With St Valentine’s Day banned in Saudi and under scrutiny in Kuwait, the Gulf is a tough place for budding Romeos and Juliets. In Saudi, the religious police spend the preceding week cracking down on red rose salesmen; Kuwait’s National Assembly Committee for Monitoring Negative Alien Practices has it eye on what it sees as excessive commercialization.
And they’re doomed to fail. Religious authorities might well feel they should be worked up over St Valentine’s Christian connections, but for most consumers – and not just Christians, Feb 14 is becoming increasingly global – it is just a day to tell your loved one that you love them. One can discuss whether it’s best to show this love via the giving of cards, flowers, chocolates or racy underwear, but the concept is now established in consumers’ minds.
Banning business from making a quick buck will not stop the popularity of St Valentine. The true romantic will always find a way.
1 comment:
As far as I'm concerned only a worryingly perverted mindset could work out a sinister clash between as harmless an expression of affection as a flower and a religion.
I wonder whether red roses are available in the magic kingdom the rest of the year? Is it the flower or the day that gives them such a problem?
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