Seeing Red

It's time to update the List of things that offend Muslims. I talked about the Valentine jihad last year, and how Saudi Arabia banned red roses from being sold near the dreaded Christian holiday. But this year they've really out done themselves, Banning the color red it's self! Take that St Valentine!

Hat tip to Bosch Fawstin's post a few days ago.

Saudi Arabia has asked florists and gift shops to remove all red items until after Valentine's Day, calling the celebration of such a holiday a sin, local media reported Monday.

"As Muslims we shouldn't celebrate a non-Muslim celebration, especially this one that encourages immoral relations between unmarried men and women, " Sheikh Khaled Al-Dossari, a scholar in Islamic studies, told the Saudi Gazette, an English-language newspaper.

Every year, officials with the conservative Muslim kingdom's Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice clamp down on shops a few days before February 14, instructing them to remove red roses, red wrapping paper, gift boxes and teddy bears. On the eve of the holiday, they raid stores and seize symbols of love.

The virtue and vice squad is a police force of several thousand charged with, among other things, enforcing dress codes and segregating the sexes. Saudi Arabia, which follows a strict interpretation of Islam called Wahhabism, punishes unrelated women and men who mingle in public.

In Canada, Radio host Lowell Green has Muslims seeing red. Emphasis not mine.

Green posed the question to listeners: “Is there something inherent in the Muslim faith that promotes violence and oppression of women?” and said, “Almost every act of terrorism around the world today is carried out in the name of Islam,” responded Green. “Don’t tell me this is the work of a few fanatics.” Read it all.

You can read what Islamic texts say about the treatment of women here, and Green's second point is easily proven here.

Elder of Zion tells us that Muslims are seeing red over Quranic verses on skiing gear. In fact, the unwitting Swedish tourist started a riot.

The protests over the inscription of Quranic verses on the skiing gear of a Swedish national reached the city on Sunday with clashes between police and the protesters taking place at several places.

In Nowhatta, Maisuma, Zaldagar and Nawabazar localities of the city, scores of angry youth pelted stones at police.

The controversy started on Saturday when some employees of Gulmarg Cable Car Corporation noticed Quranic verses inscribed on the skiing gear of N Patrick.
The people caught hold of the foreigner and handed him over to police. They demanded stern action against the skier.

Shouting anti-America, anti-Israel and anti-Sweden slogans, the protesters in Srinagar termed it as a deliberate attempt on part of the European tourist.

"Entire Europe and Israel is against Muslims. You can see what Israel is doing in Gaza and Lebanon so such things are very much expected from a Sweden tourist. They should be banned from visiting Kashmir," said a protester in Maisuma Chowk.

Anti-Muslim? It turns out he's married to a Muslim.

Meanwhile, Kashmir's Grand Mufti, Mufti Bashir-ud-din said that the foreign skier met him and sought apology for his act.

"The skier said that he was not aware about the sensitivity of the matter and maintained that it was his Muslim wife who had suggested him to use such Quranic verses on the skiing gears. He has sought public apology for his act," Bashir-ud-din said.

I wonder how many of the rioters are wanting to apologize?

In Gulmarg on Sunday shopkeepers, hoteliers, horsemen and sledge drivers observed complete shutdown.
Shouting anti-America, anti-Sweden and anti-Israel slogans, the protesters blocked Gulmarg-Srinagar road.
Tangmarg also witnessed protests over the issue as people blocked the road and did not allow vehicles to proceed towards Gulmarg.

Oh.