A 16-year-old Indonesian boy married an elderly woman in her 70s after the May-December couple threatened to commit suicide if they were prohibited from getting hitched.
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Despite their 55 year age gap, teenager Selamat Riayadi tied the knot with a widow named only as Rohaya in their home village of Karangendah.
Their wedding was held at the home of a community leader named Kuswoyo, who told local media that the couple said they would kill themselves if they were barred from marrying.
He reportedly said: ‘They said they wanted to commit suicide because they were completely in love, so if one of them dies, then both must die.’
Footage of the ceremony shows Selamat putting his hands to his face as guests scream and cheer in celebration.
They were accused of not marrying for love, but as both are equally poor, money is not thought to be a factor.
Both Kuswoyo and the groom’s brother gave their permission for the couple to wed, according to local reports.
Men must be at least 19 before they get married in Indonesia, but a loophole in the law allows for marriage under an individual’s ‘religious norms’.
They reportedly formed a ‘nikah siri’ marriage which is recognised by society but not the state. (metro.co.uk)
Groom 16-year-old Selamat Riayadi and his bride Rohaya, who is 71 (Image: AsiaWire/Berita Total) Source Mirror.Co.Uk
The marriage is not believed to be motivated by money, as both newlyweds are equally poor.
Selamat’s family made a dowry payment to Rohaya’s family of 200,000 Indonesian Rupiah, worth about £11.50.
The clip shows the young groom put his face in his hands as the union is proclaimed, his expression unreadable.
The couple celebrate their wedding ceremony (Image: AsiaWire) Source Mirror.Co.Uk
His new wife sits quietly beside him as the wedding guests go wild with delight.
The wedding venue was the home of a local community leader named as Kuswoyo.
After the video and photos of the wedding spread on Indonesian social media, many questioned whether the union was real.
But an Indonesian news outlet claims it spoke to Kuswoyo who confirmed both the marriage and the couple’s threats to kill themselves if they were barred from marrying.
He said: “They said they wanted to commit suicide because they were completely in love, so if one of them dies, then both must die.”
The marriage is not believed to be motivated by money (Image: AsiaWire) Source Mirror.Co.UK
Kuswoyo’s permission was needed according to local tradition as Rohaya had been widowed twice before.
Both he and her brother gave in to her wishes to wed following the couple’s suicide threats.
It was not clear who if anyone gave permission for Selamat to marry.
The official minimum age for boys to marry in Indonesia is 19 but a loophole allows for any marriage within a person’s “religious norms”. (Mirror.Co.UK)
The Muslim couple have formed a “nikah siri” marriage, recognised by society but not the state, as Islam has no formal minimum marriageable age, only requiring consensus that the would-be bride or groom has reached “maturity”. (NZHERALD)
Image The Express Tribune
According to local media, the boy Selamat Riyadi and the woman Rohaya Binti Kiagus Muhammad Jakfar, who is believed to be between 71 to 75 years old, grew close when she took care of him while he was suffering from malaria.
Cik Ani, chief of their village in South Sumatra told AFP that since the boy was underage they decided to carry out the wedding on July 2, 2017 privately.
Ani said they made the decision to let them marry to avoid “the sin of adultery.”
Riyadi’s father reportedly died several years ago while his mother has not been caring for him properly and has reportedly remarried.
‘A very uncommon case
Yenni Izzi, an activist from the Women Crisis Centre in Palembang who campaigns to end child marriage, told BBC the wedding was “a very uncommon case”.
The boy decided to get married not for economic or physical reasons but because she gives him attention and love,” he explained.
“He is not mature enough, so to get that attention and love he thinks living together is the answer. And living together means getting married.”
Regional officials have expressed concern about the case, but it is unclear whether they will take action against it.
Indonesia’s Social Affairs Minister Khofifah Indar Parawansa was quoted in the Jakarta Post saying that it was “impossible for them to marry in a religious affairs office because the groom is still underage”.
“The law also says that marriage registration officials should not assist in a marriage when they know that there’s a violation of the minimum age requirement to marry,” she added. (tribune.com.pk)
Image worldofbuzz.com
By now, we’re sure you’re all familiar with the Indonesian couple, Selamet and Rohaya. After catching the world’s attention with news of their marriage, the couple’s massive age gap was the topic of many discussions, with Rohaya being 71 and Selamet just 16.
Not long after their wedding, news of Selamet locking Rohaya in the house whenever he goes out began to surface. He explained that he did this out of jealousy, worried other men would take her away.
Now, the couple have yet again made headlines after Selamet admitted to skipping out on his prayers because he would miss his wife too much, Lobak Merah reported.
There’s love and then there’s obsession…
Apparently, on the day of their marriage, the village leader had advised Selamet to be a good husband to his wife and to faithfully carry out religious commands.
Even Rohaya had constantly reminded her husband to remember his prayers but despite that, the young man refused to do so. The 71-year-old woman told the press,
“I have reminded him to diligently pray.” “I told him to remember the village leader’s words. If it is Friday, then he must go to the mosque to fulfill his Friday prayers. He even invited me to go with him.”
For Muslims, Fridays are when Muslim men are required to go to the mosque in order to carry out their prayers. The prayers usually last no longer than 2 hours.
The young husband apparently refuses to leave the house for these prayers as he said he would miss his wife while he was away! 2 hours only, wor…(worldofbuzz.com)
Royaha was stunned by Selamet’s childishness. The 71-year-old expressed that she was infuriated with Selamet as she had to constantly remind him to be a good husband and a religiously faithful man.
She even had to sit her husband down and explain to him that women do not go to the mosque for Friday prayers like men do.
The couple even expressed their desire to have children together. After their honeymoon in Jakarta, the couple has been working hard to get kids of their own.
Selamet even has their children’s names planned out, already!
“I want my daughter to be named Putri Permata Sari and my son to be named Andre Maulana.”
The elderly lady was reportedly rushed to the clinic several times before due to exhaustion. Well, you know what they say — love is blind. As long as they are happy, right? (worldofbuzz.com)
Image World Of Buzz
16-Year-Old Boy Marries Old Woman After They Threatened Suicide If Family Didn’t Approve – World Of Buzz 1
Recently revealed that the 16-year-old seems to be insecure with his marriage. He admitted in an interview that he would lock up his wife at home whenever he goes out.
“I lock her up because I’m scared that other men will enter the house when I’m off to buy noodles or cigarettes. But when I get home, I unlock the door.”
“My jealousy is over the top. This is because I love her.”
For obvious reasons, Rohaya wasn’t interviewed at all about being locked up by her teenage husband. (worldofbuzz.com)
MY OPINION:
The boy, Selamet, being taken cared of by Rohaya must be looking for a motherly love which he had mistaken to a “love”. Selamet is suffering from emotional hunger.
Emotional hunger is not love. It is a strong emotional need caused by deprivation in childhood. It is a primitive condition of pain and longing which people often act out in a desperate attempt to fill a void or emptiness. This emptiness is related to the pain of aloneness and separateness and can never realistically be fully satisfied in an adult relationship.
The woman, Rohaya, in her lonely world, she believes her relationship with the young boy brought passion back to her lonely world.
There’s nothing like the feeling of falling in love all over again after 70. It’s a reminder that anything is possible, that new beginnings are all around us, and that there’s still someone for everyone.
What are your thoughts?