Why people commit suicide on Valentine’s Day?
By Dr Muhammad Solaiman
Origin of Valentine day
The origin of Valentine’s Day credits the ancient Roman festival “Lupercalia,” which celebrated spring through the pairing of women with men by lottery. The tradition called for men to sacrifice a goat and a dog, and then whip their women with the hides of the animals they had slain.
The Roman festival was Christianised and replaced with the St. Valentine’s Day. According to the legend, the saint was beheaded on February 14 for performing marriages in secrecy between lovers against the will of the Roman Emperor. However, in 1969, the Catholic cancelled the celebrations of Valentine’s Day because its historical origin was questionable.
Singles feel bad
Originally, Valentine’s Day credits the ancient Roman festival “Lupercalia”. It meant that singles do not feel lonely and bad. However, on the contrary, today, Valentine’s Day makes singles feel bad. The “expectation” to be in love and not to find somebody to love on Valentine’s Day often intensifies depressive thoughts which could not be controlled by some.
Tody, many young adults admit to having negative and depressive feelings on Valentine’s Day. Apparently, 1 in 10 adults feels lonely, insecure, depressed, or unwanted. People under this stress may suffer from broken-heart syndrome, which is a temporary condition that mimics a heart attack and causes chest pains. In addition, Valentine’s Day is the time for the highest rate of suicide. People suffering from depression or other mental illnesses have feelings of isolation which could lead to committing suicides.
Valentine’s Day is a commercial holiday
The only people who benefit from Valentine’s Day is the businessmen who exert tremendous pressure on people; physically, emotionally and most importantly, financially.
In Valentine’s Day, greeting cards are the most common gifts, followed by candy, flowers, jewels and evening outs. In 2013, Americans sent 150 billion cards. In Valentine’s Day and around it, the condom industry and home pregnancy tests also flourish and companies producing them make 20–30% more money. In 2016, the total spending of the Americans for Valentine’s Day was around $18.6 billion and the average consumer spent $146.84.
Sexual drive and society
In the West, there is a high incidence of pre-marital and extra-marital sexual relations. Films, television and certain sections of the press encourage premarital experience and consider it desirable. Today, extra-marital affairs are considered quite normal. Western fashions concentrate quite intentionally on exposing the erogenous zones to the public gaze.
All roads have been paved to encourage promiscuity. Contraception and abortion conveniently have been used to get rid of any undesirable pregnancy. Antibiotics are now available for treatment of venereal diseases. The soaring problem of illegitimate kids is not a problem in society and has been well accepted.
However, though contraception greatly reduces the risk of pregnancy, it doesn’t eliminate it. Almost 5% of American women ages fifteen to forty-four unintentionally get pregnant. On the other hand, condoms and antibiotics can’t prevent STD disease like AIDS and HPV. In addition, the impact of out-of-wedlock birth of the child is significant. These children are more likely to suffer from at least emotionally and behavioural problems which could be permanent.
Teenagers, in particular, may be susceptible to depression on Valentine’s Day.
Chastity is a natural instinct (Fitrah)
Chastity is imprinted in the instinct of human, which is called in Islam Fitrah. Women instinctively seek commitment and need affection and attachment. Usually, women instinctively are attached to their sexual partner. Therefore, if their partners leave them, they may suffer emotionally. Even if the partner is a poor one, woman may still find it hard to leave him. Soe women may also avoids premarital sex to avoid the disappointment of their parents and siblings, who instinctively value their chastity.
Instinctively, most women love to bear children. Woman, therefore, does not want to waste her reproductive years on a guy who wouldn’t marry her and kees exploiting her. On the other hand, generally speaking, men prefer female partners who are virgins because they believe that they can be trusted.
There is no way premarital sex promotes the society. In the promiscuous Western Societies, the population is shrinking and people are suffering from a lot of enormous problems.
The status of woman is very high in Islam
“O Mankind, keep your duty to your Lord who created you from a single soul and from it created its mate and from them, propagated from them many men and women” (Quran 4:1).
This verse emphasizes on human equality, including sex equality and also negates all inequality due to race, colour, nationality, etc. because all humans spring from a single source.
Islam makes of the woman a queen enjoying complete passion, provision and personal maintenance with their family and then her husbands. Sex is prohibited outside marriage and Islam respects the woman’s right for respect, dignity, chastity, purity and security.
Islam prohibits sex outside of marriage
Islam asserts that any and all sex outside of marriage is prohibited. It advocates a number of specific measures to reduce the temptations towards sex outside marriage.
Firstly, the Prophet advised all people to get married if they could so that their natural desires should have legitimate and legal fulfilment.
Secondly, women are directed in the Our’an when they appear in public to cover themselves in a modest type of dress.
Thirdly, the Muslim way of life excludes the boyfriend/girlfriend system, mixed parties, dancing between men and women, taking alcohol or drugs which provide the situation for pre-marital and extra-marital sexual relations to develop. Social entertainments are generally either within the family and close friends of the family or among men and women in separate groups.
Fourthly, sex outside marriage is considered in Islamic law not only as a sin but also as a crime and the punishment for it applies equally to the man and woman.
Would you still celebrate Valentine’s Day?
In the pagan Roman of festival “Lupercalia”, women were humiliated when selected by a lottery and when they were treated as an object of lust, desire and fertility in the honour of Roman pagan gods and goddesses.
Though the pagan festival was Chrinised into Valentine’s Day, it is a day of distress, depression, loneliness and may even drive some singles to commit suicides. In fact, this festival promotes money making business at the expense of people.
On the other hand, Valentine’s Day, for the married does not make sense because the couple can celebrate the sentiments and observances of their intimate relationship on any other 364 days of the year.
Since 1969, the Catholic Church cancelled Valentine’s Day celebrations. Therefore, it is no longer a Christian celebration. By celebrating Valentine’s Day you revive the most sexually perverted pagan Roman festivals of fertility, lust, desire, sex and erotica. Would you still celebrate Valentine’s Day?