Saudi Banned the Color Red for Valentine’s Day

• Orjans Morjan
  February 12th, 2008 at 9:40 am

  “this one that encourages immoral relations between unmarried men and women”
  So how does one get married exactly?

  Thought control police, out to get you!

• Pudifoot
  February 12th, 2008 at 9:55 am

  orjans: it’s easy. your parents arrange the marriage shortly after you are born. that makes things much easier.

• just a guy
  February 12th, 2008 at 10:07 am

  “instructing them to remove red roses, red wrapping paper, gift boxes and teddy bears. On the eve of the holiday, they raid stores and seize symbols of love.”

  OMG! This so sounds like cartoon villianry. Can the care bears / Starberry Shortcake / My Little Ponies / etc save the day ?!

• Skully
  February 12th, 2008 at 11:13 am

  Valentines day causes almost as many deaths as religion…

• VonSkippy
  February 12th, 2008 at 12:41 pm

  Just when you think religious freaks couldn’t become any stupider, they prove you wrong.

  Hat’s off to these people who are sooooo stupid to let their fairytale police completely fark their lives - good job!!!

• John Carter
  February 12th, 2008 at 1:26 pm

  Obviously someone needs a hug in Saudi Arabia. I know! Lets all send them valentines!

  Ambassador Adel A. Al-Jubeir
  Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia?
  601 New Hampshire Avenue,
  NW?Washington, DC 20037

  King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz
  c/o The Equestrian Club of Riyadh
  PO Box 26323, ?
  Riyadh, 11486 ?
  The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

  Love, love will bring us together…

• Nate Deviate
  February 12th, 2008 at 1:53 pm

  That is the most silly thing i have ever heard of. This is what god does to people. Makes them act like they are all whacked out on goof balls. FREAKS. the whole lot of them.

• Vako
  February 12th, 2008 at 1:57 pm

  I am very thankful I live in the West.

  Happy Valentines to all you kooky creatures, by the way. I’ll be alone.

• Tom
  February 12th, 2008 at 2:13 pm

  Can this crap get any more sensationalized? I guarantee everyone who left a comment is inundated with Western ideology and has probably never even met a Muslim. Typical ignorant portrayal of another culture’s way of life.

• owen
  February 12th, 2008 at 2:22 pm

  “I guarantee everyone who left a comment is inundated with Western ideology and has probably never even met a Muslim”.
  I dated a muslim.
  I doubt they would have been impressed with this either. Stupidity is pretty universal.

• Christophe
  February 12th, 2008 at 2:44 pm

  I know a lot of Muslims. Most of them are “westernized”. But they have a huge peer pressure to go back to the litteral application of the Coran. Most of them keep on their life, some more fragile go radical.

  Can Islam get modern? Tough question.

• Oomi
  February 12th, 2008 at 2:58 pm

  #6 ♥

• VonSkippy
  February 12th, 2008 at 3:25 pm

  @Tom (#9)
  Can you predict tomorrows Lotto numbers too?

• Jacques
  February 12th, 2008 at 5:16 pm

  It ain’t about islam people, islam is the vehicle. It’s about culture. It’s the culture that’s ridiculous. The religion is just silly, much in the same way that xtianity or judaism or scientology is silly.

• emptyminded
  February 12th, 2008 at 6:50 pm

  Our “western” culture is predicated upon the ideal that “western” society is improved by the cooperation of people of diverse beliefs. This concept was first put forth by the formation of the Mayflower Compact. Our current system of goverment is formed to protect the rights of the minority from being forced to adopt the belief systems of the majority. I believe this is why the behaviors described within the article chaffe our asses so.

  It isn’t about Islam. It’s about one group forcing their beliefs on another group under threat or penalty of harm. I don’t see a difference between the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice actions and those of the KKK enforcing Jim Crow rules. It goes against universal harmony.

  This is expressed in “eastern” thought as well:

  “Thus the Master is available to all people and doesn’t reject anyone.”

  “The moral man does something, and when no one responds he rolls up his sleeves and uses force.”

  “Whoever relies on the Tao in governing men doesn’t try to force issues or defeat enemies by force of arms.”

  Our “western” culture does not always live up to the ideals upon which it is founded. However, we do not issue idicts of death upon those who insult us with words.

• Radin
  February 12th, 2008 at 7:09 pm

  Everyone above me except for Tom isn’t getting the message. I’m a Muslim. There’s a reason behind what the Saudi police are doing. They are removing the inhibitors before they can take effect.

  Islam is about intention. We get rewarded if we intend to do something but don’t do it. We get praised if we think of doing something bad, and then we have a mental battle and don’t do that thing. And I don’t mean just thinking up bad choices and getting freebies. Allah (Arabic for god) knows what we think.

  Think of what Western society has become. Love here starts with a glance. Then a conversation. Then a hug. Then a date. Then a kiss. Then intercourse. Next thing you know, you become a slut with AIDS and end up with three illegimate children before college.

  Islam requires deep devotion. There’s no halfway mark. It’s all or nothing. If you don’t accept any one of the teachings, then you’re not a Muslim. To Owen, that Muslim you dated probably wasn’t a true Muslim or had a very weak faith.

  Words from the Qu’ran (that’s how it’s spelled Christophe) say that there shall be no celebration or festivals outside of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. That may sound mean, but Eid a-Adha is half a week long and Eid al-Fitr is a whole month! Anything else shouldn’t be taken seriously, or even better, ignored.

• just a guy
  February 12th, 2008 at 10:11 pm

  “Think of what Western society has become. Love here starts with a glance. Then a conversation. Then a hug. Then a date. Then a kiss. Then intercourse. Next thing you know, you become a slut with AIDS and end up with three illegimate children before college.”

  Are you aware of how ignorant this makes you sound?

• anathema
  February 12th, 2008 at 10:23 pm

  “To Owen, that Muslim you dated probably wasn’t a true Muslim or had a very weak faith.”

  Only I have the true faith! Only I know the correct path!

• ted
  February 12th, 2008 at 10:42 pm

  I just assumed this was bogus. But, then, you never know…

  I would be less concerned about unmarried men and women mingling in public than of unmarried men and women mingling in private.

  As for sluts with AIDS and three bastard children - is that the kind of exaggeration that colours the Muslim way of thinking about the western world? It reminds me of the “there are no homosexuals in Iran” idea.

• Farihah
  February 13th, 2008 at 12:14 am

  “Islam requires deep devotion.. It’s all or nothing. If you don’t accept any one of the teachings, then you’re not a Muslim.”

  I am a Muslim too and this is not entirely true, Radin. One Muslim should not tell another Muslim (or any other person from any religion, for that matter) that they don’t have faith. It is true that Islam requires deep devotion, but it’s a devotion between you and God alone; He is the only judge of character.

  In the Qur’an itself, several verses mention that one should consistently focus on his/her own rightful actions and purifying one’s own heart. If we judge other people or try to force others to act in a certain way, it hurts our relationships with people and can distract us from improving our own faith.

  It’s unfortunate that some so-called “conservative Muslims” around the world don’t fully actualize all of the ideals in the Qur’an they claim to know so well. If we looked at all of the book and not just parts, you’ll find that Islam is a balanced religion. It’s the practice of Islam by Muslims today that is flawed, but then again, all of us are less than ideal in our own respects.

  I, too, believe that these restrictions made by Saudi officials are ridiculous. I appreciate that some of you aren’t judging the whole of Muslims by this stuff, though, even though I know it’s hard to be open-minded after hearing things like this.

• Barbwire
  February 13th, 2008 at 12:26 am

  I know a few Muslims, among them a woman who was a university professor in Afghanistan. She was forced to flee with her daughter when the Taliban took over. She had committed the sin of being an educated woman.

• Coyote
  February 13th, 2008 at 9:00 am

  Think of what Islam society has become. Love here starts with a glance. (Best hope the Virtue police didn’t see) Then a conversation. (Best hope they didn’t hear) Then a hug. (Your pushing your luck) Then a date. (Hope it was at a secluded spot) Then a kiss. (Getting awfully brave) Then intercourse. (Well now you’ve done it) Next thing you know, you’re being dragged out into the street and executed publicly for your brazen acts against the all might all knowing “god”. Never mind the fact that the ones doing the “judgment” are only acting of their own will.

• Woman
  February 13th, 2008 at 10:20 am

  I was going to say something horrible about Islam but Coyote’s comment made me feel better

• aerio
  February 13th, 2008 at 12:33 pm

  Too many people in this comment section are speaking about this country like it is a golden idol held up by all Muslims.

  Do some culture wading before you write up your dissertations.

Want your own avatar? Get one for free at Gravatar!