Valentine's Day banned by Saudis

Reuters, RiyadhSaturday February 14, 2004 The Guardian

Saudi Arabia's religious authorities have ordered Muslims to shun the "pagan" holiday of Valentine's Day so as not to incur God's wrath, the newspaper al-Riyadh reported yesterday.

"It is a pagan Christian holiday and Muslims who believe in God and judgment day should not celebrate or acknowledge it or congratulate [people on it]. It is a duty to shun it to avoid God's anger and punishment," said an edict issued by the fatwa committee and published in the Arabic-language daily.

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