Comments on: Yearly Suppression of Valentine’s Day Stories

By: Michel

Michel — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 17:05:05 +0000

Aafke thank you for that funny (but how realistic) story !
That reminds me of the Sultanate of Oman where they have their own section of the Black Hand but sometimes, that’s true, they missed one square inch of skin, can you believe it ?
As for the Islamic Republic of Pakistan they do not seem to have one; all those shameful magazines were available without any censorship…
A strange world indeed.

By: Aafke

Aafke — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 00:38:10 +0000

John, the blacking out of offensive body-parts is done by the ”Black Hand” I’ve researched the hidden history of this ancient, little known secret branch of the haya.
http://clouddragon.wordpress.com/2008/08/27/the-black-hand/

I am not at all keen on Valentine, until I heard about the yearly Saudi Crackdown, and the whole thing became so much more exciting!
I’m sure in those circumstances, any bloke who would bring down a red rose for me would be far more admired as the losers here who only have to go to a shop and get a really nice velvety one for $1,50 and perfectely legal!!!!!

By: Love in distress, Saudi religious police comes to the rescue! « Clouddragon

Love in distress, Saudi religious police comes to the rescue! « Clouddragon — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 00:31:17 +0000

[...] origin of Valentine’s day. Hmmm, it has changed a lot! And John Burgess has a nice bit on the yearly Valentine crack-down which must make the whole Valentine experience so much more exciting and fun for those in Saudi [...]

By: Islam And The West

Islam And The West — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 15:12:26 +0000

Islam And The West Accelerated Links…

Crossroads Arabia with news from Saudi on the banning of Valentine’s Day….

By: DW

DW — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 07:37:05 +0000

I fear that I should like a conspiracy nut, but its a fact that they (governments) even try to control the Internet.

I cross my fingers for the day we lose all the proxy and the censorship in Saudi internet access.. it only increases the cost of operating it, leaves it open for flagging abuses (some users make blocking requests for any sight they might disagree with) and also it provides sup par network at high end user cost.

By: John Burgess

John Burgess — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 04:23:13 +0000

That’s true. When officials of any stripe try to enforce judgments or laws that are intrinsically dumb, people lose respect for the authorities and the law. And, of course, they find ways around the barriers, just like the Internet is supposed to do.

By: Tom Carter

Tom Carter — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 00:14:22 +0000

I’ve read a couple of stories about suppression of Valentine’s Day in a number of countries, including Saudi Arabia and Egypt. I wonder how many couples in those countries observe Valentine’s Day in some way in private. Probably a lot. It’s just too nice a day, with nice sentiment, for many people to ignore, no matter what official and religious policy may be.

By: Grace

Grace — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 15:48:17 +0000

There is nothing in the Quran or Hadith that indicates a need for, or gives birth to a “mission” for religious police- at least nothing I’m aware of. This whole concept is a “innovation” to use a religiously loaded word.

I am probably in the minority, but it would not suprise me at all if they took bribes etc. And I really do wonder what they do with all the porn and alcohol they “confiscate”. It is a common belief that they are recruiting from the prisons and many people DO percieve them as thugs. This is part of why they now have to have a police escort. Because people (at least Jeddah people) started attacking them.

By: John Burgess

John Burgess — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 15:14:24 +0000

Yes, by focusing on the trivial, the Commission lends itself to mockery. Mockery leads to contempt. Contempt leads to ignoring what it preaches or, more actively, doing the opposite. That is simple human nature.

I’ve always had this vision in my head of vast warehouses packed with third-world workers armed with felt-tip pens, assiduously covering bare flesh with their black ink, all to spare the sensibilities of adult Saudi men and women, most of whom–I’m willing to bet–have seen a totally naked body once or twice in their lives. Shock at the sight of a bare arm or leg is something that the West feigned during the Victorian period, which also holds pretty high marks for moral depravity!

By: John Burgess

John Burgess — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 15:10:22 +0000

You are, of course, right and it’s a point I try to keep making in talking about Saudi Arabia. Saudi society is deeply conservative and religious. While the Haya may be seen as extreme, it is generally not seen as a bunch of out of control thugs, out to spoil everyone’s fun.

Because its mission can be traced back to Quranic verses, most people are not likely to challenge its existence or its goals. The criticism comes from just how the religious police are interpreting Islam, not that they are doing it.