Hijab, prayer caps, 2-meter distance: Islamabad college’s viral Valentine’s day circular

A Valentine’s Day circular allegedly issued by the Islamic International Medical College in Pakistan has gone viral on social media for its guidelines for February 14, according to a report. 

Pakistani newsweekly The Friday Times reported that the circular, issued on February 14, asked girls to wear the hijab and boys to wear white prayer caps on Valentine’s Day. It also demanded that a distance of two meters be kept between the two genders to prevent the youth from moving in the ‘wrong direction’.

The guidelines reportedly state, “All female students should be seen with properly-covered heads, necks and chests with a hijab according to the university dress code. All male students are strictly ordered to wear white prayer caps.”

A copy of the circular has been making the rounds on Twitter, with some users calling the rules ‘bizarre’ while others speaking in support. 

“This is weird. if someone wants to not celebrate valentine’s [because] they’re a Muslim, more power to them, but everyone practices their religion differently and imposing [your] beliefs on someone else is pure wrong,” said one post.

Another user, on the other hand, wrote, “It’s not wrong. They have “Islamic” right in their college name. If you still have the incessant need to sin, you can do it outside the college premises and timings.”

The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has already banned Valentine’s Day celebrations and marketing on public media, including television and radio, since 2017, The Friday Times noted in its report.