Women and bicycling in Islam

A woman in a long cloak riding a bicycle in a city street The proper Islamic bicycle for the Muslim women is a topic of heated discussion in both Sunni and Shia Islam. Concerns centre around modesty (not revealing the body) and mobility (social control). The theologian and philosopher Alparslan Açıkgenç addressed the issue in a conference in Istanbul , saying "a bicycle that is produced with God's blessings in mind and man's interests at its fore is an Islamic bicycle". Secular academics worry that Turkey's Islamist government is putting Islam ahead of science . The Turkish journalist Mustafa Akyol argues that the very idea of an Islamic bicycle is indicative of a "mentality that has stagnated Muslim thought". Saudi Arabia bans the use of bicycles by women except in restricted recreational areas. The Iranian version of the bicycle has a "boxy contraption that hides a woman's lower body." In Iran it is forbidden for women to ride traditional bicycles out of concerns for modesty. Women riders are attacked by vigilantes . Critics condemn both the bicycle ban and the Islamic bicycle as tools of oppression .

Women biking or bicycling in Muslim world ( Learn how and when to remove this message ) Bicycling in Islam is a topic of discussion in Islam, primarily in regard to its use by Muslim women . Religious scholars are worried in particular about the effects of cycling on women's modesty (not revealing the body) and mobility (social control). In some parts of the Ottoman Empire , bicycling was taken up by women in the early 1900s. Women have fought against opposition from orthodox religious scholars and conservatives, while moderates maintain that there is textual evidence that Muslim women should be allowed, and even encouraged, to cycle. Regardless, increasing numbers of Muslim women have participated in cycle rallies and international competitions in recent years.