KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 14 — Muslim youths should not celebrate Valentine’s Day as it is against the teachings of Islam, PAS Youth chief Nik Mohamad Abduh Nik Abdul Aziz said today.
Pointing out that there was a fatwa against it already, he added that young Muslim couples should abstain from the practice as it originated from Christianity.
“That is a part of Islamic law and a fatwa that we... we don’t encourage the youth to celebrate it because it’s against Islam and because it originated from Christianity,” he said during a press conference at the PAS headquarters today.
The Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) has consistently opposed the celebration of Valentine’s Day among Muslims, claiming it possesses Christian elements.
The global celebration was banned during the 71st meeting of the National Fatwa Council Committee for Islamic Affairs in 2005.
An anti-Valentine’s campaign called “Mind the Valentine’s Day Trap” has also been held by Jakim since 2011, where volunteers approach youths to warn them of the celebration’s alleged danger.
In addition, previous sermons had accused the day of originally for worshipping ancient Roman deities, or celebrating the fall of Muslim rule in Cordoba, Andalusia, now in modern-day Spain.
Islamic enforcement agencies also regularly hold raids on budget hotels and public parks, detaining and charging unmarried Muslim couples for khalwat, or being in close proximity with opposite sex.
Originally a celebration of a Christian saint, Valentine’s Day has long taken a commercial nuance to celebrate romantic love and is vastly popular in East Asia.
