day, a bridal service known as the Mehndi ritual or henna ceremony is held at the bride's home.
This ritual is sometimes done two days before the actual wedding day. During this bridal preparation ritual, turmeric paste is placed on the bride's skin for the purpose of improving and brightening her complexion , after which mehndi is applied on the bride's hands and feet by the mehndiwali , a female relative.
The Indian Islamic wedding ceremony is also preceded by a marriage procession known as the groom's baraat. From this convoy arrives the groom, who will share a sherbet drink with a brother of his bride at the place of the marriage ceremony. This drinking ritual happens as the sisters of the bride engage in tomfooleries and playfully strike guests using flower-filled cudgels.
The wedding ceremony, known as Nikah , [23] is officiated by the Maulvi , a priest also called Qazi. Another common practice are wedding sequences that include the reading of Quranic verses, the groom's proposal and bride's acceptance parts known as the Ijab-e-Qubul [20] or the ijab and qabul ; [21] the decision-making of the bride's and groom's families regarding the price of the matrimonial financial endowment known as the Mehar [20] or Mehr a dower no less than ten dirhams [21] , which will come from the family of bridegroom.
Blessings and prayers are then given by older women and other guests to the couple. The marriage contract is known as the Nikaahnama , and is signed not only by the couple but also by the Walises and the Maulvi. After the Nikah, the now married couple joins each other to be seated among gender-segregated attendees. With their heads sheltered by a dupatta and while guided by the Maulvi, the couple reads Muslim prayers. After the wedding ceremony, the bride is brought to the house of her husband, where she is welcomed by her mother-in-law , who holds a copy of the Quran over her head.
The wedding reception hosted by the groom family is known as the Valimah [20] or the Dawat-e-walima. Following are the laws applicable to Muslims in India except in the state of Goa regarding matters of marriage, succession, Inheritance etc. Malay wedding traditions Malay: Adat Perkahwinan Melayu ; Jawi script: The wedding ceremony proper is usually held on a weekend, and involves exchanging of gifts, Quranic readings and recitation, and displaying of the couple while within a bridal chamber.
The gifted eggs are traditionally eggs dyed with red coloring and are placed inside cups or other suitable containers bottomed with glutinous rice.