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Despite prohibition, couples in West Jakarta tie the knot on Valentine’s Day
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Ahmad Hanafi (second left) and Sri Lestari (right) tie the knot at Palmerah Religious Affairs Office (KUA) in West Jakarta on the Valentine’s Day on Feb. 14. (Warta Kota/ Hamdi Putra)
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wo couples tied the knot on Valentine’s Day on Wednesday at the Palmerah Religious Affairs Office (KUA) in West Jakarta despite the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) voicing its opposition to any kind of celebration to commemorate the day.
“We choose the date [Feb. 14] so it’d be easier for us to remember the date of our anniversary,” said Sri Lestari, 26, after officially becoming the wife of Ahmad Hanafi, 25, as reported by wartakota.tribunnews.com.
Another couple to follow suite was David Kiato and Henny Suroaji, who, according to Palmerah KUA head Suranto, were an elderly couple who celebrated their special day without their respective children.
The couples were among the few that decided to celebrate their love on Valentine’s Day.
MUI chairman Ma’ruf Amin said celebrations relating to Valentine’s Day should be banned because the day had no value and could potentially destroy the country's norms and morality. He also urged governors and local leaders to examine both the positive and negative impacts of such celebrations.
“Every ban has its own purpose, and each region has a different level of vulnerability. Hence, not every region needs to ban Valentine’s Day celebrations,” he said.
The Depok administration in West Java was among the regions that prohibited Valentine’s Day celebrations, especially in schools. The Depok Education Agency issued an official statement on the prohibition and circulated it to all schools in the city. (vla)
