Stuents holding up anti-Valentine's day placards in Indonesia (Source: AFP)
The Indonesia Tanpa Pacaran, a Muslim group, has declared February 14 “Indonesia Without Dating” Day. Today they’re hosting rallies, talking at events across the country to discourage the practice of dating before marriage.
Hardliners have been protesting against Valentine’s Day for years in Indonesia — the world’s most populous Muslim country. They believe that the holiday violates the Islamic law of Sharia for two reasons. One, it celebrates a Catholic saint and two, it’s associated with romance and sexuality.
According to Public Radio International (PRI), generation Z is popularizing these puritanic attitudes. An advocate for feminism, Dina Afrianty, argues that this backlash is “pretty much about domesticating women”.