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Agence France-Presse

Valentine’s Day wasn’t getting much love in the world’s biggest Muslim majority nation Thursday as Indonesian authorities urged amorous couples to call it quits and carried out raids to quash any wayward gift-giving.
About 100 students in the second-biggest city, Surabaya, demonstrated against the chocolates-and-flowers celebration, saying it promoted Western decadence and casual sex.
“Say no to Valentine’s now!” chanted the group of mostly female high-school students. Some held placards with phrases like “Sorry Valentine’s Day, I am Muslim”.

School principal Arief Himawan warned that couples giving each other chocolates or other treats could quickly lead to sin.
“We want to remind our young generation not to be caught up in Western culture,” he told AFP.
Authorities conducted raids in Surabaya, and Makassar city on Sulawesi island to snuff out any celebrations.
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In conservative Aceh province – the only place in Indonesia that imposes Islamic law – a fresh Valentine’s prohibition was issued, citing religious norms.
People are publicly whipped in the region for a wide range of offences including selling alcohol and gay sex and similar bans have been ordered in previous years.
While Valentine’s was off the cards for some, many Indonesians practise a moderate form of Islam and celebrate the day with chocolates and flowers for their loved ones.

Meanwhile in India, more than 10,000 schoolchildren, some as young as six, made a Valentine’s Day pledge not to marry without their parents’ consent.
The vast majority of Indian marriages are arranged by families and couples who defy tradition to marry outside caste and religion face a severe and sometimes deadly backlash.
Some 10,000 pupils aged six to 17 and even some teachers took a vow at 25 schools to “love and respect their parents till eternity” in the western state of Gujarat – the stronghold of Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi.


“I will always respect their decision because no one in the world has sacrificed for me like them,” said student Samadrita Banerjee.
People in swiftly-changing but still largely conservative India also often frown upon unmarried couples who can find themselves being abused and harassed in public places.
Elsewhere, a school association in the southern state of Karnataka alerted teachers and parents to ensure children did not celebrate Valentine’s Day by bunking classes to go to shopping malls or the movies, The Times of India newspaper reported.


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Indonesians urged to defy Valentine’s Day celebrations as love police carry out raids

A file photo of Indonesian students holding up anti-Valentine’s Day placards. Photo: AFP

Girls from a local boarding school shout during an anti-Valentine's Day rally in Surabaya, East Java province on February 13, 2017. Conservative Indonesian Islamic groups have denounced Valentine's Day, saying it is un-Islamic, promoting promiscuity, casual sex and consumption of alcohol while other groups described the day as foreign cultural influence. About 90 percent of Indonesia's 255 million inhabitants are Muslim but most practise a moderate form of Islam and have lived largely harmoniously alongside Christian, Buddhist and Hindu minorities. / AFP PHOTO / JUNI KRISWANTO

epa06523537 An Indonesian florist waits for customers among bunches of roses at a florist market in Bogor, Indonesia, 14 February 2018. Valentine's Day in Indonesia, a country with a predominantly Muslim population, has a strong cultural following, despite rejection by Muslim conservative groups. Several cities across the country have banned people from celebrating the occasion. EPA-EFE/ADI WEDA

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G03X25 Language. Image shot 10/2011. Exact date unknown.

DC7DPN Digital composite Basic computer language 10 Print I love u, 20 goto 10

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General image showing a couple holding hands and walking in Lan Kwai Fong. 24JUL18 SCMP / Felix Wong

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Photo: Dickson Lee

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Asia

Southeast Asia

Authorities conducted raids to quash any wayward celebrations and gift-giving in the world’s biggest Muslim-majority nation
One school principal warned that couples giving each other chocolates or other treats could quickly lead to sin


One school principal warned that couples giving each other chocolates or other treats could quickly lead to sin


Indonesia