Kamaruzaman Mohamad, representing the Islamist party’s youth wing, said it was hard for Muslim youths not to get swept up by the hype given the current Valentine’s Day media blitz and asked Putrajaya to tone down any promotion of the event.
However, he took pains to stress that he was not calling for a ban on Valentine’s Day nor trying to stop non-Muslims from celebrating the occasion.
“We’re not preventing non-Muslims from celebrating Valentine’s Day. That’s their right,” he told reporters at PAS headquarters here.
“But we should limit the exposure so Muslims don’t go along with celebrations, which is not in line with Islamic teachings.”
Kamaruzaman, who is also Federal Territories PAS Youth chief, pointed out that Islam had its own views on love, which include not advocating premarital sex.
He said such dalliances would result in unwanted pregnancies, which in turn would lead to an increase in the number of “babies found in drains”.
“Islam tries to prevent unwanted things from happening when couples get together, so whatever promotion that encourages couples to celebrate this should be controlled,” he said.
The government via the Department of Islamic Development (Jakim) should also conduct a nationwide campaign to get Muslims to stay away from Valentine’s Day celebrations, Kamaruzaman said.
He added that PAS Youth will submit a memorandum to Information, Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Rais Yatim this Friday urging him to consider their request to control the dissemination of Valentine’s Day promotions in the media.
PAS Youth stoked controversy last year when it said state governments under opposition control had directed local authorities to work closely with the police and Rela to check on immoral activities on Valentine’s Day.
Nasrudin Hassan, who heads the youth wing, had reportedly also said that the programme was part of an attempt to promote a sin-free lifestyle among the public.
He later claimed he had been misquoted by the media and that PAS Youth had only offered to assist state governments in curbing “immoral activities”.
Valentine’s Day is an annual commemoration of love and romance, and is celebrated the world over on February 14.
