MOSCOW - Muslim leaders in Russia have called for believers to boycott Saint Valentine's Day, saying it "preaches universal permissiveness, amorality and nihilism."
A council of Muslim leaders in Russia's Nizhny Novgorod region released a statement Wednesday calling for a "ban" on celebrating Valentine's Day, which is growing in popularity in Russia although it is not an official holiday.
"We call on all believers and sensible people to say no to celebrating this day, since it contradicts not only the norms of Islam, but also recognised human morality," the statement said.
The Muslim leaders also appealed to head teachers at the region's schools to cancel celebrations for "moral and ethical reasons."
Little known a decade ago, Valentine's Day is now big business in Russia, with stores selling heart-shaped trinkets and cards and restaurants laying on special menus.
In 2008 the wife of President Dmitry Medvedev, Svetlana Medvedeva, launched a rival holiday called the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity, which emphasises Orthodox Christian traditions.
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samir sheikh
said:
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I for one hate this holiday because it brings ideas that it is good to have boyfriends and girlfriends when the best option is to get married and have children. I am very much against this form of fidelity as it makes one feel sick and shameful. |
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