Valentine’s Day is Now a Crime in Iran

An Iranian woman looks at the window display of a gift shop in Tehran on Valentine's Day, February 14, 2008. AFP PHOTO/ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images) — Valentine’s Day in Tehran (New York Post)

Teheran, 6 Jumadal Awwal 1437 /February 14, 2016 (MINA) – Iran says it is cracking down on Valentine’s Day celebrations and shops engaging in them will be guilty of a crime.

Iranian news outlets reported the police directive Friday warning retailers against promoting “decadent Western culture through Valentine’s Day rituals.”

Police informed Tehran’s coffee and ice cream shops trade union to avoid any gatherings in which boys and girls exchange Valentine’s Day gifts, New York Post Saturday reported.

The annual Feb. 14 homage to romance, which tradition says is named after an early Christian martyr, has become popular in recent years in Iran and other Middle East countries.

The backlash in the Islamic Republic is part of a drive against the spread of Western culture. (T/P4/R07)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)