Limitations on Interfaith Marriage Practices in Indonesia According to Human Rights Perspective

Fundamental human rights in include the right to marry and start a family. The 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia assures such right in its Article 28B. An exception to such right is through Article 2 paragraph 1 of the Law Number 1 of 1974 on Marriage which states that marriages are only deemed legitimate if they are done according to each religion or belief. This prevents Indonesian citizens from having interfaith marriages. This paper aims to discuss such restriction in carrying out interfaith marriage in Indonesia in relation to the fundamental human right to marry and start a family. The result of the research shows that while Indonesia is based on the Pancasila which underlies the provision of the Article 2 paragraph 1 of the Marriage Law, it still has the obligation as a living ideology to be protect all Indonesian’s interests, including families born out of interfaith marriages, and that the UDHR as an expression of the international community, clearly states the freedom to marry with no limitation due to religion.