Religious group warns against using emojis on Valentine's Day
Could the humble emoji lead to an illicit romance?
Apparently, according to a Malaysian youth group which has advised Muslim women against using emoticons in an-anti Valentine's Day message.
The National Muslim Youth Association, or Pembina, posted a guide for Muslim women on its Facebook page listing the "seven things Muslim women should avoid" when dealing with an eligible member of the opposite sex on Valentine's Day.
These include using "excessive" fragrance, interacting with men only in the day, and not to speak in a sweet voice.
It also adds that these rules should be followed outside of Valentine's Day.
"So what about men? Are they allowed to send emoticons to girls?" asked one netizen on Facebook.
"It's [people] like this that bring a bad name to Islam by making guidelines like this," another said.
And someone else posted their own seven-step guide towards Muslim men.
"If she has excessive fragrance on, be grateful that she smells good," says an extract from the post above.
"If there's a woman who isn't properly clothed, avoid dirty thoughts against her."
The guide is part of Pembina's annual anti-Valentine's Day campaign, which the group claims leads to illicit sex and threatens the faith of Muslims.
The group released anti-Valentine's posters ahead of 14 February, encouraging users to post a picture of themselves with a poster saying "I do not celebrate Valentine's Day."
A fatwa, or ban in Islamic law, was issued by the Malaysian National Fatwa Committee for Islamic Affairs in 2005 banning Valentine's Day.
However, an official government ban on the celebration has not been put in place.
Pakistan's High Court had on Monday formally banned the celebration, just ahead of Valentine's day, declaring that it was not a part of Muslim tradition.
Yvette is a Viral Content Reporter at Mashable Asia. She was previously reporting for BBC's Singapore bureau and Channel NewsAsia.
