Paper short abstract:

This paper focuses on the relationship between Islam, a matrifocal social structure and the sexual choices of some marginal teen agers in post-conflict Aceh (Indonesia).I shall examine what happens to teen-agers being discovered having sexual intercourse and therefore, according to Islamic law, being forced to marry.

Paper long abstract:

This paper focuses on the relationship between Islam, a matrifocal social structure and the sexual choices of some marginal teen agers in post-conflict Aceh (Indonesia). In Aceh, sexuality has been massively affected by the transformations depending on the implementation of Syariat Islam (Islamic Law) which ensued the end of the conflict. From time to time, the Syariat Police ("Wilayatul Hisba" or "WH") carry out razias or convict people, both women and men, and incriminate them with violation of either aurat or khalwat, when not for committing zina ("fornication").

Here, I shall examine what happens to teen-agers being discovered having sexual intercourse and therefore, according to Islamic law, being forced to marry. They undertake a "village marriage" (nikah kampung), celebrated only by the Islamic authority (tengku) and not registered in the Department of Religious Affairs.

Because it is exclusively addressing the spiritual or religious level, it enables a quick separation. Nevertheless, it creates a new status for the young divorcees. The change can be dramatic for girls, especially if they give birth to a baby. Acehnese matrifocal structure, though, provides a certain frame to include young divorced mothers, as I have shown elsewhere. Here, I mainly examine fathers. What are the consequences of an early marriage for a boy who has chosen to have sexual intercourse and entered a marriage which was designed to end the day after it has begun?

The paper is based on an ongoing fieldwork, started in 2008 and carried at different times since then. The most recent data will be collected in march 2012.