Gone are the days when you showed your love with gifts of chocolates and flowers, romantic poems and candlelight dinners.

            

The trend now is to go ‘pantyless’ on Valentine’s Day, at least according to a campaign making its rounds among university students in Shah Alam.

Previous reports have indicated that advocates of the movement - aiming for Valentine’s Day this Sunday - are encouraging female university students to ‘go natural’ and are spreading their message by word of mouth and through mobile SMS.

Muslim non-governmental organisations, however, are seeing red. And it has nothing to do with the colour of love.

Islamic group Jemaah Islah Malaysia (JIM) women’s wing chief Dr Ruziaton Hasim said that Valentine’s Day (said to originate from the celebration of St Valentine) is itself unIslamic, and thus should not be celebrated by Muslims.

“Now they’re going even further and encouraging girls not to wear panties on this day,” Ruziaton told Malaysiakini when contacted.

Love and lust

She also said that the campaign is blurring the difference between love and lust, and urged for young people to preserve their self-respect.

“Do not sully your intellect and dignity by participating in this despicable campaign,” she urged.

The association of Muslim religious scholars Persatuan Ulama Malaysia (PUM) has also condemned the campaign.

Its Penang branch has formed, and currently heads, the Urusetia Menangani Gejala Sosial Pulau Pinang (Secretariat Against Social Ills, Penang).

The group is reportedly planning to picket on Sunday against the ‘pantyless’ campaign, and have formed a team of 500 volunteers to ‘prevent’ the campaign from realising its goals.

It is not known, however, how they will determine who is - or isn’t - wearing panties this Valentine’s Day.