JAKARTA, Indonesia – An Indonesian Muslic cleric has warned his young followers against celebrating Valentines Day, saying it is the same as promoting faiths other than Islam and could lead to forbidden sex. Amidhan Shaberah, the chairman of the Indonesian Council of Clerics, said Monday that the romantic holiday historically stems from Christianity. He added that unmarried young people expressing affection with kisses could lead to forbidden sexual relations.
Small groups of a few hundred also staged protests against Valentines Day in several cities in the worlds most populous Muslim nation. Indonesias 200 million Muslims practice a moderate form of the faith. Attitudes toward Valentines Day vary in the Muslim world.