For yet another year, Valentine's Day is receiving little love from conservative Islamic groups across Indonesia, who contend the holiday goes against the religious values to which all Indonesians should adhere.

In Sukabumi, West Java, dozens of members of the local branch of Hizbut Tahrir, a pan-Islamic movement, rallied at the town square on Sunday to protest against celebrating Valentine's Day.

Dadun Abdul Manaf, the group's Sukabumi spokesman, said Valentine's Day was un-Islamic and that the local administration should ban it.

He claimed the tradition gave unmarried couples an excuse to "engage in activities that violate morality" and "destroy the religious and national fabric," such as premarital sex.

"Lots of people celebrate by having sex with a partner with whom they're not married, and before that they have parties where they drink alcohol," Dadun huffed.

He demanded the government discourage all forms of Valentine's Day celebrations, including by launching a countercelebration in the form of a mass prayer recital on the same day.

The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) also spoke out against the holiday. In Lebak district, Banten, local MUI officials called on Muslims to not celebrate Valentine's Day because it would "incite vice" and was a "foreign cultural influence."

Baidjuri, the MUI Lebak secretary, called on parents not to allow their children to honor the tradition in any way.

"It's better if people follow traditions that are in line with Islam and provided for in the Koran and the hadiths [words and deeds of the Prophet Muhammad]," he insisted. "That's why the MUI has issued a decree declaring the celebration of Valentine's as haram [forbidden in Islam]."

In Palembang, the local MUI branch said it had also put out a decree against Valentine's Day because it was "a tradition for Western people and incompatible with religious norms."

Sodikun, the MUI Palembang head, said Muslims should engage in more meaningful activities, such as donating blood. "That's much more useful than doing things that are forbidden by religion," he said.

In Pekanbaru, Riau, hundreds of high school students also got into the act with a rally on Friday, calling on their peers not to "fall for the Valentine's con."

"Besides going against Islamic teaching, it doesn't comply with Eastern values or any of the values of the people of Pekanbaru," rally coordinator Yogi Al-Giananda claimed. "We hope that all the businesses such as shopping malls, hotels and restaurants do not offer any services to celebrate Valentine's Day."