Indonesian Muslim authorities rule Valentine celebrations illegal

Feb 14, 2008, 5:48 GMT

Jakarta - Indonesia's highest Islamic council has declared Valentine's Day celebrations illegal, while a ban was issued by authorities in West Sumatra province on observances of the holiday in hotels and restaurants, local media reports said Thursday.

Ma'ruf Amien, chairman of the Indonesian Council of Ulemas (MUI), warned the country's Muslims the celebration of Valentine's Day is 'haram,' or prohibited by Islam.

Amien, who is also head of the council's commission of edicts, said the romantic holiday encouraged drunkenness and other types of immorality.

Meanwhile, West Sumatra's Bukittinggi municipal administration banned residents from celebrating Valentine's Day on grounds that such celebrations were contrary to local Minangkabau traditions and Islam, The Jakarta Post reported.

'The Valentine's Day celebration is not our culture as it usually relates closely to immoral acts where, during the celebration, young couples tend to hug and even kiss each other. This is an immoral act, right?' the Post quoted Ismet Amzis, Bukittinggi's deputy mayor, as saying.

A ban was imposed by the administration on cafes, restaurants, hotels and other tourist sites planning to hold Valentine's Day celebrations.

Amzis said the administration would enforce the existing regional regulations on 'immoral act eradication' and take companies that celebrated the day to court, while a number of permits already issued for Valentine's Day activity were revoked.

The city administration also planned to shut down a number of tourist spots, including the city's tourist icon Jam Gadang, which were known to attract visitors on Valentine's Day.

Some 100 public order officers would be deployed to closely monitor cafes, restaurants, hotels and other public places on Thursday, and authority was given to them to detain amorous young couples found on the streets or at tourist sites, Amzis said.

Bukittinggi Mayor Djufri urged parents not to let their sons and daughters go out on Thursday night. Instead, he urged schools to drive their students to mosques or prayer rooms to hear religious sermons 'for the sake of improving their morality.'

Nearly 90 per cent of Indonesia's 225 million people are Muslim, making it the country with the world's largest Muslim population. Most practice a tolerant form of the religion, which sometimes incorporates Hindu and animist beliefs.