Iranian Women Protest Law That Bans Female Cyclists

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This past year, Iran introduced a new fatwa that bans women from riding their bicycles in public. A “fatwa” is an Islamic ruling made by a recognized authority figure. In this case, that authority figure was Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Khamenei stated that, “Riding a bicycle often attracts the attention of men and exposes the society to corruption, and thus contravenes women’s chastity.”

It all started with Iran’s latest environmental movement: car-free Tuesdays. Instead of driving, citizens began riding their bikes as a way to reduce pollution. When more women started cycling, that’s when religious clerics took issue. Devout leaders claimed that the activity was immodest, and inspired lustful thinking in the minds of men.

But women are taking to social media to fight back against the latest fatwa. Several women have posted pictures/videos of themselves bicycling around town, deliberately violating the law. One young woman, accompanied by her mother, stated in her video that, “It’s our absolute right and we’re not going to give up.”

Another female cyclist claims that nobody protested her actions because she was accompanied by a group of men. In her video, she states, “Here they say when you have a man as your company, you are protected.” However, as soon as she got further ahead of the men in her group, she claims that people began saying “nasty things” about her.

Iranian journalist Masih Alinejad is credited with starting the rebellious movement. Alinejad titled the movement, “My Stealthy Freedom,” and since then, dozens of women have taken to social media to post videos/images of themselves cycling under the hashtag #IranianWomenLoveCycling.

Although the women in these two videos managed to avoid being arrested, that’s not to say that they won’t be detained in the future. Back in July, a group of Iranian female cyclists were arrested for breaking the fatwa. Eyewitnesses claim that some were being detained while other were forced to sign a pledge stating that they would never cycle in public again.

The recent defiance displayed by Iranian women is a sign that the country is in civil unrest, as tensions mount over human rights.