Polygamy is legal in Indonesia — each application subject to review by religious courts who have jurisdiction over marriage. In the case of Islam, a man may apply to wed additional wives (up to four) under certain strict circumstances as codified in the religion, such as if his first wife is unable to bear a child or has a disability and has given her permission.
In the face of such stringent conditions, it’s not rare for Muslim men in Indonesia to wed additional wives unofficially (such as by performing nikah siri — a marriage that’s recognized by religion but not by the state), and the practice has become somewhat of a lucrative business opportunity for some lately.
Recently, a flyer has been going around online about a seminar called, “Quick Method to Having Four Wives”, planned for December 3, in which participants can partake in an on-the-spot session of ta’aruf (an Islamic method of introduction between men and women that doesn’t involve dating, often quickly leading to marriage if both parties are in agreement).
The event organizers seem to also want to engineer the male to female ratio as such so that men can take more than one wife out of the seminar — men must pay IDR3.5 million (US$260) for an early bird ticket or IDR5 million (US$370) at the door, while single women can enter the seminar for free.
Furthermore, the flyer says the seminar will have speakers consisting of men who already have multiple wives (officially called “Polygamy Practitioners”) from across Indonesia.
While this seemingly glorified version of speed dating (but with greater commitments) sounds similar to recent highly controversial polygamy-based business ventures in Indonesia, the event organizers, Dauroh Poligami Indonesia, assured that the seminar is real and will take place in Jakarta (though where specifically in Jakarta was not mentioned, curiously enough).
“It’s true. We want to hold an educational event about polygamy for the people of Islam,” said Vicky Abu Syamil, executive director of Dauroh Poligami Indonesia, as quoted by Detik today.
The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), the nation’s highest clerical body, questioned the intentions behind the seminar and warned men not to take part in it for it looks to be nothing but a scam.
“Even though (polygamy) is not forbidden in Islam, (the seminar) gives off the image that Islam is just all about lust,” said MUI Deputy Chairman Zainut Tauhid Sa’adi, as quoted by Detik yesterday.
“The motivations of the event must be questioned. Is it really to help people build households, or is it just for fun, or is it just a way for some to make profit by taking advantage of other people’s need to have partners?”
The National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) also has a similar assessment of the seminar.
“I think this is a business agenda, trading women with the seminar as its cover up. Religion becomes a tool to satisfy one’s urges by performing marriage,” said Komnas Perempuan Commissioner Masruchah, as quoted by Detik yesterday.
It remains to be seen if there’s any legal basis for authorities to shut down the seminar before it can take place. In September, the government blocked a controversial matchmaking site, Nikahsirri.com, which offered “virgin auctions” for men and women looking for marriage, while the police arrested its founder over elements of pornography and exploitation of minors found in the site. Also around that time, a Tinder-style dating app for polygamists called AyoPoligami courted so much controversy and condemnation from many quarters, but the app remains online to this day.
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