On Yer Bike!


I came across this interesting 'ruling' from an Islamic Q and A website on the question of women riding bicycles in Western countries - see the following ink for further details: https://islamqa.info/en/152058

Now I don't really get all this camel business or why women should 'cover up' even when they are riding a bike or motorcycle while men are nowhere to be seen.

No doubt protesters around the globe are in the process or organising 'Wear What You Want' an 'Ride What You Want' demonstrations as I write, as they did recently in response to the 'burkini row in France.


 

    


152058: Ruling on women riding bicycles in Western countries


If a woman is a new Muslim, and she is currently not married and has a child who she must support - living in a non-Muslim country... what is the ruling for her riding a bicycle for her work and other places, seeing as she does not have enough money to buy a car, or even rent an apartment! During the summertime walking becomes difficult, so she would like to buy a bicycle, what is the ruling regarding this?.
Published Date: 2011-01-27
Praise be to Allaah.

The woman is required to cover all of her body in front of non-mahram men with clothes that are loose and will not show the size of her limbs and are not see-through.

The basic principle is that it is permissible for a woman to ride animals, just as women used to ride camels and so on at the time of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). al-Bukhaari (5365) and Muslim (2527) narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “The best women who ride camels are the women of Quraysh.” 

Some fuqaha’ forbade women to ride horses except in cases of necessity such as jihad or Hajj, and they gave as the reason for that the fact that it is an imitation of men, and because of the reports that the women who do that are cursed, but that is a hadeeth that is not saheeh. 

It says in al-Durr al-Mukhtaar: A Muslim woman should not ride an animal because of the hadeeth. This applies if it is for leisure, but if it is for a need such as a campaign or Hajj or some religious or worldly interest concerning which she has no other option, then there is nothing wrong with it. 

Ibn ‘Aabideen said in his Haashiyah (6/423): The phrase “because of the hadeeth” refers to a hadeeth in al-Dhakheerah which says “May Allah curse the women on saddles.” But al-Madani narrated from Abu’l-Tayyib that there is no basis for it, i.e., there is no source for the hadeeth in this wording but the meaning is proven. In al-Bukhaari and elsewhere it says: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) cursed men who imitate women and women who imitate men. In al-Tabaraani it says: A woman passed by the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) carrying a bow and he said: May Allah curse women who imitate men and men who imitate women. 

The words “but if it is for a need such as a campaign” and so on mean: it is stipulated that she should be covered and she should be with her husband or a mahram. The words “for some religious interest” refer to something like travelling in order to uphold ties of kinship. End quote. 
If a woman rides a bicycle in front of men there is the possibility that she may become uncovered and part of her body may appear or the shape of her body may appear when she moves and air flows around her. For this reason it is not permissible for her to do that except in the case of necessity or urgent need, on condition that she wear clothes that cover her, with pants and socks underneath. 
We asked Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) a previous question, which was as follows: Is it permissible for a Muslim woman living in a kaafir country to ride a bicycle or motorbike wearing complete hijab? 
He replied: I do not think this is allowed, because she may be caught up with pursued. End quote. 
Dr. Ahmad al-Hajji al-Kurdi [an expert in al-Mawsoo‘ah al-Fiqhiyyah and a member of the Ifta Committee in Kuwait] was asked: 
What is the ruling on women riding bicycles in European countries in order to get to school or work or to the supermarket? 
He replied:
There is no reason why a woman should not ride a motorbike or a bicycle if she is where men cannot see her, so long as she adheres to complete shar‘i hijab that covers her body and she is careful to avoid showing any part of her ‘awrah when getting on and off. 
But with regard to her riding it in a place where men can see her, I do not think that this is permissible except in the case of urgent need, because usually when a woman rides it, part of what she has covered appears or the clothes become tight and show the shape of her body. And because she may fall from it and uncover what she has covered, or there are other reservations. 
Moreover, among the conditions of a woman’s hijab in front of non-mahram men is that it should cover all of the ‘awrah; it should be thick and not see-through;, it should be loose and should not show the shape; and it should be of a dull colour that does not attract attention; it should not have any adornment or pattern; and it should not be intended as an adornment, rather it should be worn in order to cover. 
The best that I have seen in that regard is what is called the jilbaab, but I do not say it is obligatory for anyone. 
End quote from his website:
And Allah knows best.

Feck Off With Your Fatwas! (Image result for feck off + father ted images


Father Ted is one of life's great comic characters, always alert to to the hypocrisy of his religious elders and betters, while possessed of a burning desire to kick Bishop Brennan up the arse.

So it's great to see women in Iran defying the ayatollahs, mullahs and imams (all men, of course) who are trying to stop women riding bicycles and motorbikes - for fear of inflaming the passions of their menfolk. 

It's early days yet, but here's hoping this is the start of a movement which adopts the slogan "Feck off with your fatwas!"


 


Women in Iran defy fatwa by riding bikes in public

BBC Middle East


Image copyrightFACEBOOK / MY STEALTHY FREEDOM

Women in Iran have been posting photos on social media of themselves riding bicycles, defying a fatwa forbidding them from cycling in public.

It had been understood women that could cycle as long as religious concerns were respected.

But when asked recently, Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, said women were not allowed to cycle in public or in the presence of strangers.

The issue came into focus earlier this year, when campaigners in Iran began marking "car-free Tuesdays" to encourage people to leave their cars at home in the hope of cutting down on pollution.

When women were seen taking part in campaign bike rides, it was frowned upon by some Iranian clerics.

Now, Iranian women have been using social media to highlight the subject, adding the hashtag #IranianWomenLoveCycling.

Image copyrightFACEBOOK / MY STEALTHY FREEDOM
Campaigning women

A video a mother and daughter filmed of themselves cycling in Iran has had 98,000 views since it was posted on My Stealthy Freedom's Facebook page on Monday.

Campaign founder Masih Alinejad, who is based in New York, said: "They told me that they are not going to give up because they think biking is their absolute right.

Image copyright - INSTAGRAM / MY STEALTHY FREEDOM

"It is absolutely shameful to hear such a backward fatwa against women in the 21st Century.

"It is unacceptable in 2016 when you hear that a group of female cyclists have been arrested in Iran for the crime of riding a bike in a public place and made to sign a pledge promising they will not cycle in public again.

"I called on women through my Instagram account to share their reaction, and I received so many 
photos and videos of women cycling."

Image copyright - INSTAGRAM / MY STEALTHY FREEDOM

"I've received messages from inside Iran from women who are shocked and want to protest."

In another video, a female cyclist is seen saying some men had said some "nasty things" about her as she had ridden past them.

Ms Alinejad said: "The activity does not have a defined penalty in Iran's legal code, but modesty laws are used against women who cycle in public.

"Women in Iran want to be active in society - but, for the clerics, that's a big threat because, in their eyes women, should not be seen or heard but stuck in the kitchen.

"It is our basic right to be able to freely cycle.

"I strongly believe that these acts will bring change.

"Women are the main agents of change, and as they push for equality, we see greater push back from the Islamic Republic [of Iran].

"The fight for equality is a historical process, and just in the same way that women succeeded in Europe and the US to win their rights, so will women in Iran."

By Andree Massiah UGC & Social News team



Religious Orders (23/09/16)




Ayatollah Khameni the supreme spiritual leader of Iran has issued a new fatwa (religious order) which bans women from riding their bikes in public.

Now this seems like quite a ridiculous ruling to me although, looking on the bright side the ruling, it is not quite as devastating as the one issued by Ayatollah Khomeni (Khameni's predecessor) urging all 'good' Muslims to murder Salman Rushdie for writing his novel The Satanic Verses.

 


Iranian women defy fatwa against cycling by taking to their bikes

Cycling Weekly - September 21, 2016

Women in Iran are defying a newly-introduced rule that they should not cycle in public as it "contravenes women's chastity"

Women in Iran have responded to a new fatwa banning women from cycling issued by the country’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei by riding their bikes in public.

Ali Khamenei ruled that a woman riding a bike is sinful, and said that: “Riding a bicycle often attracts the attention of men and exposes the society to corruption, and thus contravenes women’s chastity.”

Women have been filming themselves riding in Iran since the fatwa was introduced, and then posting videos and photographs on the ‘My Stealthy Freedom’ Facebook account with the hashtag #IranianWomenLoveCycling.

On Monday, a mother and daughter posted a video of themselves riding in Kish in the country, and said that “We love cycling and we will never give up”.

>>> Iranian women forced to sign contract pledging never to cycle in public

“Bicycle riding is part of our lives,” they said in the video. “We were here when we heard Ayatollah Khamenei’s fatwa banning women from bicycling. We immediately rented two bicycles to say we’re not giving up cycling.”

“It’s our absolute right and we’re not going to give up.”

Another woman posted a photograph of herself cycling, and left the message: “In order to be able to lead an ordinary life, I, as a woman, have to engage in a daily ‘war’.

“Am I a criminal because I love life and I love cycling? Let’s be mindful of the fact we can attain victory by fighting tirelessly [for our rights]. Long live peace, life, and respect for each others’ rights.”

In July, the Independent reported that several women were arrested in Iran for riding bicycles. The women had to sign a pledge to say that they would not cycle again in public.

Read more at http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/iranian-women-defy-fatwa-cycling-taking-bikes-285528#Tw1SqDJhdjWPgbmp.99

Popular posts from this blog

SNP - Conspiracy of Silence

LGB Rights - Hijacked By Intolerant Zealots!