V-Day Termed 'Evil Festival'

Valentine's day celebration evokes love and hate rate. As millions of Brits get ready for the V-day celebrations, controversial Muslim cleric Anjem Choudary has threatened that people who celebrate will 'rot' in hell.

Choudary has criticized the celebration of love that includes exchange of cards, gifts and romantic candlelit dinners. He terms the practice as ' a futile and evil festival' and blames it to be an excused to indulge into sinful activities like free-mixing, promiscuity, vain sexual talk and even fornication, The Daily Star reported.

The London-based lawyer who himself has a history, 'cider-drinking ladies' man'. He has posted his 'anti-west' views on his website, 'The Islamist'. The article is titled 'Valentine's Day Of Fornication', and shows gruesome pictures of hearts, while the cover of the magazine shows pictures of Palestinian children killed during last month's attacks by Israel in the Gaza Strip.

Choudry is a former leader of the banned group Al-Muhajiroun and calls the V-day a 'Pagan festival'. He declares that it is an evil festival that diverts people from Allah."Many view this day as harmless fun, an opportunity to show love and affections towards spouses and partners by exchanging cards, giving flowers and having candle lit dinners etc, not realising that its origin and current day practices conflict with the teachings of Islam," Choudary wrote.

"The recognition of Valentine's Day opens the door to the Devil to manipulate their behavior, encouraging them to abandon their Islamic identity and to entertain desires of lust, to engage in pre-marital relations and in other evil practices," he adds, "People should not succumb. Instead we should endeavor to attain the best form of love, which is exclusive love for Allah." This is the latest in the extremist's bizarre attacks, earlier he had termed the Muslims celebrating Christmas as 'the pathway to hellfire and purchasing trees and having Christmas turkey meals are completely prohibited by Allah.' AGENCIES