Leader of Islamic Republic: Women’s Bicycle Riding in Public Places is Forbidden
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in response to a question about women riding bicycles, has deemed it forbidden in public places and in the presence of non-mahram (unrelated) men.
The information website of the Office of the Leader of the Islamic Republic published a question on Sunday, September 28, in the section of Islamic rulings, in which Ayatollah Khamenei’s view on women riding bicycles was asked.
The question referred to a news report circulated in cyberspace attributed to the Office of the Leader of the Islamic Republic stating that women riding bicycles is permissible while observing Islamic principles, and asked whether women riding bicycles on the street is allowed.
According to the website, Ayatollah Khamenei responded to this question by stating: “Women riding bicycles in public gatherings and also in places where they are exposed to the view of non-mahram men is forbidden.”
Some time ago, Shahindokht Molaverdi, the vice president for women and family affairs of the Iranian president, tweeted that according to the announcement of the Office of the Leader of the Revolution, women riding bicycles while observing Islamic principles is permissible.
Following the publication of this message on Twitter, the Farsi News Agency separately raised a religious question about the conditions of women riding bicycles and published the response from the office of Ayatollah Khamenei as follows: “Women riding bicycles in public gatherings and in the view of non-mahram men often attracts men’s attention and is subject to temptation and corruption of society and is contrary to women’s chastity and must be abandoned, and if it is not in the view of non-mahram men, there is no objection.”
Although there is no law in Iran prohibiting women from riding bicycles, the police occasionally deal with this issue on the street. This is while some government officials consider cycling in major cities as one of the ways to reduce air pollution and traffic.
Source: Voice of America
