Saudi women face gyms ban

[ensho]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/apr/26/saudi-women-sports-ban


Action taken to shut down unlicensed, all-women fitness clubs, condemned as 'shameless' by Saudi Arabia's clerics


Saudi women could see their private sports clubs and gyms closed down because the government seems likely to agree licensing of the clubs for men only.

But news of the likely shutdown of dozens of female-only gyms came as a government official suggested that women might be allowed to vote in municipal elections, although they would still be barred from running for office.

With the sexes strictly separated in public in the conservative kingdom, the two reports illustrate the slow and fitful nature of the progress made since the octogenarian King Abdullah instigated reforms three years ago.

This year the government appointed its first woman as deputy minister to run a department for female students. But women are still banned from driving and they face many other restrictions. They are required to have compulsory guardianship by a male.

Saudi Arabia's austere brand of Wahhabi Islam forbids the mixing of unrelated members of the opposite sex. In the ­presence of strange men, women must remain covered.

The problem that has emerged in recent months is that women's gyms are unlicensed and so illegal. Female fitness fans complain of a lack of places to exercise outside the home since they cannot use men's clubs.

-snip-
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religiously insane men are a bane

[Marrah_G]

1. "Compulsory guardianship" = slavery

The Saudi men in charge are only slightly more civilized then the Taliban.

[get the red out]

7. Slavery? How dare we say such??????

Someone will post that we MUST respect their CULTURE over any silly talk of human rights soon, I predict.

After all, the women must want it this way or they would disobey the laws and simply be sent to prison, lashed or stoned (can't expect there not to be harsh penalties for law breakers now can we, we know respect for law is far more important that stupid human rights).

And we must admit, we don't permit people to run around naked, so isn't that the same thing as requiring women to have "guardianship" and be fully covered in public? You know, being lashed is really no different than fines people incur for similar transgressions in this country, so we have no reason to judge their laws.

What would we do without the Saudis and their beautiful culture, reminding us every day why it is so incredibly important that more money be spent on oil rather than less. Without oil money their beautiful way of life might cease to exist in its purest form, and they might not be able to export their sweet version of Islam to other areas where it serves as such a stabilizing force in nations like Pakistan, who is also our beloved brother in the illustrious War on Terror! :sarcasm:

[Taverner]

2. Of course they don't want women working out - makes it easier for them to run away

[ensho]

4. bottom line true - and like running in high heeled shoes

nt

[Taverner]

6. Same reason they used to bind womens' feet in China

[valerief]

3. They don't want lots of women congregating in one place. Could lead

to political action by them.

[ensho]

5. true!

nt

[backscatter712]

8. Fucking barbarians.

No. I'm not falling for the "We must respect their culture and society bit." I'll start respecting them when they start adhering to tenets of basic civility, like equality of the sexes, just for starters.

Until then, I'll call them savages because they are savages.

Flame away.

[get the red out]

9. No flames from me

I hate these fuckers. Bad. I have hated them for their treatment of women for years and years.

But I know some liberals would rather see cultures respected rather than mere human lives (especially human lives that are only property lives, like women), so for them I have to state how easily we forget that most of the 911 terrorists were Saudis. And so we bombed two other countries once those Saudi guys, at the instruction of their Saudi leader, with Saudi funding from multiple sources, brought down the towers and attacked the Pentagon.

But Bush did so love holding hands with that Saudi Prince, match made in heaven. Surely we can all agree that such good friends of George W. Bush can't be worth a shit? Maybe?

[backscatter712]

10. Good point about Bush.

Bush plays kissy-face with Prince Bandar, then his fellow rethugs piss on Obama for shaking hands with Hugo Chavez. :eyes: