Posted on 02/14/2006 5:26:56 AM PST by Alex Marko
NEW DELHI, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Hardline Hindu groups and radical Muslims burned Valentine's Day greeting cards on Tuesday and held protests across India against celebrating the festival of love, saying it was a Western import that spread immorality.
Saint Valentine's Day has become increasingly popular in India in recent years, a trend led by retailers who do healthy business selling heart-shaped balloons and fluffy teddy bears.
But the growing popularity of the day in officially secular, but mainly Hindu India has also sparked protests which have sometimes turned violent.
On Tuesday, protests were held in the capital New Delhi, some towns in the country's south and the only Muslim state of Jammu and Kashmir, where an Islamic insurgency has raged since 1989.
About two dozen women separatists, veiled in black from head to toe, rummaged shops and burnt Valentine's Day cards in Srinagar, Kashmir's summer capital, witnesses said.
"Valentine's Day spreads immorality among the youth," Asiya Andrabi of the Dukhtaran-e-Milat (Daughters of the Muslim Faith), a group of women separatists, said in a statement.
"We appeal to our children to stay away from this western culture."
In Bangalore, India's technology capital, as well as Hubli town, both located in the southern state of Karnataka, groups of Hindu nationalists burnt a big heart-shaped card.
About 50 Hindu activists wearing holy saffron-coloured scarves held a noisy protest in a popular market near the Delhi University campus, a Reuters photographer said.
They burnt greeting cards which they were carrying and shouted "Down with Valentine's Day". (Additional reporting by Sheikh Mushtaq in SRINAGAR)
Yours was the land of Kamasutra. It's been stolen and new aged by Americans.
Pinging to post #101.
".....stolen...by Americans".
Ahhh, more barbarism as India shows it's true colors once again.
The wannabe western nation strikes again.
Now let me remind myself of this the next time I see a thread about our nice friends in "the world's biggest democracy, India."
"Oh, how tolerant of you indeed!"
More tolerant than the card-burning barbarians in India.
"busy with my GF all day."
imaginary?
"Ours is the land of Kamasutra."
...and forced marriages.
sorry I'm responding to all your posts on this thread, but they all warrant responses.
Let them burn. I don't do Ancient Roman holidays anyway. [g]
http://www.historychannel.com/exhibits/valentine/?page=history1
(little history)
No real.
Why? Jealous?
Better than your barbarian parents, siblings, and yourself.
Take the hill and shove it up your tara.
"The wannabe western nation strikes again."
We dont wanna be western....... just Indian.
I love it!
A small group of goofballs decide to burn Valentine's Day cards and you indict an entire nation of a billion people?
"sorry I'm responding to all your posts on this thread, but they all warrant responses."
I have 2936 posts on this forum, maybe you would like to do them all?
;^)
I copied it off FR last Valentine's Day. I don't know who did it!
Well, I'm glad I didn't send them a box of chocolates.
I think most Christian holidays can be traced back to ancient Rome. Thanks for the links.
"Why? Jealous?"
Of course not :)
My GF is better than your GF.
"I have 2936 posts on this forum, maybe you would like to do them all?"
No, I have other things to do with my time.
I just respond to the ones that *especially stand out*
:)
I find it interesting that the Hindu god of love is so similar to the Greek/Roman Eros/Cupid.
A lot of cultural exchange in the ancient world. I know that there was routine ship service from Roman Egypt to India.
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