Middle East News
No red roses in Riyadh: Saudi police bans Valentine's celebrations
Feb 11, 2010, 12:56 GMT
Riyadh - Saudi religious police launched a campaign Thursday to prevent hotels and stores from making any special preparations ahead of Valentine's Day, celebrated worldwide on February 14.
Flower shops are forbidden to sell red roses. Toy stores have hidden red teddy bears and sweet shops put away the heart-shaped boxes they sell throughout the year for fear that the religious police might seize them.
'Anyone who does not respond to our demands will be subjected to punishment,' announced the police spokesman, known as the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.
Each year, a few days before Valentine's Day, the commission warns shops, hotels and restaurants against celebrating it in any way. They also increase their presence in public parks and places where young people meet, to catch anyone who breaks the rules.
While gift shops comply with these rules, sales are reportedly up by 50 per cent over the past few days, despite the increasing prices that accompany the celebrations.
A few years ago, Saudi Arabia's top cleric, Sheikh Abdul-Aziz al-Sheikh described Valentine's Day as 'a pagan holiday.'
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