DETAILS OF VALENTINE OFFENDERS REVEALED
Riyadh, 19 Feb. (AKI) – The retaliation of the Saudi religious police against those flouting the ban on Saint Valentine festivities, announced last week by the local press, has struck some 30 shops in Jeddah, who were found clandestinely selling gifts and cards for the lovers’ fest. According to a report on the Saudi daily al-Medina, the religious police carried out various searches in the run-up to the 14 February celebrations. “Despite the circular from our ministry and the body for the promotion of virtue banning these celebrations we have found businessmen flouting this,” said a commerce ministry spokesman.
The offending shops were in the al-Balad and al-Hindawiah areas of the Red Sea port of Jeddah, where in out of sight they had supplies of red love cards and romantic presents which they sold secretly to a few trusted clients.
The religious police has fined the 30 shops, confiscating and burning all the material seized….
Italian news agency AKI carries this piece following-up an earlier one on how young Saudis are ignoring religious rulings forbidding the observance of Valentine’s Day. The religious authorities have gone after those selling—’aiding and abetting’, I guess—Valentine’s Day paraphernalia.
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February:19:2007 - 11:34
[...] Crossroads Arabia have also been very busy recently. In one week, they updated on the recent Valentine’s-day-related punishments, Adel Al-Jubeir’s formal assignment as Saudi ambassador to the US, HR groups protesting Saudi beheadings, cyber activism by Saudi women, and both forced divorce cases of Fatima and ex-husband Mansour, and Rania and ex-husband Saud. Regarding the most-recent death of celebrity Anna Nicole Smith, Yazeed seems to have had it with the obsessive media coverage of the case. He is disappointed with CNN’s Larry King and said: “Every night, every single night (I like to have CNN on when I sleep) that’s all he talks about, he has the same guests (almost), talking about the wacky case.” He also said that he is changing his “sleep channel” to Fox News. This whole craze has certainly turned some heads. Aya thinks that the media regards Anna Nicole’s death more important than Iraq. Speaking of Iraq, Ubergirl87 raised some very interesting questions, in a recent post, regarding the wartorn country. [...]
February:19:2007 - 11:34
There must be joke somewhere. The religious police prosecuting shopkeepers for carrying Valentine items? Recently, the small town of Herouxville, Quebec, Canada passed laws informing Muslims of what they can and cannot do. Muslim groups got very annoyed and protested at these municipal bylaws which they felt was insulting. When one reads what the Saidi Religious Police do to shopkeepers that carry Velentine items, its a far cry from Herouxville, Quebec, Canada, because the bylaws there are mild compared to what the Saudi Religious Police are doing. Muslims, please before you condemn some other country of discrimination, check out the Muslim countries that are harsh by contrast to Herouxville, Quebec, Canada. When making protests always keep in mind what Islamic countries are doing first.