A lazy Saturday morning in Kota Baru, Kelantan got a bit interesting today when a group of 20 youths staged a modesty drive cum anti-Valentine's Day demonstration.

The women held signs promoting the wearing of the hijab (headscarf) and the rejection of Valentine's Day, although one of them notably had a sign that read, "We love you".

Meanwhile, one of the men held up a placard which read, "Valentine's Day means a date with the devil."

The group had been inspired by the passing of PAS spiritual leader Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat on Thursday.

"The passing of our Tok Guru means we have lost a great ulama, and shows that we are at the end of times... So we, the youth, want to encourage our sisters to cover themselves up," group spokesperson Amal ( right ), 19, shouted into a megaphone.

The veiled young lady - who is currently not studying - told Malaysiakini that they were part of a nationwide movement to encourage Muslim women to observe the hijab, and that their demonstration just happened to fall on Valentine's Day.

"We're not doing this in conjunction with anything. We are doing our duty as God's caretakers ( khalifah Allah ) and we want to educate the young to cover themselves," she stressed.

The observation of hijab is commonplace in Kelantan and encouraged by the PAS-led administration, as seen by the many state government-sanctioned signboards reminding women of the matter.

Women wearing fitted jeans, however, seems to still be an oddity in some of the more conservative areas - such as Nik Aziz's hometown of Pulau Melaka, where a fellow journalist covering his funeral complained of men giving her weird stares.

"Maybe they just aren't used to seeing such things," she quipped on condition of anonymity.