Valentine’s Day is banned in Iran, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan. But these aren't the only places...
WHAT do Russia’s Belgorod province and some schools in Florida and Connecticut have in common? They are unlikely recruits to the war on Valentine’s Day. In 2011 the governor of Belgorod banned celebration of the holiday in educational and cultural institutions on the ground that it was inimical to Russian spirituality and morality. Last year two schools in Orange County, Florida, forbade Valentine’s gift-giving, citing such reasons as the need to “maintain instructional focus” and “avoid distraction”. And this year a school in Connecticut wrote to parents to say it would be replacing sweets and parties on February 14th with healthy snacks and academic activities.
This puts them all on the same side as many Muslim countries that have banned the celebration of Valentine’s Day, among them Iran, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan. Saudi Arabia has gone so far as to ban all things red from flowers and gift shops on the day—with little effect other than to create a black market for red roses. Tursunbai Bakir uulu, a member of Kyrgyzstan’s parliament, recently urged his fellow legislators to adopt a ban, too, dubbing Valentine’s Day a “holiday from the devil”.
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