Middle East: Protesting Love · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Valentine's Day has come and gone, but in the Middle East, the debate still continues on whether it is an occasion which should be celebrated or shunned. With both Saudi Arabia and Kuwait warning against Valentine's Day celebrations, bloggers had a lot to talk about.
Kuwait:
Shopaholic Q8eya lashes out at the new restriction in this post from Arabic:
مع إني ما أحب الفالنتاين بس حامض على بوزكم راح أحتقل هالسنة
!!حرام، مو حرام راح نحتفل راح نحتفل
حامض على بوزكم بعد مرة و
Happy Valentine’s Day everybody
(Do what you want)
Happy Valentine's Day everybody
The blogger also posts the following picture of a banner places in Kuwait which reads:
No to Valentine's. Muslims, this celebration is Haram.
Saudi Arabia:
Brightlightz posts a CNN report on Saudi Arabia banning all things red ahead of Valentine's.
Egypt:
Egyptian Sandmonkey reacts to the news with a post entitled The Saudis are Cuckoo. He further explains:
Their religious police is banning red roses because they want to discourage people from celebrating Valentine's Day. Those damn sinners. Maybe now they will focus on their Rain Prayer.
Bahrain:
Ammar too isn't impressed with the Saudi crackdown on Valentine's and writes:
Last Valentine they banned all florists from selling red roses, but no goddamit they had to top it this year; so they went around and banned every single flower and gift shop from selling not only red roses, but ANYTHING red. Yup. If you wanted to buy a red box, for example? Well, tough. Want to wrap a gift in red? Nope. Want to just buy a red string? Nu uh, that ain't allowed either.
I have nothing for or against Valentine. I think it's a stupid occassion.. I ain't bothered. But to totally ban everything red ‘just in case’ some guy wants to buy his wife a flower? This ain't just about Valentine's day. This is about a bunch of retarded morons trying to impose rules that not only make for a really crappy quality of life, but end up causing half the problems that the youth of Saudi face today (who would otherwise grow up as really intelligent, hardworking people). Thanks for really screwing up Saudi, guys.
Still in Bahrain, Coolred38 cannot maintain her cool when she writes:
I remember a few years back a fatwa was released from Saudi clerics that forbid giving flowers to sick patients in the hospitals…it was a western idea and had nothin to do with Islam or Muslims…geez…hoping someone will forget their health troubles for a moment and enjoy looking at some beautiful flowers is such a haram thing to do…Im surprised they even let flowers grow in Saudi…anybody could just….pick them for Gods sake and take them home to their sick mother….whats the world coming to when you deem it a good deed to present flowers(oh those evil little buggers) to a hear and dear one….I think more prayers are in order….away with flowers i say…they lead to all sorts of “good feelings”…and Muslims are forbidden to feel good…
if your feeling good…your probably doing something haram…you sicko!
Hayat , also from Bahrain, adds her voice to the debate, saying that love is sacred – regardless of religion. She writes:
Elsewhere in the Middle East, the celebrations went uninterrupted.
Tunisia:
Magharebia takes us to Tunisia and reports that love is in the air.
For Tunisians young and old, the Valentine's Day celebration of love and romance is growing increasingly popular. In preparation for the February 14th event, retailers fill display windows with red hearts, teddy bears and woollen cats of different colours to tempt shoppers, while store owners greet enthusiastic customers with phrases such as “love is the dearest thing in life” and “lovers’ satisfaction is our mission”.
Bahrain:
Farah Mattar announces to the world that she enjoys the feelings of love. She writes:
On a day when the profoundly intelligent mullas across the causeway are busy mangling red roses and hunting down hormonal, repressed girls in crimson, we have the liberties to enjoy the day known as Valentines Day. Now regardless of all the retarded emails of warning that I’m going to get today on “do you know what you are celebrating?” and the history of St. Valentine and what it really meant and how it is the end of Islamic civilization, if I give my husband a rose; in spite of all this stupidity, the overpriced balloons at Al Osra, and the Styrofoam hearts in restaurants, I think what today makes me think of, whether I like it or not, is love.
Jordan:
From Jordan, Qwaider has advice to his female readers. He says:
Ladies… very simple questions …
1) Define your best Valentine's day event
2) Define your PERFECT gift.
Be as frank as you like
Dubai:
Qatar Cat, who lives in Dubai, introduces a Secret Love Calculator, to her amourous readers. She explains:
I am reintroducing my hugely successful Valentine day calculator again this year. All you have to do is click on the link, follow simple steps – and all your Valentine day dilemmas will be solved!
And even if you are not planning on giving a card this year, this might help you guess whether you will be getting one!
Turkey:
And last but not least, mersenne_twister shares two Turkish songs celebrating love to mark the day.
Related Global Voices Online articles:
Palestine: Celebrating Valentine's Day
From Morocco, With Love