Mass Arrest Of Muslims In Malaysia For Celebrating Valentine’s Day
For everyone who hates Valentine’s Day for its consumerist tradition, be glad you have the choice whether or not to celebrate. Large groups of Muslims in Malaysia were arrested yesterday for trying to give their unmarried counterparts heart-shaped candy and a special night. BBC News reports:
Islamic morality police in Malaysia have arrested more than 80 Muslims in an operation to stop them celebrating Valentine’s Day.
Officers raided budget hotels in the central state of Selangor and capital, Kuala Lumpur, detaining unmarried Muslim couples who were sharing rooms.
The religious authorities in Malaysia say Valentine’s Day is synonymous with immoral activities.
Those arrested could be jailed for up to two years if convicted.
The anti-Valentine’s Day campaign by the country’s Islamic authorities goes back to a fatwa issued in 2005.
[Continues at BBC News]
Malaysia Opens “Baby Hatch” For Abandoned Babies
Malaysia’s answer to the high number of unmarried mothers and abandoned babies is an anonymous drop off service. Via BBC:
The cries of an abandoned baby boy echo in the nursery at Orphancare, a Malaysian charity that helps orphans find adoptive parents.
He is the only child here and does not have a name. But in many ways he is seen as one of the lucky ones.
He was left in a baby “hatch” – the first in the country – designed to allow mothers to leave their babies anonymously.
The charity hopes it will rescue more unwanted newborns, as the authorities seek to stem the rising number of abandoned babies.
Close to 500 babies have been found abandoned since 2005. Some were left in Muslim prayer halls, on doorsteps and even in rubbish bins. Many are found dead.
It is thought these children are mainly abandoned by single mothers. Having a child out of wedlock…
