Sex business is thriving in this Muslim nation through…

Jakarta: In the modern world, the term ‘Sex tourism’ is gaining much attention. Well, for our readers, let’s explain what is sex tourism. It is the practice of traveling to foreign countries, often on a different continent, intending to engage in sexual activity or relationships, in exchange for providing money or lifestyle support. While sex tourism is prohibited in Islam, Sex business is thriving in this Muslim nation through…

At 17, she entered into her first contract marriage with a tourist from Saudi Arabia, a man in his 50s. The wedding took place in a modest ceremony inside a guest room at a three-star hotel in Jakarta, conducted under a contentious interpretation of Islamic law, as per a Los Angeles Times report.

Her older sister acted as her guardian for the occasion, while the agent who arranged the marriage served as the witness. The man paid a dowry of around $850, but after the agent and officiant took their share, she was left with only about half.

Following the ceremony, the couple moved to his vacation villa in Kota Bunga, a mountain resort two hours away. While they were not engaged in sexual activity, she spent her time cleaning, cooking, watching TV, chatting with the Indonesian maid, and counting down the days until it was over.

According to the Los Angeles Times report, the marriage lasted just five days. The man boarded a flight back to Saudi Arabia, where he dissolved their union by simply uttering the word “talaq,” the Arabic term for divorce.

She had never revealed her true name to him, using the alias “Cahaya” instead—a name she has continued to use throughout more than a decade of contract marriages. Though she has lost count of the exact number, she estimates there have been at least 15, all involving Middle Eastern tourists.

“It’s all torture,” Cahaya was quoted as saying by a Los Angeles Times report. “Every time, all I could think about was wanting to go home.”

What is Nikah Mut’ah or pleasure marriage?

Divorcee Villages 

This type of arrangement, known as nikah mut’ah or “pleasure marriage,” has become a financial lifeline for women in Puncak, a mountainous region in Indonesia. The practice is so widespread that the area has become associated with what locals often call “divorcee villages.”

Cahaya mentioned that she knows seven other women from her village of 1,000 who rely on these temporary marriages for their livelihood.

Though contract marriages are illegal under Indonesian law, much like prostitution, enforcement has been minimal. Due to this, nikah mut’ah has flourished into a thriving underground industry, supported by a network of brokers, officiants, and recruiters operating in a legal gray area between church and state.

Thailand Seeing Decline of Tourists from Saudi Arabia

For years, Thailand was one of the famous destinations in Southeast Asia for Middle Eastern tourists, including those seeking illicit services. However, a notorious scandal in the 1980s involving a diamond heist and a series of murders strained diplomatic relations between Thailand and Saudi Arabia, causing a decline in tourism in the region.

Indonesia, with its Muslim majority (87 per cent) and a population already familiar to many Saudis as domestic workers, became a natural alternative. Middle Eastern tourists soon flocked to the scenic mountains of Puncak. In towns like the so-called “Arab Village,” Arabic translations are commonplace on restaurant menus and storefronts. For tourists seeking temporary marriages, Kota Bunga has emerged as the prime destination, the report further stated.

Initially, young girls and women were offered to tourists by their families or local contacts. Today, however, with the changing times, the process is largely managed by professional brokers.

Yayan Sopyan, a professor of Islamic family law at Syarif Hidayatullah Islamic State University in Jakarta, asserted that the Indonesian towns where temporary marriages are becoming widespread often suffer from limited economic opportunities, a situation worsened by the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.

He was quoted as saying by the Los Angeles Times, “We see now this practice is expanding.” “Tourism meets this economic need.”

Cahaya was familiar with nikah mut’ah by the time she was married once. Her grandparents had arranged her first marriage at 13, to a boy from her class. After four years, her husband divorced her, leaving her to raise a young daughter on her own with no financial support.