Sex has always been something completely normal, but in most cases it seems to be a taboo subject that people are afraid to talk about openly.
Of course, there is the other extreme, where everything is shared without a filter. But there are countries where sex comes with certain rules and stipulations. On December 7th, Indonesia decided to make extramarital sex illegal. Likewise, cohabitation between a man and a woman without having entered into marriage shall be punishable by imprisonment.
It may seem strange to us, but it is a fact that Indonesia is far from the first country where there are rules around sex. But that’s what prompted us to round up five more countries where extramarital sex is illegal.
5. Egypt
In the land of the pyramids and pharaohs, having sex without being married to the other person is illegal and punishable. And sometimes you don’t even have to have intercourse for punishment to follow.
In 2017, for example, TV presenter Doha Salah was sentenced to three years in prison and fined for discussing extramarital sex with her guests on air.
4. The Philippines
We are not talking about an Islamic country here, but there are also certain restrictions on sex outside of marriage. However, they are more related to adultery, which is actually against the law. Because if a married woman has sex with a man who is not her husband, she breaks the law.
Cohabitation between a man and a woman who are not married is against the rules.
3. Iran
And from here things get a little rougher. The reason is that the punishment in Iran for extramarital sex is 100 lashes for offenders. According to RNN, there are cases where adultery is punishable by stoning…
2. Saudi Arabia
Here too flogging is a standard method of punishment. But the interesting thing is that the law enforcement authorities require that four respectable people were present and witnessed the act of intrusion on the couple.
1. Qatar
We finish with the hosts of the FIFA World Cup this year. The country has also banned sex outside of marriage, which has worried football fans quite a bit in the months leading up to the start of the 2022 World Cup.
Violators are punished with up to one year in prison. But if you are a Muslim and break these rules, you may receive an additional punishment – flogging. Married Muslims who have sinned can be sentenced to death by stoning.
Afghanistan, Pakistan and Somalia are also among the countries where having sex outside of marriage is not only wrong, but against the law.
Photo by Taryn Elliott:
