(AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)In Saudi:
As Feb. 14 approaches, the police begin inspecting gift shops for items that are red or are intended as gifts to mark the holiday — a celebration of St. Valentine, a 3rd century Christian martyr — which is banned in Saudi Arabia. Such items are legal at other times of the year, but as Valentine's Day nears they become contraband.
As Feb. 14 approaches, the police begin inspecting gift shops for items that are red or are intended as gifts to mark the holiday — a celebration of St. Valentine, a 3rd century Christian martyr — which is banned in Saudi Arabia. Such items are legal at other times of the year, but as Valentine's Day nears they become contraband.
At best, shops caught selling Valentine's gifts are ordered to get rid of them. Some salesmen have been detained for days.
The Valentine's Day prohibition is in line with the ascetic Wahhabi school of Islam that the kingdom follows. Marking Christian holidays is banned in Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam and a country where non-Muslims are banned from openly practicing their religion. Celebrating any holidays but the two most important for Muslims — Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitri—is taboo because they are considered "religious innovations" that Islam does not sanction. Even birthdays and Mother's Day are frowned on by the religious establishment.
In Egypt:
Egyptian Cleric Hazem Shuman Warns Muslim Youth Against Valentine's Day – More Dangerous than AIDS, Ebola, and Cholera
In Kuwait:
Committee head Waleed Al-Tabtabae said the ministries will take measures to prevent "indecent celebrations and practices", as well as any "immoral behaviour" that may happen on Valentine's Day. Islamist MPs believe Western traditions like Valentine’s Day encourage illicit relationships…
Thankfully—I was able to get my chocolate!!!!!
