Egypt: How does "The Prophet Mohammed's Day" ring? Al-Watan newspaper reports that some Islamists have suggested that Valentine's Day should be thus renamed, in a defensive measure as Valentine's gains in popularity in Egypt. The Islamists would divest Valentine's of its eroticism and consumerism, turning turn it instead into a broader love of humankind. It might include such activities as collecting toys for orphans. In this spirit, Al-Masri al-Yawn newspaper published a special issue called "Beautiful Egypt" that told of altruism and kindheartedness by Egyptians. That said, red Valentine's Day roses and "I love You" teddy-bears filled the stores Egyptian today. Also, the traditional women's accesssories in turquoise, black, green and pastel shades were supplanted temporarily by shades of red. (February 14, 2007)
Pakistan: Javeed Akhter, a Chicago-based physician, tells his surprise on going to Lahore, Pakistan on the evening of Valentine's Day, 2006.
The night was alive. Street vendors were selling heart-shaped balloons and roses in singles and dozens. Many of the shops were having Valentine's Day sales. Restaurants were announcing Valentine's Day parties. The Gymkhana Club, where my family was staying, had a Valentine's Day dinner where "enthusiastic couples" could win "fabulous prizes." The extent and level of the Valentine's Day celebration I witnessed that evening knocked my socks off! The celebrations were so huge they were like the Islamic holiday Eid.
He finds it remarkable "how fast Valentine's Day has gained popularity and how large it has grown." (February 18, 2007)
Jordan: Reformist intellectual Shaker Al-Nabulsi, puts in a rare good word for Valentine's in an article entitled "Happy Valentine's Day." Of particular interest is his recalling the Arabs' prowess at romance:
We are a nation whose men and women have loved as no other nation in history has loved. We are the nation that gave birth to the world's greatest love poets, to the extent that 70% of Arabic poetry consists of love poems. And in spite of this, our nation is forbidden to love, Valentine's Day is [considered] impure, love roses are cursed, and kisses of love are despised. The hostility towards love in the Arab world has grown so intense that it is forbidden to import red roses for this holiday, and [it is forbidden] to wear a red dress or kafiyeh, or to drive a red car on this day. The color red is despised on [Valentine's Day], even more than it was despised as the symbol of communism and the Soviet Union.
(March 1, 2007)
Kuwait: Supermarkets may sell Valentine's Day paraphernalia but the head of the National Assembly's Committee Monitoring Negative Alien Practices, an Islamist politician named Waleed Al-Tabtabae, seeks to censor all public displays concerning Valentine's Day. "We want to discuss measures that should be taken by these ministries to prevent such alien events from impacting Kuwaiti society and spreading corruption among the Kuwaiti youth." Another committee member, Jamaan Al-Harbash, contends that the holiday "spreads moral corruption." (February 11, 2008)
Mohammed Abdo, center, arranges flowers for Valentine's Day at a shop in Gaza City on Feb. 14, 2008.
The odds are stacked against Valentine's Day in Hamas-ruled Gaza: The holiday is considered "haram," or forbidden by Islam, most residents don't have money for frills and the requisite red roses are grown only beyond a closed border with Israel. Yet even Gazans managed to mark "Eid el Hob," or the Feast of Love, with a few splashes of red Thursday. Flower shops in Gaza City's better neighborhoods, displaying rows of flower-filled buckets and heart-shaped decorations, sold homegrown carnations to women in Islamic head scarves and dutiful husbands.
Hamas police looked the other way despite the religious taboo, reflecting the Islamic militants' policy of not going against popular consensus when it comes to social norms. … Valentine's Day was introduced to Gaza about a decade ago by Palestinian exiles returning from more cosmopolitan places such as Beirut and Tunis, following interim peace deals with Israel. The Internet and Arab satellite TV helped spread the idea, mostly among the young, educated and secular. Yet in Gaza, the holiday of love remains a relatively modest affair, in part because few Gazans can afford to spend on extras, such as candy and flowers.
At a flower shop in Gaza City's Rimal neighborhood, 24-year-old Mohammed al-Wakid bought a rainbow-colored bouquet of carnations for his wife for $1.30. That's a steal, even for Gaza, mainly because the territory is flooded with carnations that had been grown for export to Europe. … Al-Wakid, a policeman who's stayed off the job since the Hamas takeover, said he began buying flowers for Valentine's Day four years ago, when he was engaged. Since then, his wife has come to expect the gesture, he said.
Across the street at the Rose Flower Shop, two young women, one dressed in a black Islamic robe and head scarf, bought a bouquet of roses, a rare sight in Gaza. The shop had managed to bring in 500 roses from Israel, using Gaza medical patients treated in the Jewish state as "mules," and had about 50 roses left. Salesman Mohammed Sussi, 30, said he hadn't received any complaints about his business. "They didn't tell us anything, whether from the government or anyone else, that it is haram," he said.
But at a third flower shop, a TV crew earned angry glares from salespeople, and shoppers adamantly refused to be interviewed on camera. Asked why the reluctance, one salesman said his customers didn't want to be filmed doing something haram.
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