Muslim school students staged a protest against Valentine’s Day on Monday, denouncing what they said was a Western celebration that encourages casual immorality.
Say no to Valentine!” chanted the students, who were aged between 13 and 15 and included many girls wearing headscarves.
It was the latest expression of anger at Valentine’s Day in the world’s most populous Indonesian Muslim-majority country, where Islamic clerics and some pious Muslims typically use the occasion to target what they see as Western decadence.
The protest was organised to speak against Valentine’s Day saying it is associated with all manner of immorality.
The group also set out guidelines about how people could reject the annual celebration of romance by making anti-Valentine posters and not wearing Valentine-themed outfits.
Despite some objections, many in Indonesia and Malaysia mark the occasion, particularly in major cities where cards and chocolates are widely available.
