A religious law – or fatwa – forbids women in Iran from riding bikes in public but they’ve been doing it anyway and sharing pictures on social media.
Women are allowed to cycle in some designated spaces, and it has been suggested that there is no specific penalty for riding a bike. However, female cyclists have previously been arrested for cycling in non-assigned areas. We have heard reports of women being beaten for the offence and Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, confirms that women ‘are not allowed to cycle in public or in the presence of strangers’.
The issue first came to a head when campaigners in Iran began celebrating ‘car-free Tuesdays‘ to encourage people to cycle as opposed to driving. When women began to take part the ban came to the forefront of public attention.
Despite genuine threat of arrest, women are still riding – and sharing pictures to prove it with the hashtag #IranianWomenLoveCycling. A collection of the pictures can be found on the website ‘My Stealthy Freedom’ which campaigns for women to have the right to choose weather they wear a hijab.
A video shared on the My Stealthy Freedom’s Facebook page – shows a woman and her mother riding bikes in protest. It’s had over 4700 views and in it the rider explains: “bicycle riding is a part of our lives…. when we heard Ayatollah Khamenei’s fatwa banning women from cycling we immediately rented two bicycles to show we are not giving up. Cycling is our right and we’re not going to give up.”
In a similar video, a 25-year-old woman comments: “Was it really necessary to declare this decree and announce biking of women as a taboo? Now it has been a few years – the Iranian people have got used to seeing women biking with open mind and acceptance.” She added: “It makes me very sad and surprised.”
We’re so proud of these women for putting up a fight – we just wish they didn’t have to.
