Lighten Up!
More from Arab Times – guys, it’s just for fun. It’s just a day for sweet cards and taking your sweetie out for dinner – this isn’t a pagan anything.
Seeing red on roses … Group warns on Valentine’s Day
KUWAIT : Thawabet Al Umma, an Islamic group, has condemned the celebration of Valentine’s Day and warned the media against misguiding Muslims by “glorifying such pagan practices.” The media is playing an important role in popularizing such celebrations and leading Islamic nations on the path of disbelief, the group added. “Such traditions are imported from the West, and people blindly follow them without looking into the good and bad aspects. Participating in such celebrations will tarnish the image of Islam.”
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What really gets to me is that when it isn’t within their agenda, its haram and pagan and we shouldn’t “follow blindly”. but then when you ask them a question about religion, about your faith, they tell you “it is that way and you shouldn’t question it.”
They make it seem as if we are all stupid and following the west blindly, that we are animals without minds to make our own decisions and that they are put there by God to “lead us to the holy light”.
I propose sending red roses and heart shaped chocolate boxes to all those that complained, show them a little love and maybe they will enjoy Valentine this year.
*Yawns* This happens every year.
[…] WriteMinded wrote an interesting post today on Lighten Up!Here’s a quick excerpt More from Arab Times – guys, it’s just for fun. It’s just a day for sweet cards and taking your sweetie out for dinner – this isn’t a pagan anything. Seeing red on roses … Group warns on Valentine’s Day KUWAIT : Thawabet Al Umma, an Islamic group, has condemned the celebration of Valentine’s Day and warned the media against misguiding Muslims by “glorifying such pagan practices.” The media is playing an important role in popularizing such celebrations and leading Islamic nations on the path […]
Pingback by Valentine » Blog Archive » Lighten Up! | February 12, 2008 |
These guys are going way overboard. But if I may say so, I spent most of my childhood and all my teenage years in the “West”, where people would always make a big fuse about Valetines/Mothers/Fathers/etc days, but I never did care about days like that. I mean why should I love my loved ones more on those days, why not show my affection everyday. I wake up everyday loving my Parents more and more and days like that don’t change anything. This Islamic group is trying to deliver the same message but in the wrong way.
ARGHHHHHHH!
Will that all stop me 😀 ?
Chirp – You know, we have those same people. Ignorant, quick to blame, quick to preach, and a lot of them barely know their own book.
Don Veto – Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant. I love it. I also think they each need a teddy bear!
3baid – it does? Really?
Bader – LOL! You sound like my father! He thinks Hallmark invented Grandparents day to sell cards – but he NEVER let a Valentine’s Day go by without a card and flowers for my Mom.
Kinano – LLLOOOOLLLLLL!
I am guessing it won’t stop you, Amu! But I think of the big Lebanese celebration at the Movenpick – just a great time, a chance to dress up, have a nice dinner, wave at some friends – what a pity when great social evenings get cancelled, as it did at New Years. . . private parties! Cancelled!
Excuse my vulgar language but I’d like to say: F*** Them.
Angelo – Here is what I think is funny. If you read Hadith, the prophet Mohammed seems to have been a man who was nice to women. The kind of man who might pick a rose on Valentine’s day to bring a smile to his wife’s face. He seems very kind, very compassionate. WWMD?
wmd? weapons of mass destruction? How did that get into this story? 😛 LOL
And yes the Prophet peace be upon him was indeed very kind and compassionate and gentle despite being intelligent and passionate about his cause and despite being brave enough to bear the persecution of those who stood against him.
I personally would never advise people not to celebrate Valentines. But I can see why some people feel strongly about it. There’s a sense of protectionism over our own heritage. See people don’t make as big a fuss over the first day of the Islamic calendar as they do over New Years or Valentine’s day. The problem is that things like New Years and Valentines are global in scope and hence more commercial so there’s more of a big deal surrounding them than Islamic holidays.
lol..Maybe that will happen to me t0o once I get married 🙂
I hope nobody minds if I poke my head in here and add my $.02, as a muslim who was raised with the typical western holidays.
The reason that muslims aren’t supposed to celebrate “official” western holidays isn’t because some of them aren’t fun and relatively innocent. It’s because we’re given the two Eids to celebrate – something that isn’t done enough of, in my opinion…actually we used to celebrate Eid in far more style and intimacy with friends and family in the west than I’ve seen here.
Western holidays have become awfully commercialized, giving many people reason to shy away from them for that reason alone. There’s nothing wrong with taking your sweetie out – but there doesn’t need to be a designated day for it either. There’s things that are supposed to be done regularily, just because you love your spouse..and you’re right..the prophet Muhammad (pbuh) WAS wonderful to his wives…this is well known…lol I was listening to a lecture series called “the romantic prophet” and no doubt about it – none of us women would have been complaining, not with him as a husband! Everything from food fights to intimate moments to racing horses to teasing and understanding…he definitely wasn’t one to shy away from romance or expression thereof.
we’re just taught that as muslims, there doesn’t need to be a designated day for it, that’s all. And yup…just like in any faith..some things you just need to accept, that’s why they call it “faith”..because it’s belief in something unseen. I don’t necessarily agree with some muslim’s ideas of “that’s how it is, don’t question it, we don’t”…I think that’s a bit ignorant, and people ask questions because they look for answers – that’s not an answer – but I do agree that on some issues, acceptance and living faith in it’s entirety is where it’s at. Sometimes there just isn’t a reason that makes sense to me…maybe someday I’ll get it…sometimes I get it now….and maybe someday I get to see the puzzle picture that Allah puts together…whereas right now I just see a piece or two that doesn’t make much sense. I figure He knows me better than I do…so I follow and let Him lead, you know?
[…] we should lighten up. We should take things less seriously. We should always compromise and accept new questionable […]
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i really dnt see the problem of celebrating it, ya3ni ok some people may do things they shouldnt be doing, against tradition blah blah *snore* but it shouldnt be bad or made such a taboo, on al watan tv they had this show, this religous man was talking abt how valentines is the root of all evil and how love doesnt exist etc etc i only lasted the intro as i was feeling my brain cells commiting suicide rather rapidly
idiots
LOLLL @ “brain cells commiting suicide rather rapidly” Princess. I love Kuwaiti/Gulf traditions . . . let’s see more of them! More pearling, free markets like the old days, open international trading, let’s learn all the old songs, have a poetry reading contest. Let’s give the camel races some publicity, so we can all attend. Let’s have some dinner boats out along the Gulf, and an honest-to-God Kuwaiti restaurant with Kuwaiti cuisine. There is room for a whole lot of tradition here, and I just don’t see Valentine’s Day being a big threat to Islamic traditions or Kuwait culture.
Oh by the way, Valentine’s Day honestly isn’t that important to me. I don’t care a whole lot, other than I love having dinner with my husband, which I believe is also very Kuwaiti, very Islamic. I just hate to see us quarreling over trivial things while bigger issues go unmentioned.
Yousef, you are welcome to your opinion. I had to check your blog to see if it was you or Mishary who helped his wife bake the Martha Stewart cookies for his Mom. Now THAT is a sweet Valentine!
I left a comment yesterday but it didn’t get posted. I tried to leave it again and then it said it was a duplicate or something of the sort. Strange, I don’t see it here.
As long as they don’t do anything stupid like bother the stores or restaurants, they should be free to condemn all they want.
W’WMD’ always gives me a good laugh.
Ofcourse, i agree, that was sweet 🙂 its always nice to share life with a loved one. i’m not against love and happiness lol my only concern is that why should we celebrate this occasion when we have nothing to do with it? nothing at all!
i mean look, you’ve got to see it from our standpoint as Kuwaitis and Muslims. how is celebrating a pagan or Christian priest’s memory relevant to us? Lets leave this pagan issue aside. Why would I want to Celebrate St. Valentine’s memory? If it represents love and compassion then I really ought to be looking forward to our Eids! where love and compassion is not only directed at one person but to our families, friends and even the poor….. etc.
and I’m sorry, But what princess said “how valentines is the root of all evil and how love doesnt exist.” Thats not what that guy said. He did not say love doesn’t exist. no need to make the guy sounds like an idiot just because u don’t agree. 🙂
oh, and Happy Valentine’ Day in advance 🙂
GE&B – You are right, everyone is entitled to their heartfelt opinion. 🙂 Glad I could make you smile.
Thank you, Yousef! And the funny thing is, I really don’t care about Valentine’s Day one way or another, other than having a nice dinner with my husband. But Kuwait, from what my Kuwaiti friends tell me, used to be a very tolerant country, peopled by merchants, travelers, women who worked while their husbands were at sea, and Kuwait accommodated all kinds of visitors and cultures. My friends tell me it was a very sophisticated society, a port town, and a very gracious and hospitable place.
I can understand that Valentine’s Day might be considered “innovation”, but it is NOT worship! It is cultural, not religious. And IMHO, harmless.
I appreciate that you disagree in such a gentlemanly manner, Yousef. 🙂
Eid Al Valentine Mubarak to the near as well as the not so dear ones!
LLLOOOLLL, BL!