What do you think of Saudi Arabia banning the color red?

Saudi Arabia has asked florists and gift shops to remove all red items until after Valentine's Day, calling the celebration of such a holiday a sin, local media reported Monday.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/02/1...

we had a very interesting question just on that today..!! i think its nuts and so unfair on the women...they should feel alittle pampered tooo for once....i dont think celebrating valentines would take or add to anyones culture or religion..its just a day to love and be loved...whats so wrong about that!!

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

yes, I actually asked a question about that myself this morning. it's so sad!

it is normal for a conservative islamic country not to allow celebrating a christian holy day.it is sad for the foreigners and also for the saudi women ,who just open their eyes and seen the western life,and they like it.......
the saudi shouldn't complain.they got use to it.as i said,is normal
banning all things red coloured,doesn't make a big difference,actually.ppl who are in love or,just like someone,will find a solution...other colour!the favorite,one!
btw :h ...i am not an expatriate.i don't care much about holydays.but i agree with the customs in saudi.i don't complain as a foreigner

The average Saudi Arabian has no say what so ever in their own country . They are too scared to do anything to get rid of the ruling Royal family . So they conform told when,where and what to do in their daily lives.How humiliating and boring life must be .

Honestly, I do not waste a thought of it. Valentine's day is an American thing. If Americans need a special day to show their love to somebody, well.................

I much more apreciate it if my husband shows his love to me every day.

Btw: in the West it is comon that boy- and girl friends exchange cards, flowers and gifts. These kind of relationships you will not find in a strict Islamic country. What is the purpose for intertrucing it?

If you would be a cosmopilitian person, you also would recognize that "Valentine" is also critizied in India (not by Muslims). Why did you pick KSA?

Salam.

edit oh, honey: since when Valentine's is a Christian holiday???????????
Bein an Expat working in KSA, are you not getting Islamic holidays off without being a Muslim?

I think it is a ridiculous waste of time and attention. The more they try to control people the more people will obsess on the forbidden.

It is a sad state of affairs. There are starving kids , health problems and all sorts of important issues and they focus on the moral effects of the color red.

I think that this is not of your business.
Let me ask you a question
We have a holiday called "Aladha". In this holiday we usually bring sheep to our yards and slaughter the sheep.
Will Americans accept this?
NO!!
This is a cultural difference.

We don't celebrate Valentines day..

Banning red is only until after Valentine's Day. It is to encourage Muslims everywhere to not participate in a pagan holiday.
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This is from a blog by Alan Stewart Carl, but it is a clip from a CNN report.

It鈥檚 an attempt to squash Valentine鈥檚 day celebrations. Sheikh Khaled Al-Dossari, a scholar in Islamic studies, told the Saudi Gazette, an English-language newspaper:

"As Muslims we shouldn't celebrate a non-Muslim celebration, especially this one that encourages immoral relations between unmarried men and women, ".

And don鈥檛 forget it encourages the consuming of nasty little candy hearts and stale chocolate. And flora-cide 鈥? Valentine鈥檚 day is the leading cause of flower murder in the world. I don鈥檛 know why we all don鈥檛 ban it. In fact, I know a lot of American men who would be just fine with such a regulation.
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I think -- no big deal.

a little over board.
banning a colour,
ban the holiday not a colour,
and what about pink, shouldn't that be banned too,
and little stuffed bears and other animals, and candy and other such stuff.
the holiday itself should be what's banned not one colour assosiated with it. (not that i agree with the banning, but understand why)

i didn't get to read the artical, for what ever reason i couldn't get the site to come up, i really think it is just me, the computer i am using is weird.

When in Rome,
do as the Romans.

The same applies here.