On a summer day, when you ride your bike to go shopping, or to work, or just to enjoy the nice weather with your friends, or with your family, or even alone, can you imagine that somewhere in the world, in the twenty first century, women face penalties if they do the same?
Yes, in Iran it is forbidden for women to ride a bicycle in public and in front of strangers.
Bicycle riding isn't something I've done much of except for when I was a child. As I grew up, I lost interest in bicycles because the society led us to view it as a masculine pleasure that had no relation to me. Although some girls and women still rode, the practice was not totally accepted by society. That was something unconsciously and nobody noticed it, until 2016 that the supreme leader of Iran issued a fatwa (a legal ruling issued by an Islamic religious leader), in which he announced that riding bicycle for women is illegal and unlawful in public places. He added that the fatwa was issued because “riding a bicycle often attracts the attention of men and exposes the society to corruption, and thus contravenes women’s chastity, and it must be abandoned.”
This picture dates to around 2016, when a group of young boys and a few girls rode a long distance while holding placards or hanging from their bicycles with the words “Cycling is legal for women”.
Prior to this, a girl like me used to have to worry about ogles and annoying looks if she wanted to cycle, but after the Iran's leader Fatwa, religious extremists, and agents gaining power with the leader's support harass women and girls' cyclists.
Many videos or pictures were issued of the conflict between females’ cyclists and the police or ordinary religious citizens. I witnessed of protestations and still see videos in social media of the girls and women struggling to get their right back. The bicycle stands around the cities in Iran avoid renting the bikes to women. It wasn't the first time that I faced restrictions regarding women in society, but I wondered what the difference is between riding a bicycle and riding a horse or camel. Since we all knew that Early in the history of Islam, women rode camels and horses. Then how it can be against the Islamic laws?
For those politicians trying to get votes during Election times, women's issues and problems becomes a helpful and significant pretext. Reading chapter three of Turbulent Times, “Gender Sensitivity under Trudeau: Facebook Feminism or Real Change?”, and “Knocking Down Walls in Political Science”, reminds me of how candidates pledge to prioritize women’s issues if they are elected. Cycling for women is a new thing added recently in their to do list. A list which expires exactly after they succeed.
In my view, as well as that of many other people, marginalizing women and restrictive laws regarding them are the product of the patriarchal and anti-woman nature of Iran's governmental and political systems not based on religious laws. Religion is just an extremely useful tool for abuse for the government to achieve their goals, because the Revolution of Iran in 1976, was based on a religion. Although not many people in Iran are not Muslim, the Islamic Laws are mandatory for them as well. In addition, the Iranian government is plagued by financial and political corruption, so whenever people demand about their rights to know what is happening in the country, something about women issues raises up. Something strange enough to divert public attention into it and divert people’s daily conversations from the main issues to such trivial issues. Consequently, the commotion over women cycling and is nothing but to overshadow the main demands of the people.
