Saudi bans red roses on Valentine's day

Dubai, Feb 13: Alleging that Valentine's Day promotes extramarital affairs, Saudi Arabia has clamped down on the sale of red roses to mark the day falling on February 14.

Saudi Arabia's police raided flower shops and told owners to keep the red roses associated with romance and love out of the shelves, Saudi Gazette reported. Mutawwa, the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in the kingdom, frowns upon open displays of love and considers the day as unislamic and believes it promotes extramarital affairs. Valentine's Day, originally linked to romance by author Geoffrey Chaucer in 12th-century England has now grown into a multi-billion dollar business in the West and also in India.

UNI