While roses were being exchanged for Valentines Day on Tuesday, the Islami Jamiat Talaba (IJT) activists distributed pamphlets urging students to observe Haya Day.
IJT celebrated Haya Day to curb the trend of Valentine Day which is against the teachings of Islam, said IJT central information secretary Kashif Javed. Speaking with The Express Tribune Javed said pamphlets were distributed among students in education institutions to celebrate Haya Day instead of Valentines Day.
At Punjab University (PU), IJT displayed posters and charts to promote Haya Day. IJT information secretary at PU Abdul Muqeet said, “We arranged brief lectures and presentations about Haya Day at several departments.”
The IJT also organised a conference at Hostel No 16 in the evening in this connection where office bearers gave speeches condemning Valentines Day. “If anybody shows us that Valentines Day is in line with the teachings of Islam, we will also celebrate it. . . . A certain lobby has been promoting it in Pakistan for the last few years,” Muqeet claimed.
Javed said the IJT was unable to organise activities to celebrate Haya Day throughout the country because its council members had been only recently elected.
He said that IJT had condemned Valentines Day in the past as well but now it had started a campaign to replace it with Haya Day. He said IJT didn’t force anybody to stop celebrating Valentines Day, it just tried to raise awareness about Haya Day.
PU Resident Officer Javed Sami said there had been no untoward incident at PU. “Students don’t celebrate Valentines Day at the university any way, they do it elsewhere,” he added.
Many National College of Arts (NCA) students were seen exchanging flowers. “It’s about expressing your feelings. It’s not as if we are doing anything immoral,” said an NCA student who did not wish to give her name.
Some eunuchs celebrated Valentines by distributing roses among children and patients at some public hospitals in the city. “We are giving red roses to children in hospitals so that they feel better,” said Nasreen Guddu, who was distributing flowers.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 15th, 2012.
COMMENTS (16)
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@Schabboo: thats rediculous that we gain smthng by copying them.. why dont u copy some good stuff... always go for bad 1...:P
and how exactly does one 'celebrate' haya day? spend it sitting with your face to the wall, lest your gaze falls on a 'na-mehrum'?
@Freidun: Its part of Pakistani culture to make everything a,''conspiracy theory'',after all people living in this region had or following some other form of religion before Islam was introduced to them,there is nothing wrong being Hindu,Christen,Jewish or secular etc. People who are opposing Valentines day and calling it a Western influence should also stop using internet and all other forms of modern technology cause modern technology is from west and non-Muslim cultures.
@Mwaqar There is no evidence of Pashtun people having Jewish heritage. It is a conspiracy theory hatched up by unqualified historians or physical anthropologists under the payroll of certain sinister forces to keep playing the Great Game.
@bob: Well if u look at reality then in Pakistan,Pathans are of Jewish background,Punjabis/Sindhis of Hindu and Baluch were Mazdaki and Zorostrians,so all these nations living in today's Pakistan adopted Muslim culture after people like mohd qasim and ghori etc invaded india. Its shame that Pakistan is facing religious fanaticism to day,all these people who are misusing name of religion should pay attention to spread education and help poor and needy,religion and celebrating festivals or valentines day is a private matter,its no ones biz what someone else is doing.''Bob'' can u use ur real Muslim name instead of using name from another culture.
Agree with Sars 100%. I use to celebrate Valentines & now I don’t. Priorities changes with time, it is not become my culture or even habit. I don’t see any harm in celebrating just for the heck of it. We really don't have many instances to celebrate life, so I say "Let people celebrate Valentines Day & be happy, rather than blowing up themselves!!!"
I say educated your children better & then give them the freedom to choose, not choose for them.
@ saleem... first of all its MOHAMMED not Mohd.. plz be mindful of that.... secondly even if he came from Baghdad or where ever He was a Muslim...Arabs who spread islamic culture were Muslims... so leave zeta alone... and google St Valentine and find any similarity between us and them....also if u happen to live in Pakistan.. u shud know better, whts actually going on in the garb of valentines day and basant too...
so plz dont incline urself too much on western culture,,urs is good enuff
Nothing can survive, not even "Haya" without the seeds of love.
Seriously though, the biggest problem in our society is people celebrating valentines day???
(even though its an overrated, gimmicky commercial day, which i do not celebrate, or advise others to)
I would rather see the old gentleman do something more constructive, how about teaching the poor to read , or reminding others to be honest or cleaning up the neighbourhood.
I dont see why this cause is so important in his or anyones life. Why are we so happy to waste our time on non issues with reference to interaction between the genders, is it because we get a vicarious thrill ???
@ zeta ...Copying other cultures .....Mohd Bin Qasim came from Baghdad in 711 along with Arab culture and Islam to Bambhore Sindh
Good idea. The confused (and the amused) lot should take heed.
Every picture has two sides
@Zeta: Does that also pertain to following bedouin culture from Saudi Arabia
@Zeta: If you think about it everything we have is from other cultures starting from how we pray, treat our sick, organize our military, choose our leaders, enjoy leisurly activities (cricket) and the list goes on. But this is not wrong, this how we learn -- by copying others; from the time we are little to the time when we grow to become nations
Welldone JI & IJT .
Kudos to the old man. Haya Day is much more appropriate. Copying others culture gain us nothing infact lose us our own
Love all year but not celebrate on one specific day.