Secret Nikah: Islamic Marriages Conducted in Secret That Destroy Families — A Private Company Joins in Announcing a Solution

An Islamic marriage requires witnesses to take part, to confirm the marital status,
and it must be conducted openly, publicly.
This is to honor both the woman and the man who will properly become part of the same family,
in accordance with the principles of Islam, with clarity as husband and wife before the world at large.

Thailand is a destination for the marriages of a large number of foreign Muslims.
However, not all of these marriages are conducted in good faith.
Some marriages are entered into for citizenship status.
Some marriages serve as a temporary outlet for desire before the man abandons the woman and any children.
Some Islamic marriages conceal the man’s marital status, without letting a previous wife know.
In these cases the woman does not understand what situation she is about to face,
among other circumstances.

Islamic marriages, or nikah, of this kind
tend to share common features: the marriage is arranged secretly, not openly.
The man refuses to disclose documents such as his passport or other papers.
The woman is not told that he already has a wife.
The marriage takes place at a mosque that has no authority to issue documents recognized internationally,
and the woman is not informed that she receives no legal recognition whatsoever from that marriage.

Khun Yaoharee Laeti, director of the Multicultural Islamic Wedding Entrepreneurs Group (MIWEG), held discussions with business operators
and religious organizations to develop the concept of Nikah Guardian, or a safe form of marriage that protects women, in Thailand,
by developing the concept of an honest, legitimate nikah in order to reduce the problems and suffering faced by Thai women, both Buddhist and Muslim, who are deceived into an Islamic marriage,
or who enter into an Islamic marriage without correct knowledge and understanding.

Khun Yaoharee Laeti, a director of ARAYA Nikah Planner company and director of the group, has set out the following approach for a legitimate nikah:

1. The nikah must not be conducted as a Secret Nikah — the marriage must be open and accessible to the public,
so that it is a legitimate nikah.

2. Build a system that people from around the world can access, covering the process of Islamic marriage in Thailand,
including the documents and initial steps that need to be prepared, so that people can learn about and carry out the process entirely on their own,
or choose to use the various legal services offered by different companies.

3. Build an educational system so that people around the world can understand the marriage process in Thailand through an openly accessible website.

4. Arrange staff to provide basic guidance to people from around the world who wish to marry under Islamic rites in Thailand.

5. Produce educational clips on the dangers of marrying someone who seeks an Islamic marriage in bad faith.

The group believes that managing nikah so that it is conducted legitimately, and preventing nikah conducted in bad faith,
will not only help prevent social problems, including a compounding number of orphaned children,
but will also allow Thailand to become a future destination for Islamic marriages from around the world,
since the group has found that everyone who chooses Thailand as their marriage destination also plans
at least one week of travel within the country.

This initiative is being carried out by a private company, which plans to expand its work in coordination with religious organizations
and the government going forward.

Planning a legally-recognized Nikah in Thailand? Start here →