Planning something special for Valentine's Day? Not if you're in Uzbekistan. The authorities in the Central Asian nation has canceled Valentine's Day:
Instead, residents in the capital of Tashkent can enjoy readings of poems by Mughal emperor Babur, who died in the 16th century.
The unofficial ban on romance-related festivities echoes long-standing antagonism in Uzbekistan toward the holiday. Last year, the Turkiston newspaper described Valentine's Day as the work of "forces with evil goals bent on putting an end to national values."
See also: Neat Valentine's Day gifts from the NeatoShop
Middle eastern newspapers are always making conspiracy allegations like this.... like everything from the western world was purposely designed to bring down islam from the inside.
They say the same thing about video games, television, rock music and women's fashion.