Saudi Arabia to let women ride bicycles - but subject to very strict conditions

[Sunni Man]

Women in Saudi Arabia will be allowed to ride bicycles for the first time in the Middle Eastern state – but they will be subject to severe restrictions while doing so, reports Aljazeera, citing a report in the newspaper Al-Yawm.

An official from Saudi Arabia’s religious police quoted on Al-Yawm said that women would be able to ride bicycles or motorbikes in recreational areas, with the proviso that they are accompanied by a male relative and also wear the abaya, the Islamic garment that covers the body from head to toe.

Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world where women are banned from driving, and they will only be permitted to use two-wheelers “for entertainment” and not for transportation.

They have also been told to avoid locations where groups of young men gather “to avoid harassment.''

Saudi Arabia to let women ride bicycles - but subject to very strict conditions | road.cc | Road cycling news, Bike reviews, Commuting, Leisure riding, Sportives and more

 

[Skull Pilot]

Fucking idiot muslims probably still think a woman can lose her virginity on a bicycle seat.

 

[irosie91]

Fucking idiot muslims probably still think a woman can lose her virginity on a bicycle seat.

Theoretically she could----but both players would have to be
very athletic

 

[TheOldSchool]

Fucking idiot muslims probably still think a woman can lose her virginity on a bicycle seat.

Theoretically she could----but both players would have to be
very athletic

Zing!

 

[Noomi]

Women in Saudi Arabia will be allowed to ride bicycles for the first time in the Middle Eastern state – but they will be subject to severe restrictions while doing so, reports Aljazeera, citing a report in the newspaper Al-Yawm.

An official from Saudi Arabia’s religious police quoted on Al-Yawm said that women would be able to ride bicycles or motorbikes in recreational areas, with the proviso that they are accompanied by a male relative and also wear the abaya, the Islamic garment that covers the body from head to toe.

Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world where women are banned from driving, and they will only be permitted to use two-wheelers “for entertainment” and not for transportation.

They have also been told to avoid locations where groups of young men gather “to avoid harassment.''

Saudi Arabia to let women ride bicycles - but subject to very strict conditions | road.cc | Road cycling news, Bike reviews, Commuting, Leisure riding, Sportives and more

Good grief. With a head to toe covering, what if the outfit gets caught in the spokes and her face is revealed? Does she get put to death?

 

[Lipush]

They have also been told to avoid locations where groups of young men gather “to avoid harassment.''

If the men can't help themselves, why are THEY not being kept from driving?

 

[waltky]

Ups an' downs of Muslim women...

Saudi woman makes history by reaching Everest summit
18 May 2013 - A Saudi woman has made history by reaching the summit of the world's highest mountain.

Raha Moharrak, 25, not only became the first Saudi woman to attempt the climb but also the youngest Arab to make it to the top of Everest. She is part of a four-person expedition that also includes the first Qatari man and the first Palestinian man attempting to reach the summit.

It took a lot of persuading before Raha Moharrak's Saudi family agreed to let her climb

They are trying to raise $1m (£660,000) for education projects in Nepal. Originally from Jeddah, Ms Moharrak is a university graduate currently based in Dubai. Coming from Saudi Arabia - a conservative Muslim country where women's rights are very restricted - she had to break a lot of barriers to achieve her goal, her climb team said.

A biography on the expedition website said convincing Ms Moharrak's family to agree to her climb "was as great a challenge as the mountain itself", though they fully support her now. "I really don't care about being the first," she is quoted as saying. "So long as it inspires someone else to be second."

BBC News - Saudi woman makes history by reaching Everest summit

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Afghan lawmakers block law on women's rights
May 18,`13 -- Conservative religious lawmakers in Afghanistan blocked legislation on Saturday aimed at strengthening provisions for women's freedoms, arguing that parts of it violate Islamic principles and encourage disobedience.

The fierce opposition highlights how tenuous women's rights remain a dozen years after the ouster of the hard-line Taliban regime, whose strict interpretation of Islam once kept Afghan women virtual prisoners in their homes. Khalil Ahmad Shaheedzada, a conservative lawmaker for Herat province, said the legislation was withdrawn shortly after being introduced in parliament because of an uproar by religious parties who said parts of the law are un-Islamic. "Whatever is against Islamic law, we don't even need to speak about it," Shaheedzada said.

The Law on Elimination of Violence Against Women has been in effect since 2009, but only by presidential decree. It is being brought before parliament now because lawmaker Fawzia Kofi, a women's rights activist, wants to cement it with a parliamentary vote to prevent its potential reversal by any future president who might be tempted to repeal it to satisfy hard-line religious parties. The law criminalizes, among other things, child marriage and forced marriage, and bans "baad," the traditional practice of exchanging girls and women to settle disputes. It makes domestic violence a crime punishable by up to three years in prison and specifies that rape victims should not face criminal charges for fornication or adultery.

Kofi, who plans to run for president in next year's elections, said she was disappointed because among those who oppose upgrading the law from presidential decree to legislation passed by parliament are women. Afghanistan's parliament has more than 60 female lawmakers, mostly due to constitutional provisions reserving certain seats for women. There has been spotty enforcement of the law as it stands. A United Nations analysis in late 2011 found only a small percentage of reported crimes against women were pursued by the Afghan government. Between March 2010 and March 2011 - the first full Afghan year the decree was in effect - prosecutors filed criminal charges in only 155 cases, or 7 percent of the total number of crimes reported.

The child marriage ban and the idea of protecting female rape victims from prosecution were particularly heated subjects in Saturday's parliamentary debate, said Nasirullah Sadiqizada Neli, a conservative lawmaker from Daykundi province. Neli suggested that removing the custom - common in Afghanistan - of prosecuting raped women for adultery would lead to social chaos, with women freely engaging in extramarital sex safe in the knowledge they could claim rape if caught. Another lawmaker, Mandavi Abdul Rahmani of Barlkh province, also opposed the law's rape provision. "Adultery itself is a crime in Islam, whether it is by force or not," Rahmani said.

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