In a remote region of Indonesia, an unusual form of marriage has turned into an underground industry. Known locally as “pleasure marriage”, this practice allows men—mostly tourists from Middle Eastern countries—to temporarily marry local women for periods ranging from 5 to 20 days. The marriage is legal under a religious practice known as Mutah Nikah, an ancient Islamic tradition rooted in Shia Islam, where a marriage is entered into for a fixed, short duration.
Though this custom has dwindled across most Muslim countries, it remains active in certain parts of Iran, Iraq, and most notably, in Indonesia’s Puncak region—where it’s grown into a tourist-driven enterprise.
What is Mutah Nikah?
Mutah Nikah (or Nikah al-Mut'ah) is a time-bound Islamic marriage contract. Both parties agree in advance to the duration and dowry, after which the marriage automatically dissolves without the need for divorce. While this is legally and religiously recognized within some sects of Islam—particularly Shia Islam—it is viewed controversially and is prohibited under Sunni Islamic law.
A Marriage for Hire
In Puncak, agencies and brokers facilitate these temporary marriages, often pairing poor young women with wealthy foreign tourists. For many women, it’s a transactional arrangement—they provide domestic and sexual services for a fixed time and are compensated in return. According to reports, women can earn between $300 and $500 per “marriage”—a sum that far exceeds what most low-income jobs in the area pay.
Some women, like 28-year-old Cahaya, have entered into such temporary unions more than 15 times. She told the Los Angeles Times she had her first Mutah marriage at just 13 years old, under pressure from her grandparents. Since then, she has used the earnings to support her daughter and aging relatives.
A Legal Loophole or Social Exploitation?
While technically legal in some interpretations of religious law, critics argue that pleasure marriages in Indonesia amount to a legalized form of prostitution, cloaked in religious legitimacy. What makes it even more complex is the participation of local officials, agents, and sometimes family members, who often take a cut from the dowry payments.
For some women, this arrangement becomes a means of survival. For others, it's a path to financial independence—though at great personal cost. While some later settle into long-term marriages or stable work, others remain trapped in a cycle that starts as religion and ends as exploitation.
