The Council of Churches Malaysia (CCM) today urged the National Fatwa Council to retract “hurtful” assumptions made against the Christian faith in a fatwa, or edict, made in 2005 governing Muslims and Valentine’s Day.

CCM general-secretary Rev Hermen Shastri said the National Fatwa Council had “erred in its inference” by concluding that Valentine’s Day is a Christian religious event, and has hurt the “religious feelings of Christians” in Malaysia.

dap islamic state forum 260707 hermen shastri “Valentine’s Day is a secular observance, and it is not celebrated religiously by churches in Malaysia or in other parts of the world,” Hermen ( left ) said in a statement today.

“Although the word Valentine draws some connection to St Valentine, the church’s authorities have not endorsed the connection, be it Roman Catholic or Protestant.

“To suggest that Valentine’s Day is observed by Christians in the said fatwa is unfair and misleading.”

Islamic authorities in Malaysia have been trying to deter Muslims from celebrating Valentine’s Day over the past few years, especially after campaigns in the past said to have urged undergraduates not to wear panties on that day and offers of free hotel rooms for unmarried couples.

In 2005, the National Fatwa Council deliberated and gazetted a fatwa forbidding Muslims from observing Valentine’s Day, declaring the event sought to “destroy the faith and morals of the Muslim community”.

The Fatwa Council argued that the cultural practices and intentions of Valentine’s Day “have elements of Christianity that contradict Islam”.

The council also described the act of celebrating the day by Muslims as almost treasonous, claiming that Queen Isabella of Spain declared Feb 14 as the day Christianity claimed victory over Islam in that European country.

“Anyone who celebrate(s) it (is) as if he rejoiced and blessed the defeat of Muslims in Spain,” the council said in its supporting argument.

Annual tug-of-war

The controversy surrounding Muslims celebrating Valentine’s Day has been a recurring incident, with the most recent firestorm surrounding PAS Youth chief Nasrudin Hasan, who was quoted in news reports earlier this week as saying Pakatan Rakyat-ruled states would carry out “immorality checks” to “stop sinful acts such as casual sex” on the globally-accepted day of love.

NONE Nasrudin came under heavy fire from leaders on both sides of the political divide, including from within PAS itself, forcing him to issue a clarification that he was "misunderstood" by the AFP reporter who had contacted for comment.

A year-old video clip has also re-emerged and gone viral on social networking sites, showing religious preacher Siti Nor Bahyah Mahamood linking Christianity with vices.

The video, originally aired on TV9, has her on record describing “vices, going to discos and to be in remote places with a partner as Christian tradition” on Valentine's Day.

Despite the brouhaha sparked by Nasrudin’s misfire, the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) announced that it would launch a “Mind the Valentine’s Day Trap Campaign” today to stop Muslims, especially teenagers, from celebrating the festival on Monday.

Hermen said CCM hopes the Islamic authorities would drop  inferences linking vice activities with Christianity simply because of Valentine’s Day.

“In the spirit of 1Malaysia promoted by the government, we appeal to the good conscience of the authorities to repeal such hurtful references that Christianity promotes sexual promiscuity because of the Valentine’s Day observance, often made in the media and in the said fatwa,” he added.