Saudi Arabia bans all things red ahead of Valentine's Day

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Malaikah said:
Well, that is your opinion.

That gov't resources are finite? No, its basic economics.

No! First of all, Saudi Arabia is a Muslim country which acts in accordance to Islam and as far as I know does not prohibit non-Muslims from celebrating their own holidays.

Now I would have a big issue with non-Muslim (i.e. secular/Western) lands forbidding Muslim holidays because it is pure discrimination if they forbid only Muslim holidays and allow holidays of all other religions!

If we were talking about Christian (non-secular) countries, then I would not have an issue with them banning non-Muslim from celebrating Muslim holidays, as long as they don't ban Muslims from celebrating it.

Anyway, Valentines Day isn't a sacred religious holiday for anyone so I don't see the validity of the comparison.
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Saudi Arabia bans bibles. How much would you like to bet they arnt to happy about letting non-muslims celebrate their holidays?
 
Isambard said:
Saudi Arabia bans bibles. How much would you like to bet they arnt to happy about letting non-muslims celebrate their holidays?
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Do they ban Christians from owning bibles too?
 
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NoWingedAngel said:
Now, let's be clear here.

You're saying that it's okay for the Vatican to not only ban Islamic themed holiday items, but also everything of a certain color, yes?

Like, banning all green items for example?



Its roots are based upon two different Christian martyrs.
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Valentine Day was a Pagan Celebration and not a Christian Celebration.

Where did Valentine's Day come
from?

There are many traditions about its origin, but the most authentic
seems to be the one from Encyclopaedia Britannica that says that this
day has nothing to do with Saint Valentine, instead it is related to
the Roman pagan festival of their god, Lupercalia.

It was celebrated on 15th February and in honour of the goddess Juno
Februata, the names of girls were placed in an urn and the men would
draw out the name of a girl at random who would then become their
date for the remaining festival.

When Christianity came to Rome, they tried to Christianize this
obscene yet popular festival by replacing the names of girls by those
of saints. The men were then supposed to emulate the saint, whose
name they drew, for the rest of the year. However this attempt proved
unsuccessful and the use of girls' names returned.

Many associated it with Cupid (the virtually naked god of love), who
is the central character of Valentine's Day paraphernalia, who shoots
people with his arrows to make them fall in love. His mother is said
to be Venus (goddess of love) and apparently the rose was her
favourite flower.

Another tradition speaks of a Saint Valentine who was killed on 14th
Feb. by Emperor Claudius for secretly arranging the marriages of his
soldiers whom he had banned from marriage. The Bishop is said to have
fallen in love with the jailer's daughter during his imprisonment and
wrote her a letter signed `Your Valentine', which became a tradition
for people to come. In 496 Pope Gelasius officially replaced the
pagan festival of 15th Feb with St Valentine's Day on14th Feb.




I am glad that they banned it. This practice goes against teachings of Islam and has no place in our religion. It promotes indecency, free mixing and premartial-sex. And if it's all about love, WE MUSLIMS DON"T NEED A SPECIAL DAY TO TELL HOME MUCH WE LOVE OUR SPOUSES OR PARENTS!

EDIT: Dude, I thought they banned Valentine's day but instead they banned red stuff. I should have read better. But that is an indirect approach I guess. Anyway, Saudis do need to look at they way they mistreat women.
 
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How Islamic? Ban love.
I guess love is "a Pagan Celebration". :hiding:

Down with love. :hmm:
 
malikah..if they were multi tasking as you say then why are the muslim arabs in the state they are in...personally when i see saudis shaking hands with bush for so called treaties(and we all know the only deals bush shakes hands to are the ones that benefit him, not the saudis, otherwise he calls them terrorists, then i will respect their ban of flowers....

lets focus in the big issues and not the small ones...

banning and destroying flowers is wasteful...they can ban the holiday but to resort to destroying flowers is wasteful, and correct me if i am wrong, isnt that wasteful in islam...

personally i practice valentines day because i choose to follow allahs commands, even when i was living in the west, the best test to faith is to be exposed to haram and reject if for the sake of allah, but destroying all the flowers is just plain stupid, besides valentines day is just commercialised these days and its not worth it....
 
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As Salaam Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu

“And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers" [Aal ‘Imraan 3:85]

Among the most important symbols of this holiday:

1 – Expressing joy and happiness on this occasion, as on their other major festivals.

2 – Exchanging red roses, which are an expression of love, the “spiritual love” of the pagans or the “love” of the Christians. Hence it is known to them as the Feast of Lovers.

3 – The sending of greetings cards. On some of these cards are pictures of “Cupid”, who appears as a child with two wings, carrying a bow and arrows. This was the god of love of the pagan Romans – exalted be Allah far above their fabrications and their association of others with Him.

4 – Exchange of words of love and desire in the greetings cards which they send to one another, in verse, prose and short phrases. Some of the cards contain comical pictures and funny words, and they often contain the phrase “be my Valentine”. This represents the Christian concept of this festival after it was taken from the pagan concept.

5 – In many western countries, parties are held during the day and in the evening, where there is mixing of men and women, and dancing. Many of them send gifts such as roses and boxes of chocolates to their wives, friends and those whom they love.

Anyone who looks at what is said above about the myths surrounding this pagan festival will clearly understand the following:

Firstly: That its origins lie in the pagan beliefs of the Romans, where it was an expression of the spiritual love of the idols which they used to worship instead of Allah. Whoever celebrates it is celebrating an occasion of shirk on which the idols are venerated. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Verily, whosoever sets up partners (in worship) with Allah, then Allah has forbidden Paradise to him, and the Fire will be his abode. And for the Zaalimoon (polytheists and wrongdoers) there are no helpers” [al-Maa’idah 5:72]

Secondly: That the development of this festival among the Romans was connected to myths and legends which no sound mind can accept, let alone the mind of the Muslim who believes in Allah and His Messengers (peace be upon them). Can anyone of sound mind believe that a she-wolf suckled the founder of the city of Rome and gave him strength and wisdom. Moreover, these myths go against the belief (‘aqeedah) of the Muslim because the One Who bestows strength and wisdom is the Creator, may He be glorified and exalted, not the milk of a she- wolf! The same applies to the myth that their idols could protect them from evil or keep wolves away from their flocks.

Thirdly: Among the ugly rituals of the Romans on this day was the sacrifice of a dog and a goat, the daubing of their blood onto two youths then washing the blood off with milk, etc… This is something that would cause revulsion in anyone of a sound nature, and it is unacceptable to the sound mind.

Fourthly: The connection between Saint Valentine and this festival has been questioned by many sources, and it considered to be far from definite. It would have been better for the Christians to reject this pagan festival in which they imitated the pagans. So how about us Muslims, who are commanded to be different from the Christians and the pagans before them?

Fifthly: this festival was denounced by the Christian clergy in Italy, the bastion of Catholicism, because it was spreading bad attitudes and having an adverse effect on the minds of young men and women. So it is better for the Muslims to reject it, warn others against it and to fulfil their duty towards it of enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil.

http://www.missionislam.com/knowledge/valentinesday.htm

Allah Hafiz
Sister Fatima
 
Some here must lead an very trist life, no music, no love, no flowers, no holidays, no nothing... oh boy.
I like words like these: Ban everything non-islamic on islamic ground, but otherside, go on barricades when one try to ban headscarfs in a public school in a christian/secular country.
This gave me a good chuckle, hrhrhrhrhr !!

Peace
 
Osman said:
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My sentiments exactly.

People getting all hot and bothered about this, on both sides of the fence, truly need to lighten up.

Although in my view, Valentine's Day stopped being about love and romance and assorted mush and started being about big business at just about the same time Hallmark set up shop.
 
Alhumdulillah they are doing this :)

wilberhum love is to be shown everyday not just on 14th february. why single it out for one day
in islam love should be exspressed all the time. gifts should be brought all the time. not just one day.
 
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guyabano said:
Some here must lead an very trist life, no music, no love, no flowers, no holidays, no nothing... oh boy.
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No music, yes.
The rest of the things however, we enjoy very much. Just because we don't choose a specific day to celebrate the love we have with our husbands/wives/mothers/fathers/etc., doesn't mean we don't.
 
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guyabano said:
Some here must lead an very trist life, no music, no love, no flowers, no holidays, no nothing... oh boy.
I like words like these: Ban everything non-islamic on islamic ground, but otherside, go on barricades when one try to ban headscarfs in a public school in a christian/secular country.
This gave me a good chuckle, hrhrhrhrhr !!

Peace
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you obviously need to open your mind and learn how to read and interptet properly before you post? Who said anything about banning holidays, flowers , love, etc etc...another one who takes one part of a post and turns in into thier own predjudice..geez...
 
:sl:
Saudi has done a lot of stupid things.
Banning red things on V day is one of them.


I like certain concepts of V day, such as being nice to others around you. However, I'd much rather have that EVERY day of the year, as opposed to 364 days of depression and 1 day of chocolates and cards. Still I guess 1 day of happiness is better than none.

I'm certain I can make a satirical joke about V Day involving me, but I'm unable to do so. Perhaps I'm in need of some chocolates and cards.
 
Malaikah said:
Do they ban Christians from owning bibles too?
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Found it

"Saudi Arabia prohibits public non-Muslim religious activities. Non-Muslim worshipers risk arrest, imprisonment, lashing, deportation, and sometimes torture for engaging in overt religious activity that attracts official attention.

The Government has stated publicly, including before the U.N. Committee on Human Rights in Geneva, that its policy is to protect the right of non-Muslims to worship privately. However, non-Muslim organizations have claimed that there are no explicit guidelines for distinguishing between public and private worship, such as the number of persons permitted to attend and the types of locations that are acceptable. Such lack of clarity, as well as instances of arbitrary enforcement by the authorities, obliges most non-Muslims to worship in such a manner as to avoid discovery. Those detained for non-Muslim worship almost always are deported by authorities after sometimes lengthy periods of arrest during investigation. In some cases, they also are sentenced to receive lashes prior to deportation.

The Government does not permit non-Muslim clergy to enter the country for the purpose of conducting religious services, although some come under other auspices and perform religious functions in secret. Such restrictions make it very difficult for most non-Muslims to maintain contact with clergymen and attend services. Catholics and Orthodox Christians, who require a priest on a regular basis to receive the sacraments required by their faith, particularly are affected."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Status_of_religious_freedom_in_Saudi_Arabia#Status_of_religious_freedom

They confiscate bibles and torahs from tourists and get rid of any found.

So Ive come to two conclusions.
Saudi Arabia is a. incredibly wasteful, and
b. Fans of Saudi are the biggest hypocrites.
 
lol in all honesty i cant see how this will prevent the arabs from celebrating valentines. They can still do it with other colors, inshaAllaah its a step though.


lol its really funny


Assalamu Alaikum
 
Oh, just to add something. Like 99% of westerners/non muslims live in compounds. Saudi laws don't apply in these compounds. And in some private schools as well. They celebrate valentines day, christmas, halloween, easter, all that. They have dances, you can go swimming at the pool in a swimsuit, teenagers have parties.Compounds are like a little bit of the west in saudi.
 
hmmm5 said:
Valentine Day was a Pagan Celebration and not a Christian Celebration.
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Okay, fair enough. Let's say that it used to be a Pagan holiday and was usurped by Christianity.

So, you'll of course include circumambulation of the Ka'ba and its housing of the idols of Pagan Arabia until the usurpation of of it by the Prophet and re-dedication of it to Allah to be the exact same thing, right?

If not, then you aren't being consistent.[/QUOTE]
 
How is that the same thing? With valentines it's pagan-chrisitian. With the ka'abah it's muslim-pagan-muslim. The muslims were simply correcting what the pagans had done. It's not as if valentines day was originally a chrisitan holiday, then it became pagan, then christian again.

But seriously, though, what does this even have to do with anything? Does anyone even consider valentines day a chrisitan holiday? It's like saying halloween or mother's day are chrisitan holidays; they're not.
 
i think that the red wrapping thing is silly
but i can understand why they want to do that
it is in a muslim country after all
 
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