Valentine's Day is banned‏ for Malaysian Muslims

I read in the Economist, 15-21 Feb 2014, that Valentine's Day is banned in Malaysia, as well as in other Muslim countries. As I hadn't heard such a thing, I googled it.

The Malaysian Digest, 13 Feb, has an article "Five Countries Where Valentine's Day Is A Crime Or Banned". The countries are Iran, Malaysia, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia. For Malaysia it says "Sorry lovers! V-day is a total no-no even in Malaysia where Muslims account for over 60 percent of the population. The people belonging to this religion are prohibited from celebrating the day. You won't believe this, but in 2012 police busted couples and arrested for trying to get a little - just a little, you know - closer. They said the couples were being arrested for 'Close proximity'.
It was a complicated, official, sophisticated, authoritarian language but perhaps the best we can understand by that 'close proximity' claim is that - maybe they were holding their hands? Or kissing at the most?".

Then I looked at The Star and saw this on 13 Feb :
"Selangor Mufti Dept distributes “Hukum Valentine’s Day” leaflets

The Selangor Mufti Department has distributed thousands of pink-coloured leaflets advising Muslim youths against the ill-effects of celebrating Valentine’s Day.
“Youths are responding well to our campaign and they are agreeing to what is stated in the 2006 ruling by the state fatwa council,” said state Mufti Department Assistant Chief Mat Jais Kamos.
The ruling states that the practice of celebrating Valentine’s Day was never organised by Islam, and hence, Muslims are forbidden from participating in the celebration.
Yesterday, Mat Jais and a team from his department distributed leaflets titled “Hukum Valentine’s Day” to more than 500 students from Universiti ITM (UiTM) in Puncak Alam, Shah Alam. The leaflets stated that celebration was against the state fatwa council ruling.
“This is our second day after handing out leaflets to students at SMK Seksyen 9, and so far everything is going well,” said Mat Jais, who added that this was the first time that the department is conducting such a campaign.
Mat Jais said the Mufti department will be doing similar roadshows at several institutions of higher learning in Selangor.
“It is not decided which institutes we will be going, but the campaign will last until after Feb 14,” he said.
Seeing religious officers handing out leaflets outside the university, Mohd Fariq Ishq, 20, said it was the first he is seeing such a thing since joining UiTM last year.
“Usually, salesmen would be standing outside, but anyway, I think it is a good move,” he said, though he declined to elaborate further whether the campaign was of any good for Muslim youths."

And this article says that "In Malaysia, the government-run Office of Islamic Development has led a public campaign to warn against Valentine's Day as a trap that can lead to immoral behavior. Leaflets have been distributed to university students encouraging them to forget that it's Valentine's Day. "

McDonald’s is now in Vietnam

I didn't realise that McDonald’s is new to Vietnam. Apparently it only arrived in early 2014.

I was in Ho Chi Minh City in Feb, and I took a photo of a roundabout with lots of bikes, and later realised that in my photo is a McDonald’s.

The franchise has been given to Henry Nguyen, a Vietnam-American businessman who is the son-in-law of the Prime Minister.

On the same day I posted this blog, I read that Malaysia is the 3rd cheapest place to buy a Big Mac.  It comes in 3rd after India and South Africa . See report in The New Straits Times , 15 Feb 2014.

Coffee plants & turmeric in Vietnam

In Dong Nai province we saw lot of cashews, pepper and tobacco being grown. Dong Nai is the province north of Ho Chi Minh City, in the south of Vietnam. We were in the area near Gia Ray in February, which is the dry season.

We were looking for lava tubes in a volcanic area. The volcanoes are long extinct. The soil seems rich for growing these crops.

Coffee -

Turmeric -

This is no longer grown as the price is too low, but there are still some plants in the ground

And this is the finished product of the coffee -

Cashews, pepper & tobacco in Vietnam

In Dong Nai province we saw lot of cashews, pepper and tobacco being grown. Dong Nai is the province north of Ho Chi Minh City, in the south of Vietnam. We were in the area near Gia Ray in February, which is the dry season.

We were looking for lava tubes in a volcanic area. The volcanoes are long extinct. The soil seems rich for growing these crops.

Cashews -

Pepper -

 The people use very tall ladders for tying the pepper vines to tree trunks

Tobacco -

 These leaves are still quite fresh

 

 These are older and ready for harvesting

See next album on coffee and turmeric.

© Liz Price
No reproduction without permission

Motorbikes in Ho Chi Minh City

The bikes in Ho Chi Minh City really outnumber those in KL.............. though somehow they seem more organised than the KL ones. In fact the Vietnamese in general seem to be better drivers than many in Malaysia!!!
It's not easy to see on the photos, but the bikes go all the way down the street on the night shots.

I hate crossing roads, the trick is to step out slowly and keep going - but I am a coward and usually freeze half way across!