Iran Bans Valentines Day.

* that's the title of the article.

NO FUN! Fuddy-duddies!
BOOOOO! HISSSSSSS!

Yahoo News - Iran Bans Valentines Day

TEHRAN (Reuters) – Iran has banned the production of Valentine's Day gifts and any promotion of the day celebrating romantic love to combat what it sees as a spread of Western culture, Iranian media reported.

The February 14 celebration named after a Christian saint is not officially banned but hardliners have repeatedly warned about the corruptive spread of Western values. Under Iran's Islamic law, unmarried couples are not allowed to mingle. The printing works owners' union issued an instruction on the ban, imposed by Iranian authorities, covering gifts such as cards, boxes with the symbols of hearts and red roses.

"Honouring foreign celebrations is the spread of Western culture," said the union's head, Ali Nikou Sokhan, ILNA news agency reported. "Our country has an ancient civilisation and various days to honour kindness, love and affection."

Wait one stink'n minute ... back the train up ... so they dont' want Muslims in Iran honouring 'foreign celebrations' .. but they sure in all heck want make a loud noise and want to be sure that Muslims here in the USA (and the West in general) get to do everything 'Muslim' that they want to.

Hypocrites.

But seriously ... big bad Imams are scared of little Hallmark cards with pink hearts on them!
And little candy hearts with cute sayings like 'luv U' or 'B Mine'. (sarcasm)
Someone should REALLY scare the pudd'n out of them and give 'em a mug of green beer
on March 17th! Oh the fun we could all have !! bwahahahahaaaaaaa

Valentines day is a scam anyway.

Just another way to lose your hard earned money via a guilt system set up to 'prove' you love your loved ones.

Sorry, but call me old fashioned, but i like to surprise my loved ones with random gifts, hugs and treats throughout the year, without some fat-cat getting rich off my guilt.

Not siding with Iran here, but i'm certainly not supporting a corporate holiday.

You might call me a miser, I call myself romantically unpredictable

LOL!

There are going to be a lot of unhappy girlfriends and wives in Iran tomorrow. Of course, the men have a pretty solid excuse... it's the governments fault I didn't get you flowers baby.

All Valentine's day is is an excuse for corporations to exploit "individuals", and to make money anyway, nothing more- a bit like christmas, in that the real message was lost long ago, for most. Although, to be honest I'm not sure what the purpose of the day is at all, other than to guilt trip people into spending money. If you genuinely love/care about someone, you shouldn't need to be told when to do something special for them...and yes, I am alone

Sure it makes $$$ for chocolate makers and greeting card companies ... but it's a FUN holiday. The religious connection has pretty much been lost for most people. It's now just a fun day for those who like each other to be extra nice or do extra things. From what I've read elsewhere, it's a rather popular day with the YOUTH in Iran.

That's why I made the comments about the Imams being fuddy-duddies.

reply to post by FlyersFan


Though I can understand why Muslims would not want the spread of Western Influence to stir up their happy little country, LOVE WINS.

Should be banned allover actually... cause come to think of it, do we really need a day to remind those whom we love how much we love them?

Its a pointless day... its redundant and serves no purpose besides feeding the consumerist ways and futile behavior of today's mentality.

I practice "valentine's day" every day of the year... I couldnt care any less for the feb 14th...

Like mother's day, father's day, children's week, and all those stupid days that involve something that should be done in a daily basis.

I'm from Canada and I wish it was banned here too. It's a corporate holiday aimed at making people spend, it is a western holiday no matter where its roots stem from and what-ever meaning it had in the past, it has since lost, just like most holidays we celebrate in the Western World.

It clearly says that it isn't banned per se and what they oppose doesn't seem to be the significance of the day but rather the corporate giants that want to impose their will and culture on foreign countries. McDonald's is proof enough of how the american empire stretches beyond its borders and corrupts other countries... and yes, corrupt, as a virus who infiltrates a system and disrupts it's natural evolution by taking over.

People who live in Iran live for reasons other than money, wealth and greed. Here in America you are told that such things are the roots of happiness. You are shown to compete from a very young age, you are told that you should fight you way to the top even if that means destroying the competition. Most people would call that liberty, I call it breeding injustice in our youths.

So now we should spend in order to prove our love? We need a special occasion to tell someone I love you? I don't think so... it only makes it hard on people who don't have anyone and again, corporate america capitalizes on those people who feel lonely... we all know of the popular websites.

I'm totally against valentine's day, I think it's a horrible scheme based on greed and serves no real purpose other than to sell bull# items and to make people spend their hard earned dollar on dumb # and fast food. Iran has the right idea and I'd totally be up for boycotting it here as well.

Bit off topic I would have liked it if they'd have kept "Kissing Fridays" when I was a lad..
tho I am sure the likes of Hallmark would have found a way to turn it into yet another corporate event..

You've all been bitten by some kind of Valentines-Grinch critter!
I'm thinking all you need to warm your hearts is a hug .. and for someone to say
'Will you be my Valentine?" ... so BE MY VALENTINE!

The catchy headline and lead paragraph say banned, and yet we also have in the very next paragraph:

The February 14 celebration named after a Christian saint is not officially banned but hardliners have repeatedly warned about the corruptive spread of Western values.

This is a confusing and twisted piece of "reporting" by someone who clearly either doesn't understand what they're even writing about or wants to intentionally mislead.

Valentine's Day is not banned or illegal in Iran. Some people would like it to be and some people who listen to them have made a choice to not support it. Big deal.

Valentine's Day has become increasingly popular among the Iranian youth and is a money-maker for businesses in a country where 70 percent of people are under 30 and have no memory of the 1979 Islamic revolution which toppled the U.S.-backed Shah.

Sounds like this is another case of the nebulous authorities and the choice to follow or not follow the mullah proclamations. This is probably more the equivalent of Catholic schools in the U.S. banning mini-skirts than a hard and fast law that the government is going to enforce under penalty of stoning or something

So yeah, yeah, add this to the list of music and haircuts and all the other things going on there that lend credence to some peoples' arguments that Iran is evil or a threat.

I hope the people who want it banned don't drink alcohol on St. Patrick's day or dress up in costumes for Halloween parties, because they too help corporations and they'd be hypocrites for complaining about that.

Blah blah sour grapes about Valentine's day. What is wrong with you guys? Quit your moaning and take the women in your lives out for a great time.

reply to post by silent thunder


Can do that any time, and it would probably be more appreciated by your other half if you did rather than just making an effort on a day when it is expected. Predictability is fail and Valentines has nothing to do with love or affection and everything to do with consumption. Same goes for Mothers Day, Fathers Day, Easter, and Christmas. Pointless occasions designed to rape you of your cash using emotional blackmail.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/a11cc4f79f64.jpg[/atsimg]

reply to post by ~Lucidity


And yet in the article it does state:

"Printing and producing any products related to Valentine's Day, including posters, brochures, advertising cards, boxes with the symbols of hearts, half-hearts, red roses and any activities promoting this day are banned," read the instruction. "Authorities will take legal action against those who ignore the ban."

Now I'm neither pro or con Valentine's Day, I think it is a personal choice on if to celebrate it or not. But there is the rub of it all. Personal choice. Something that is becoming more & more regulated the world over either thru the "authorities" or social pressure.

To those that do love to love on this day I say.... "Happy Valentine's Day!"

And for those that HATE this day.... I offer you some BitterSweets from despair.com
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/dc14d712d450.jpg[/atsimg]

reply to post by OneisOne

Ah...yes. But which authorities?

That's a confusing and slippery slope over there, as we all well know.

Haha...love the bittersweets, but my style's more the technomushy ones. Like, "text me" and "wanna be my skype buddy?" Kidding.

The February 14 celebration named after a Christian saint is not officially banned

That's not what the title to this post says. In addition to Valentine's Day, there are another dozen or so useless holidays everyone can do without. Who says you can't learn from your enemies?

It is really innecessay to ban this , because the valentine's day has become a festival of the world not only culture of western.

Take it easy Valentine day haters.

I have my wife birthday on the 12th, Valentine's day on the 14th and our anniversary on the 17th. I call it my week O' pain, she laughs about it. Not really all that bad but something to joke about when you hear others complaining about one of the prior events and how they will have to do something special for their loved one.

Of course everyone says this should be done year round, but really most do not. Heck, a majority do not do it right on the days that are designated to do so. The problem in my opinion is that the world is forgetting love and replacing it with other emotions.

As for Iran and their ban, all I can say is what a bunch of pansies.

Raist