Valentine’s Day is upon us, and the Middle East -- where passions run high at the best of times -- a hotbed of news and political drama-- turns up the heat as it goes violently mad for the love-fest. Arabs have been channeling their pent up over-sentimentalism, sensitivities and emotions into this global love affair for the better part of the last month now. Denizens of Arabia are going mushy over all things heart and red, rapidly turning desert planes into strawberry fields, and driven to distraction by tacky gifts. But this star-crossed day is also leaving some women running for the sand dunes and chocolate (dodging the heart-shaped ones) to ease the pain of being single -- arguably a condition even more wretched or a curse in these conservative societies than elsewhere.
For many, Valentine’s Day might as well be called “Single Awareness Day”, a dreaded day often greeted with long faces and lots of tears. But don’t fret; while for everywhere else Valentine’s is an open celebration of love, in the ME it's quite a different story. For those in a relationship, V Day can turn into a source of stress and distress, rending being in love more hazardous than it is rapturous. This "singles' slideshow" will flip the myth of being loved-up on February 14 on its head --offering bachelors, bachelorettes, spinsters, widows and divorcees from the Levant to the Maghreb a new perspective: 14 compelling reasons why being single on Valentine’s Day- and any other day for that matter - rocks!!! Not a painful reminder of being 'All by (your)self' but a welcome relief from the drama that accompanies the lovers' haven.
