RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Saudi Arabia’s morality police are on the scent of illicit red roses as part of a clampdown on would-be St Valentine’s lovers in the strict Muslim kingdom. The Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, Saudi Arabia’s powerful religious vigilantes, have banned shops from selling any red flowers in the run-up to February 14.
Florists say the move is part of an annual campaign by the committee — whose members are known as "mutawwaeen" or volunteers — to prevent Saudis marking a festival they believe flouts their austere doctrine of "Wahhabi" Islam. "They pass by two or three times a day to check we don’t have any red flowers," said a Pakistani florist in Riyadh’s smart Sulaimaniya district. "Look, no red. I’ve taken them all out," he said pointing to a dazzling floral collection covering every color of the rainbow except one.
Source [Reuters]
I know I should not be surprised by any news coming out of Saudi Arabia, but this one is just too much. I mean come on, red roses! This is what I call energy wasted!
nas: you can’t be serious about that, i would have hoped that our culture and traditions are a bit more resiliant than to have us feel threatened by a few red roses and a highly commercialised holiday.
If you want to preserve our culture in the face of Valentines day, then we provide a more attractive alternative, don’t send in the police to ban red roses! thats just pathetic.
This is an excellent move. Finally someone is saying “hey, this day is part of western culture which conflicts with our own”. It may seem harsh, though it feels more like a splash of cold water to wake up our societies to the realisation that not everything the western cultures do we have to mimic; at least not for the sake of appearing “civilized” and “modern”
Jareer,
No Comment! And that is how you use that mark.
Jareer,
Good one;-)
That means linda, we should lie every day, not only on April 1st. Isn’t this what we do everyday anyways ?
I personally dont like valentines day. why cant everyday be valentines day. why do we need one day out of the year to express how much we love our loved ones. why cant it be every day?
a professor of mine has the same idea regarding christmas. why is that only during christmas we express peace on earth and good will toward men? his idea: the entire year should be life the holiday season, and then, we have only one day out of the year to beat up our neighbors.