All Saudi Arabia Needs is Love

by Racialicious special correspondent Fatemeh Fakhraie

This sloppy article from CNN talks about how Saudi Arabia overreacts to Valentine’s Day every year and bans all things red in an attempt to quash any plans Saudis have to celebrate the holiday. The Saudi government considers Valentine’s Day to be un-Islamic and thus bans roses, teddy bears, and all things Valentine-related.

So the article starts out decently enough, talking about why Saudi Arabia discourages the holiday, describing the black market for roses that pops up, and speaks with a Saudi blogger for his perspective.

Then, CNN tacks on a three-paragraph description of how difficult women have it in the kingdom, complete with two of the most recent cases that have drawn international attention. Which has…what…to do with Valentine’s Day?

Attaching this to the end of an article about Valentine’s Day makes it seem like CNN blames all of Saudi Arabia’s problems with women on the fact that the government doesn’t recognize the holiday. Well, that solves it. All we have to do is invade Saudi Arabia and liberate them so they can celebrate Valentine’s Day. That should clear up everything nicely.