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Riyadh: Despite the fact the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (CPVPV), or the Religious Police, has banned the sale of red roses, often sold on Valentine's Day, which falls today, many Saudis differ as to whether it is appropriate to celebrate the occasion.
The Commission has wide authority including arrest and flogging.
The Saudi Gazette reported that CPVPV squads have ordered florists and gift shop owners in Riyadh to remove any items coloured scarlet, which is widely seen as symbolising love.
"They visited us last night," the paper quoted an unidentified florist as saying, referring to the Religious Police squads.
Iyman Al Rajab, a Saudi Radio presenter, told Gulf News that she rejects "celebrating love on a specific day of the year."
"This is a Western Christian tradition," she added.
Idol
Najla Al Jaber, a Sudanese medical doctor working in the kingdom, said that celebrating Valentine's Day did not run contrary to Islam as long as it was celebrated with the family at home.
"Why do we view priests with suspicion as if they are devils and not human beings who call for purity in Christian communities," she asked.
Sana Mustaph, a journalist, said that there were people who cast doubt as to the faith of anyone who celebrated Valentine's Day.
"They believe that a red rose exchanged between two lovers is a small idol they worship and that the couples deserve punishment," she said.
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