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Muslims rally against jihad terrorism — no, wait…

Feb 15, 2014 9:32 am By Robert Spencer

GazaNoValDayActually, the rally was against that formidable manifestation of jahiliyya, ignorance, and “Islamophobia” known as Valentine’s Day. At least these Islamic supremacists in Gaza did not turn violent, as the anti-Valentine’s Day morality enforcers did in Pakistan; however, there is always a whiff of menace when Islamic supremacists protest anywhere, because they are violent so often, one can never be sure that they will not be violent again.

“Salafists rally against Valentine’s Day in Gaza,” by Asmaa al-Ghoul in al-Monitor, February 14:

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Gaza resident Maher Annan gave a red carnation to his wife Umm Mahdi, as their four children Nour, Nagam, Mahmoud and Mahdi stood by smiling. This gesture was blasphemous according to the religious speech given by Sheikh Hamada Jabar on the evening of Feb. 13, directed at the owners of shops selling flowers and other gifts on Al-Wahda Street in Gaza City. Each of these shops was preparing in its own way for Valentine’s Day.

“God called upon us to love, so how can celebrating love be considered haram?” asked Annan, as he bought a flower from the Crazy Flower shop. Sheikh Jabar stood in front of the shop, which was decorated with red ribbons, preaching to those who had gathered. He told them that Valentine’s Day is a forbidden, Christian practice.

Annan, his wife and others were motivated by curiosity to listen to the sheikh, who was surrounded by other Salafist sheikhs. They were carrying banners calling for women to wear the veil and for people to give up smoking and not to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

“A single flower is enough for me on Valentine’s day. Why must people always focus on the bad side of things?” Umm Mahdi asked Al-Monitor.

A march by a group of Salafist sheikhs belonging to the Ibn Baaz Islamic Charitable Association had started on the evening of Feb. 13 in the Garden of the Unknown Solider. It was part of a campaign against Valentine’s Day.

Al-Monitor spoke to Abu Islam, a man wearing the typical Salafist dress that includes a short galabiyya over pants and a white skull cap. He said, “I think that young people celebrate this holiday because of unemployment, or a lack of religious restraint, or someone advising them. Youth should stop imitating the West and focus on the most important things in life.”

Abu Islam added, “We call on all officials to fear God when it comes to these people, and to demand [they do what is] right. This march is to advise [the people]. We held a similar march on the Christian New Year’s holiday, and advised the people not to celebrate. Muslims only have two holidays, Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr.”

Every now and then, the voices of the youth in the crowd surpassed those of Abu Islam, as the microphones the Salafists had brought with them were not working. Some of the young people agreed with them, while others were cynical. Mohammed Qadih, 22, said, “If we aren’t working, we haven’t gotten married, our future is lost and everything in the country is pushing us [to smoke], how can we not smoke? If love is haram, then they should make the costs of the wedding and the dowries cheap so that we can marry.”

“Valentine’s Day is haram,” said another youth. Addressing those around him, he added, “Love your mother and your father. Do you have to flirt with a girl to know the meaning of love?”

After leaving the Garden of the Unknown Soldier, the march traversed Omar Mukhtar Street, where shops selling red gifts for Valentine’s Day are concentrated. The Salafist participants handed out fliers proclaiming that Valentine’s Day was forbidden. However, the fliers were printed in red, the color of love. “It was an error of judgment in printing,” commented one of the sheikhs.

The owner of the Abu Saeed Falafel Shop refused to take the flier that Abu Islam offered him, asking, “We don’t even celebrate this holiday, so why are you distributing these fliers?” Another man working in the shop reached out and took the flier instead. Yet, the vendors taking advantage of the holiday to sell flowers and red teddy bears on the sidewalk didn’t pay much attention to the march.

“This is how we make a living. It’s the time of year when we can sell, amid widespread unemployment. Give me a job and I’ll leave this haram trade,” said vendor Wassim, 20.

When the march reached Al-Wahda Street, where there are many flower shops, Omar, 22, said, “These groups and parties celebrate their own occasions and the anniversaries of their founding by spending millions of dollars, yet they criticize the people on this one day of joy and love, amid all this worry and hardship.”

Just a few hours before the march, Al-Monitor met with Sheikh Ashraf Sakik, a member of the Ibn Baaz Association’s board, at the association’s headquarters. He said, “Certainly we are not against love. But we are against the celebration of a Christian holiday. We love our wives and our children, but such holidays promote forbidden relationships.”

It seems that Sakik did not know that Valentine’s Day was established to promote legitimate marriages, after St. Valentine decided to marry lovers in secret, contrary to the law issued by Roman Emperor Claudius II. The latter had prevented young men from getting married, because he believed that married men would not make competent soldiers. St. Valentine was killed on Feb. 14.

Sakik noted that the anti-Valentine’s Day campaign began Feb. 11, when sheikhs went out to the areas where there are flower and gift shops in all the provinces of Gaza where the association has branches. “The campaign concluded Thursday evening, when people were called to the Garden of the Unknown Soldier,” he added. Sakik stressed that they completely reject violence and threats, and only support offering good advice and missionary work.

However, it seems some disagree with Sakik. Mohammed, who works at the Safir al-Hub flower shop, told Al-Monitor that a group of Salafists visited the shop on the first day of the campaign. He said, “They entered the shop and said that Valentine’s Day is haram, and that we must remove the decorations. While this was a form of advice, they also said they would come back to confirm that we had removed it. But of course we didn’t remove it.”…

A dangerous game.

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Filed Under: Gaza, Islamic bigotry and intolerance Tagged With: featured


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Comments

  1. Salah says

    Feb 15, 2014 at 11:05 am

    “God called upon us to love, so how can celebrating love be considered haram?” asked Annan

    Anan, a Muslim, knows deep inside that God is Love. That’s the first step towards rejecting Islam.
    God created us, ALL of us, at His own image. We should NEVER underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit at work in the hearts of Muslims.
    As I said before, Muslims are our best allies in the fight against Islam. We need to keep educating them about their religion by unveiling what is hidden in their own books. They don’t read, we’ll do the reading for them. That is Charity.

    http://crossmuslims.blogspot.ca/2014/01/egyptian-muslims-tear-up-quran.html

  2. Stephanie says

    Feb 15, 2014 at 3:45 pm

    Glad some of the people are standing up to these thugs and seeing through them. Also, ignoring them for the busybodies they are! They’re like a bunch of nosey, bossy, old ladies! Go away and mind your own business!

  3. squeezethejuice says

    Feb 15, 2014 at 4:04 pm

    Valentine’s day is just another excuse for young girls to dress like prostitutes in the hopes of having sex with as many men as possible. Islam is a religion that affirms that man is above an animal and its instincts. Animals don’t know anything about Allah swt, only humans have the ability to understand that there exists a God and only one, who is the creator of the Universe.

    • gravenimage says

      Feb 16, 2014 at 10:14 pm

      “squeezethejuice”

      Valentine’s day is just another excuse for young girls to dress like prostitutes in the hopes of having sex with as many men as possible. Islam is a religion that affirms that man is above an animal and its instincts. Animals don’t know anything about Allah swt, only humans have the ability to understand that there exists a God and only one, who is the creator of the Universe.
      ……………………………..

      My God, what vicious crap. Valentine’s Day is a celebration of romantic love, something Islam has no understanding of.

      And why would it? Islam not just condones but sacralizes pedophilia, forced marriage, polygamy, rape, and sex slavery.

      The “marriage contract” itself is a contract between the woman’s male owner—usually the father, but sometimes also a brother or other male relative—and the husband-to-be.

      It is an Islamic legalization of the husband’s right to use his wife’s “Awra”, or vagina.

      “Nikah” is not marriage at all in the Western sense—it does not matter at all if there is any love between man and wife.

      Where there is love in a Muslim marriage, it is *despite* Islam, not because of it.

    • Darrius says

      Feb 17, 2014 at 4:55 am

      you are a liar. But more to the point, your statements show a lot about you and how you think of women. Bear in mind mad dog mohamad was both a serial rapist and pedophile….and you think he was a prophet?????

  4. thomas_h says

    Feb 15, 2014 at 6:18 pm

    “Valentine’s day is just another excuse for young girls to dress like prostitutes in the hopes of having sex with as many men as possible.”

    Only a sex-obsessed, sex-starved, maniac, who fantasizes of having sex with as many young girls as possible would dream they want to have sex with him. A projection of a follower of a child-raping, murderous “prophet”.

    “…there exists a God and only one, who is the creator of the Universe.”

    Yes! But he is not your comical Allah.

  5. Christopher Nicholson says

    Feb 15, 2014 at 8:01 pm

    “Valentine’s day is just another excuse for young girls to dress like prostitutes in the hopes of having sex with as many men as possible.” If only … /sigh

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