If you are a cynical sort who thinks Valentine's Day is only a money grab for florists and candy makers, and that it often puts more strain a relationship than warms it.....you might have a group of friends out there.
"There" is Saudi Arabia.
And "they" are the Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, aka the religious enforcement police in Saudi Arabia.
This morning I was having a leisurely late breakfast while watching RELIGION AND ETHICS on PBS, and the story came up about how the religion cops in Saudi Arabia are going around busting retailers who are selling Valentine cards, hearts, candies...and even warned about selling anything RED this Sunday.
Meris Lutz wrote this story in The Los Angeles Times about the situation. Below are a few paragraphs.
A spokesman for the Saudi virtue commission, Sheik Ali Qarni, defended the ban on celebrating Valentine's Day on the grounds that Muslims know the true meaning of love -- the love of God -- and behave accordingly throughout the year.
"Muslims are people of love, as evidenced by the fact that this word appears in [the Koran] 83 times," Qarni told the newspaper Al Watan.
The newspaper said Valentine's Day is outlawed based on a fatwa against "pagan holidays."The commission ran ads this week warning shop owners against selling any merchandise related to Valentine's Day, which is Sunday.
Another newspaper, Al Riyadh, ran articles with headlines such as, "A fifth of adults prefer to spend Valentine's Day with their pets instead of their partners," and "Valentine's Day flavored with cocaine in the Netherlands this year."
Well that does it- I was thinking about spending a relaxing couple of weeks in Saudi Arabia....but if I can't bring my extensive Rutgers Scarlet Knights wardrobe, then I'm afraid that's out.
And I used to think that the Republican "purity test" was repressive!
Posted by Hugh Jee From Jersey at 7:52 PM
My take on this: Yes, it is true, nothing in stores was there to remind us of the proximity of Valentine's Day. Same was true for Christmas, by the way! But it was possible to buy flowers, chocolates, and any kinds of presents that were NOT red! In a way, it does simplify the holidays and makes us think about their true meaning! Newspaper did mention that some sotres were bypassing the directives and still selling the RED stuffs. Blackmarket price for red roses was 3 times thier regular price, not that I would know but that was reported in the paper Arab News.
On this note, I hope y'all had a great Valentine's Day and that the Mardi Gras celebrations all were beyond spectacular!
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