"Der er ikke behov for Valentinsdag blandt muslimer"

For mit vedkommende har jeg altid set den fremvoksende skik med Valentinsdag som endnu et slebent trick fra blomster- og chokoladeforhandlernes brancheforenings side for at støvsuge folks lommer for kontanter, i stil med Mors Dag. Et irritationsmoment, men på den anden side også ganske sødt.

Andre steder i verden ser man dog anderledes alvorligt på sagen. I Indien og Pakistan vækker dagen således vrede blandt hinduer og muslimer:

,Religious activists in India and Pakistan have begun separate protests against Valentine's Day celebrations, saying they are an insult to Hinduism and Islam.

In Bombay, members of the right-wing Shiv Sena group raided shops and burned Valentine's Day cards.(...)

In Pakistan, the student wing of the fundamentalist Islamic party Jamaat-e-Islami also called for a ban on Valentine's Day celebrations.

Khalid Waqas Chamkani, a leader of the wing in North-West Frontier Province, said: "This is a shameful day. The people in the West are just fulfilling and satisfying their sex thirst."

I Malaysia og Brunei er muslimske ledere stærkt bekymret:

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Religious officials are urging couples in Muslim-majority Malaysia and Brunei to shun Valentine's Day, saying it conflicts with Islamic principles and could cause moral erosion.

There are no laws banning Wednesday's celebration in either country, which advocate moderate Muslim teachings, but some officials noted that Saint Valentine was a Christian and feared that romantic revelries might prompt impure behavior among young people.

"From the point of view of Islam, this is not an advisable practice," said Muhammad Ramli Nuh, a state lawmaker who belongs to the ruling United Malays National Organization. "Unmarried couples might come together and mingle with each other in unacceptable ways."

In neighboring Brunei, spiritual leaders used mosque sermons last Friday to express concerns that couples "might not just send greetings and gifts but ... go beyond the limit and even engage in promiscuous activities."

"It is sad to note that we also celebrate such an occasion without knowing its origin, whether it is permissible in Islamic beliefs or otherwise," the imams said in a message carried by Brunei media. "Valentine's Day is not a celebration needed among Muslims."

Så ved vi det. Så hvis nogen bliver bebrejdet, at han ikke har husket at købe blomster, chokolade, hjerteformede kort etc., kan han altid følsomt undskylde sig med, at han ikke ønsker at krænke religiøse mindretal.