February 24, 2003	Monday	Zul Hijjah 22, 1423

TEHRAN, Feb 23: An Iranian cleric has proposed holding an Islamic Valentine Day, the government daily Iran reported on Sunday.

Hojatoleslam Mohammad-Ali Zam, cultural deputy of Tehran, had proposed the wedding anniversary date of the first Shiite Imam Ali and his wife Fatemeh Zahra, as the day of love and kindness.

This would encourage Iranian youths to celebrate the values of love and family on an Islamic feast day rather than on a western one, the cleric said..

Although young Iranians celebrate Valentine’s Day annually, vice police try to prevent this by closing some of the shops selling related articles.

According to another report, a cleric has also started a website for singles to help them find suitable partners. Hojatoleslam Jafar Ardebili, a marriage counsellor at universities in Tehran, said the Internet was an effective channel for finding a partner.

In Iran, relations between unmarried couples are strictly prohibited and people who breach the moral code are subject to arrests and heavy fines. Young Iranian couples are therefore increasingly resorting to temporary marriages.—dpa