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Islamists Blast Valentine's Day

Jeremy Reynalds, Ph.D. - 2/14/2008

While millions of men and women are gearing up for a happy Valentine’s Day, the same cannot be said for Muslims.

A number of Islamic Internet forums are issuing dire pronouncements about the dangers of celebrating Valentine’s Day.

An article on one bulletin board reads , “Valentine's day has its origin and significance in the sacrifices of a Christian personality” (How terrible!).

The commentary continues, “This in itself will quite clearly illustrate to any Muslim ... how repugnant any involvement or recognition of such a day is, and to what extent it goes against the spirit of Islam. It has always been the Christian and Jewish aim to get Muslims to forfeit their identity and take to heart un Islamic practices, as elaborated in the words of Allah Ta'ala, ‘The Christians and Jews will never be happy with you until you follow their ways.’”

The writer says that the appropriate Islamic response is, “‘O Believers, do not take as friends the Christians and Jews … he amongst you who will befriend them is of them (and not of us Muslims).’”

The author of the article says that Valentine’s Day (the festival of love) is an expression of what the pagan (that means anyone other than Muslims) believe to be “divine love.”

The article provides a little history on Valentine’s Day. It reads, “This festival was invented more than 1700 years ago, at a time when paganism was still prevalent among the Romans. Whilst their state was still idolatrous, they executed Saint Valentine, who had converted to Christianity after having been a pagan.”

The article continues, “When the Romans converted to Christianity, they made the day of his execution an occasion to celebrate the martyrs of love. This festival is still celebrated in America and Europe, to declare feelings of friendship and to renew the covenant of love between spouses and lovers. This festival now has great social and economic significance.”

So what are Muslims supposed to do? The author tells them, writing, “Muslims are advised to distinguish themselves in their external appearance, adopting Islamic ways and methods in all their affairs ... By this, it is meant that Muslims are recognized and identified by a single religious culture or code, which is purely Islamic.”


Islamic couples celebrating their wedding anniversary are also criticized in this article, and accused of “imitating the (heathen).”

So what’s it like to be a woman in the Islamic faith? Apparently pretty miserable! While a writer on another Islamic forum encouraged men to treat their spouses nicely, another participant in the forum didn’t agree. He wrote that trouble occurs when you treat women “too nicely.”

He said that if you give women an inch then they want a mile, so there needs to be a balance. The writer commented (sic), “So there needs to be a balance. Try to straighten them (and) you break them. Be too harsh, then you don’t get to enjoy them. I think some men aren’t men no more and some women aren’t women no more. This society makes women too feminist; too much equality where equality isn’t appropriate, i.e. women bus drivers, women football teams, women ruling nations, etc.”

He added, “I believe this has (an) effect on Muslim women, and sometimes women are forced to resume the role of the man (because) the man ain’t man enough. (Heathen) women are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, arresting Muslim men in house raids. If that ain’t HUMILIATION, then what is?”

I can answer that question. It appears that the most humiliating thing in Islam is being a woman. So with that in mind, the best thing for an Islamic woman’s safety and sanity is to leave “the fold.” Not only might you save your life, you can even celebrate Valentine’s Day!