Iran bans Valentine's Day in crackdown on ‘Western culture'

Iran has announced it has banned Valentine's Day celebrations in a bid to crack down on 'decadent Western culture.'

On Friday Iranian news outlets reported police released a directive warning retailers against promoting 'decadent Western culture through Valentine's Day rituals.'

Police reportedly ordered Tehran's coffee and ice cream shops trade union to prevent any gatherings in which men and women could exchange Valentine's Day gifts or they could be found guilty of a crime.

The annual February 14 homage to romance, named after an early Christian martyr, has become popular in Iran and other Middle East countries in recent years.

The backlash in the Islamic Republic is part of a drive against the spread of Western culture.

Though Saudi Arabia also sought to stamp out Valentine's Day,it is widely celebrated in nearby Dubai.

Meanwhile in Indonesia officials and clerics banned young Muslims from celebrating Valentine's Day, arguing that the observance runs against Islamic teachings.

In Banda Aceh, the capital of the devout Muslim province of Aceh, thousands of high school students held rallies rejecting the celebration of Valentine's Day.

Banda Aceh's mayor, Illiza Sa'aduddin Djamal, and Shariah officials joined Saturday's rallies, held in four locations in the city's downtown area.

'The Valentine's Day celebration has become a culture,' Illiza said. She added that the rallies were aimed at making young people aware that Valentine's Day is not part of Islamic culture.

The bans were imposed in many Indonesian cities. A similar rally by junior high school students was held in Surabaya, Indonesia's second-largest city.

In Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi province, a noted Muslim youth group, Pemuda Muslimin Indonesia, called on Muslims in the province to stay away from the celebration.

The influential Indonesian Council of Clerics has repeatedly declared the Feb. 14 celebration as an observance stemming from another faith, saying that celebrating it would be the same as promoting faiths other than Islam.

Nearly 90 percent of Indonesia's 265 million people are Muslims, with most practicing a moderate form of the faith.