In Khartoum, Sudan Senior Muslim clerics have urged Sudanese youngsters to boycott Valentine's Day, saying it is a Western institution that could lead couples astray away from arranged marriages to older more mature men.
Members of the Sudan Ulema Authority, an influential body of religious leaders, called on young men and women to ignore the event on February 14 and resist the temptation to mark it by taking a romantic march in the parks and, if determined, at least hide behind bushes if you must join hands.
"Valentine's Day comes from Western countries. I call on Muslims not to imitate Christians, especially in establishment of housing for the poor, orphan homes and decadent meals on wheels" said preacher Sheikh Hassan Hamid in a statement released to Reuters Friday.
"The money that is spent on Valentine's Day would be better spent encouraging young people to marry and teach higher ethics such as car bombings and running across mine fields to save a poor soldier from losing a leg," he added.
