Valentine's Day only for Western world - survey

NEW SURVEY: Most Arabs believe Valentine's Day is only for Westerners (Getty Images)

As the Kuwaiti and Saudi Arabian governments threaten Valentine’s Day bans, a survey has revealed 58% of Arabs believe the celebration is meant only for the Western world.

The second annual Maktoob Research Valentine's Day was conducted from January 31 to February 5 among 3195 Arabs who are married or involved in a serious relationship. The survey included residents of 11 GCC, Levant and North Africa countries.

The study found that 46% of participants felt that celebrating the day went against their religious beliefs, while only 42% disagreed when asked whether the occasion is meant only for the Western world.

Tamara Deprez, research director at Maktoob, said while the survey revealed the majority of Arab resident enjoyed receiving traditional gifts, many respondents did not support the celebration.

“We’ve received feedback from a large number of respondents who say that they will not be celebrating the occasion as they believe that it goes against their religious beliefs.”

Despite the majority of participants stating the celebration was meant only for Westerners, 47% believed that the day should be an occasion for the religious and non-religious alike, the survey found.

The study also revealed 72% of Arabs consider themselves to be romantic, an increase of 10% from the 2006 study.

Respondents from the GCC were willing to spend the most on Valentine's Day presents, followed by the Levant and North Africa.

At nearly 30%, the majority were willing to only spend $50 or below on gifts, 16.1% were prepared to spend $51 to $100; 6.4% would spend $101 to $150 and 10.7% of respondents were willing to spend more than $151 on romantic presents.

At 15%, flowers were ranked as the most exciting and romantic gift, followed by gifts (13%), romantic phone calls (11%), a dinner date (10%) and Valentine’s cards (9%)

Going to a hotel or on a trip, a dinner date and jewellery featured more prominently in GCC wish lists as compared to other regions, while poetry recitation ranked higher in Levant wish lists.

The Kuwaiti government warned on Wednesday that Valentine's Day celebrations that contradict Islamic teachings and values will be banned, while Saudi’s religious police are currently enforcing a red rose ban in the capital Riyadh.

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READERS' COMMENTS

Re Western infulences have a negative impact.
Posted by David, Dubai, UAE on Sunday 17 February 2008 at 21:20 UAE time


Reema,

I think it is important to remember that many countries of the world contain people of all nationalities. No one religion or belief is better than another, they are all as equally important to those who subscribe to them. To consider that western influence has a negative impact on the Middle East is to decry the efforts of all of us in the ME who are building the towns and cities with an obvious replication of world wide influences, many of them from the west.

Do you drive an Arab designed and built car? Does your house contain Arab designed and built TV, Hi Fi, and appliances? I doubt it.

More important than argument is a tolerance of other nations and beliefs, even if they do not conform to your idea of what is correct. If the west were to eject those who openly but peacefully oppose government and society from their shores even though those governments and their population contribute to the taxation that supports them, there would be an outcry. Another person's opinion is not wrong because you simply don't agree with it; it is just a different take on the world.

By the way, Thomas Edison was not an Arab, Alexander Graham Bell was not an Arab, John Logie Baird was not and Arab, Ian Fleming (not the one who wrote James Bond!) was not an Arab

How about live and let live?

Valentine's Day
Posted by Reshma Tahiliani, Dubai, India on Sunday 17 February 2008 at 10:31 UAE time


I totally agree with Salma Hussein. I do not see any reason why law-makers need to meddle with an issue such as celebration of love. There is nothing wrong about it if celebrated with a pure soul. And what about those couples who were married on that day? They too cannot celebrate their wedding anniversary?

No religion takes away love, positive energy and enthusiasm from an act of love or kindness. When the heart is happy and soul is pure, love is the greatest emotion that abides in man. Love alone makes us peaceful and tolerant and non-bickering in nature.

Whoever thinks it is nonsense, need not celebrate it. Those who see it through their pure eyes and clean souls, can go ahead and celebrate the spirit of love in this world. Intolerance of others and their views breeds hatred. We definitely do not need the latter.

Love is another Sign of God.. It has to be expressed in all possible manner on the earth. Those who do not love are not the followers of GOD whichever the Religions they may belong to. This is the Final truth
Posted by Selwin Ilangovan, Dubai, UAE, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES on Saturday 16 February 2008 at 11:03 UAE time


Love should be expressed and celebrated in all the possible manner on the earth. Love is another sign of God. Where there is God there is Love. So there is no harm in celebrating the day of Love.. The

Love
Posted by Salma Hussein, Riyadh, KSA on Friday 15 February 2008 at 16:59 UAE time


Valentine's Day is merely a celebration of the one you love, no more, no less. If someone has a problem with it, it is likely that they have impure thoughts distorting what is a very pure and simple idea. I can only assume the people behind this think very lowly of everyone else.

As an Arab woman I feel I am able to say this. I also feel able to say we need to get some perspective on these issues. They are not substantial enough for law makers to be wasting time with. Haven't they got better things to do - like stopping people suffering in Palestine?

I think, as Arabs, we also have to accept that our contribution to science and technology as a whole has been well behind our peers. This computer I am writing on - invented by the British. The television I will watch tonight, by the Americans. The telephone I will be using to call my friend - a Scot. We invented the Abacus, numbers and were the first cosmologists. We were ahead 1000 years ago. That was a long time ago now for bragging rights!

If we wasted a little less time on ridiculous things like banning Valentine's Day, and spent a little more intellectual effort on science and solutions for real political issues, perhaps we could bring that glorious but dusty past back into the future.

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