Saudi Arabia Bans Valentines Day
Written by OddCulture on February 12th, 2008 in Religion, Trainwrecks, black market, culture, travel.
Source: BBC
(image from cox and forkum)
Religious police in Saudi Arabia are banning the sale of Valentine’s Day gifts including red roses, a local newspaper has reported. The Saudi Gazette quoted shop workers as saying that officials had warned them to remove all red items including flowers and wrapping paper. Saudi authorities consider Valentine’s Day, along with a host of other annual celebrations, as un-Islamic.
Black market prices for roses were already rising, the paper said. The Saudi Gazette reported that some people placed orders with florists days or weeks before Valentine’s Day in anticipation of the ban, which is a regular occurrence. “Sometimes we deliver the bouquets in the middle of the night or early morning, to avoid suspicion,” one florist said.
Wow, it must really be a joy to live there.
