UZBEK POETRY DAY REPLACES "ALIEN" VALENTINE

**Uzbekistan has turned February 14 into “national poetry day”, to combat the “pernicious influence” of Western mass culture on Uzbek yout.** (Photo: On Islam)

Tashkent, 26 Rabi’ul Akhir 1436/16 February 2015 (MINA) – Encouraging youth to shun “alien” Valentine’s Day, Uzbekistan has turned February 14 into “national poetry day”, to combat the “pernicious influence” of Western mass culture on Uzbek youth.

The authorities do not want young people “to follow alien mass culture blindly” Ikbol Mirzo, the deputy chairman for youth issues at Uzbekistan’s state-sponsored Writer’s Union, told Agence France Presse (AFP).

“So, we are turning February 14 into Babur Day — a day of courtly love and faithfulness,” Ikbol said, On Islam quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

Valentine’s Day is a holiday celebrated on February 14, by many people throughout the world. In the West, it is the traditional day on which lovers express their feelings for each other.

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For years, the landlocked country of 30 million, mostly Muslim, allowed celebration of the day, when lovers’ messages were exchanged on commercial radio and television stations.

Starting from 2012, Uzbekistan’s authorities began to discourage celebration of the western occasion, banning students from exchanging Valentine’s cards.

Offering an alternative to youth, the country decided to turn February 14 into “national poetry day,” planning poetry festivals throughout the country.

The date was chosen because it is the birthday of Zahiriddin Muhammad Babur, who ruled part of present-day Uzbekistan before founding the three-century Mughal dynasty in India. He also had a passion for prose and poetry.

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“We are not against love, not against sweethearts or exchanging gifts on this day. This is all about the symbols that are used on this occasion,” Ikbol told AFP.

He quoted a line of Babur’s love poetry: “When I bend down to the earth to kiss her foot, I feel my head is in the heavens.”

“I don’t know any other poet who glorified women and raised themes of lovesickness, homesickness and fidelity so evocatively as Babur,” Ikbol said.

Islam does recognize happy occasions that bring people closer to one another, and add spice to their lives. However, Islam goes against blindly imitating the West regarding a special occasion such as Valentine’s Day.

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Hence, commemorating the Valentine’s Day is an innovation or bid`ah (innovation) that has no religious backing.

Indonesia is the world’s most populous Muslim state with Muslims making up around 85 percent of its 237-million population. Christians, both Protestants and Catholics, make up nearly 12 percent of the country’s population. (T/P011/P3)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)