http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/fe ... a.religion

The sale of red roses and red gifts has been banned by Saudi Arabia's
religious police in the run-up to Valentine's Day, reports a local
newspaper.

Officials from the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of
Vice warned flower and gift shops to remove all red items, including roses
and wrapping paper, from their shelves.

"They visited us last night," an unidentified florist told the Saudi
Gazette. "They gave us warnings and this morning we packed up all the red
items."

In Riyadh, the ban came into force on Sunday and will remain until after
February 14.

The authorities believe celebrating Valentine's Day is un-Islamic and
encourages relations out of wedlock, which are strictly forbidden.

The crackdown has pushed up the price of the flowers on the black market,
with some florists making deliveries in the middle of the night, the paper
said.

Couples defying the ban placed orders for red roses weeks before the
deadline. Some were sending online Valentine's cards, and others were
planning to celebrate the day in neighbouring countries, such as Bahrain,
which has a more liberal approach to Islamic law.

Saudi Arabia imposes a strict code which prevents unmarried men and women
from socialising together. Relations outside marriage are banned and
punishable by law.



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Don't they have anything better to do w/their time? I never knew the Prophet had anything against roses and chocolates, but there ya go!