Indonesian Clerics Declare Valentine's Day Verboten

From onIslam:

CAIRO – Muslim scholars in the Indonesian province of Aceh have taken a strict position against celebrating the Valentine’s Day, describing the occasion as a threat to Islamic values and Shari`ah.

“It is haram for Muslims to observe Valentine’s Day because it does not accord with Islamic Shari`ah” Tgk Feisal, general secretary of the Aceh Ulema Association (HUDA), told The Jakarta Globe on Monday, February 6.

Valentine's Day is a holiday celebrated on February 14, by many people throughout the world.  

In the West, it is the traditional day on which lovers express their feelings for each other.   

Feisal said Islam teaches Muslims to express love all through their lives and not to commit it to a certain day or event.  

“Therefore, Islam’s younger generation should not participate in the celebration of a foreign festivity,” Feisal said.  

Islam does recognize happy occasions that bring people closer to one another, and add spice to their lives. 

However, Islam goes against blindly imitating the West regarding a special occasion such as Valentine’s Day...