The Taliban on Saturday described Valentine’s Day as a “day of moral decline,” reiterating their ban on its observance across Afghanistan.
Saif al-Din Khyber, spokesperson for the Taliban Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, said in a post on X that Valentine’s Day was a “day of moral decline and imitation of the West.”
He added that the occasion had been given value “only for one day to soothe and satisfy psychological desires.”
Expressing regret that some people continue to mark the day, he said that if a young man celebrated Valentine’s Day, he had “followed his desires.”
Feb. 14 is marked in many countries as a day of love, with people exchanging flowers, chocolates and greeting cards to express affection for spouses, friends and family members.
In the western city of Herat, residents said stickers reading “Valentine’s Day is forbidden” had been placed on the doors of flower shops in Taraqi Park, an area home to dozens of restaurants and several florists that in previous years had been a focal point for Valentine’s shopping.
“Today is Feb. 14 and the Taliban are present in every corner of the city, preventing the celebration of Valentine’s Day,” said Farishta Mursal, a Herat resident. “However, some couples still use the day as an excuse to increase affection between them and give each other gifts.”
Another resident, Arezu Hamidi, said celebrating Valentine’s Day did not mean following Western culture.
“It is an excuse to create a smile and reduce anger and sadness,” she said.
In Kabul, some shopkeepers said they had been warned not to decorate their stores with heart symbols or the color red.
“We were told not to bring in goods related to this day,” said one Kabul shopkeeper, who declined to be named for security reasons. “They said it is a Western day and we should not normalize Western culture. Out of fear, we did not bring in Valentine’s goods.”
Taliban officials have previously said celebrating Valentine’s Day is incompatible with Islamic and cultural values and have banned the sale of related symbols, including red roses and greeting cards.
Since returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban have imposed wide-ranging restrictions on social and cultural activities. They have not released figures on enforcement actions related to Valentine’s Day, but residents said heightened monitoring had made observance of the occasion more subdued compared with years before 2021.
