Forbidden love: Valentine's Day ban for
some in Muslim-majority Indonesia
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[February 14, 2017]
By Benjamin Weir and Kanupriya Kapoor
JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesian authorities
in parts of the Muslim-majority nation have confiscated condoms and
banned students from celebrating Valentine's Day, saying the romantic
tradition encourages casual sex and runs counter to cultural norms.
In the city of Makassar on Sulawesi island, police raided minimarts and
seized condoms that were readily available in most parts of Indonesia, a
secular country whose state ideology enshrines religious diversity.
"These raids were done after we received reports from residents that the
minimarts were selling condoms in an unregulated way, especially on
Valentine's Day," Makassar police official Jufri was quoted as saying in
a media report.
He added employees of the minimarts were told not to sell contraceptives
to teenagers, the report said.
Indonesia's highest Islamic clerical council declared Valentine's Day
forbidden by Islamic law in 2012, saying it was contradictory to Muslim
culture and teachings.
But the vast majority of Indonesia's more than 220 million Muslims
follow a moderate form of Islam in a country with sizeable Christian and
Hindu minorities.
In Indonesia's capital, Jakarta, and other parts of the country,
Valentine's Day has grown in popularity with companies looking to cash
in by offering special discounts and promotions.
For example, national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia is offering a 15
percent discount on air fares this week and motor bike delivery services
are promoting week-long discounts to send flowers and chocolates to
loved ones.
Rights groups have expressed concerns over the growing influence of
Islamist groups, who have targeted how people lead their lives. A
hardline group went around malls in East Java late last year to check
whether outlets had ordered Muslim staff to wear Christmas apparel such
as Santa hats.
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A Muslim student holds a poster during a protest against Valentine's
Day celebrations in Surabaya, Indonesia, February 13, 2017 in this
photo taken by Antara Foto. Antara Foto/Zabur Karuru/ via REUTERS
In Indonesia's second largest city, Surabaya, government officials
ordered schools to ban students from celebrating Valentine's Day "in
or outside of school" because it ran counter to "cultural and social
norms", according to a copy of the letter on the city's official
website.
A similar letter was also sent to public education agencies and
schools in West Java province, according to a statement on the
provincial government's website. West Java is the country's most
populous province.
West Java and other provinces, such as Aceh, which is the only
province in Indonesia to follow sharia law, have issued similar bans
on celebrating Valentine's Day in previous years.
Under Indonesia's decentralized system of government, regional
authorities are allowed to issue bylaws without approval from the
central government.
(Additional reporting by Gayatri Suroyo; Writing by Ed Davies;
Editing by Randy Fabi)
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