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Women

Women Motorcyclists Compete Despite Fatwas

February 4, 2022
Payam Younesipour
6 min read
The hardships women athletes face are largely due to the Supreme Leader and his fatwas
The hardships women athletes face are largely due to the Supreme Leader and his fatwas
Iranian women motorcyclists do take part in competitions, and yet women are still banned from driving motorcycles on the streets
Iranian women motorcyclists do take part in competitions, and yet women are still banned from driving motorcycles on the streets

As January came to a close, 65 Iranian motorcyclists took part in a Motorcycle and Auto Racing Federation competitive event in Iran. More than 30 women competed, despite an official ban on doing so. Iran's state media and media affliated with the Revolutionary Guards refuse to cover such events, but independent websites and media in the diaspora regularly report on these athletes' courage in the face of ongoing discrimination. 

In fact, these bans are not just about sport. Women face pressure and prosecution even if they ride motorcycles on the streets. 

The Supreme Leader’s Guiding Principle on Women and Sports

Anyone who follows Iranian politics, economy and culture knows the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei holds significant influence over almost every aspect of life. Women aren’t allowed to compete in motorcycling or cycling, and women are not allowed to obtain a motorcycle license in Iran.

Although equestrianism is one of the most revered sports in Islam, Shia religious authorities forbid women from taking part.

The hardships women athletes — and women fans — face are largely due to the Supreme Leader and his fatwas. One clear example is a statement he made in 2003 when asked about women watching male athletes and teams competing in stadiums: ”This is forbidden and illegal, and disobeying it is a violation," he said. 

Announcing a separate fatwa about women watching male wrestling, Khamenei said: “If it is watched live in the arena or on the TV, or for the purpose of pleasure, and if there is a possibility of sin and corruption being committed, it is not permissible."

Historical Bans

Khamenei’s ban on women taking part in equestrian competitions came via a fatwa in the 1990s. He wrote: "It is contrary to the chastity of women and so it is necessary for them to not do it.” However, he said, if a woman wanted to take part in such competitions in a private setting and where any men present are mahram [close family], “there is no problem."

In 2016, Fars News Agency asked Ayatollah Khamenei's office to clarify the Islamic ruling on women motorcyclists and cyclists. Khamenei responded, reiterating much of what he said in the original fatwa on riding horses: "Women cycling in public places and in front of non-mahram [men who are not close family] often attracts the attention of men and can lead to sedition and corruption of society and goes against the chastity of women. It should not happen. But if it is not in front of non-mahram, there is no problem."

That same year, photographs emerged of two women riding motorcycles in Dezful in Khuzestan. Provincial police chief Colonel Ali Elhami announced that the women had been detained by Basij forces.

Colonel Elhami described the women motorcyclists as “ugly,” “indecent,” "a concern for the Muslim community" and "a cause of regret for religious people and followers of Velayat-e Faqih [the Islamic principles of the system of the Islamic Republic].”

"The police had taken extensive measures to arrest the two women," he added, suggesting that a search for the women had ensued following the publication of the photographs.

The Islamic Quest website, which examines fatwas and looks at their religious underpinnings, stated in its analysis of the bicycle and motorcycle ban: “The Prophet Mohammad said women should not walk in the middle of the road; they are only able to walk beside walls or on the side of the road."

The website further explains: "Prophet Mohammad does not mean to say that women walking in the middle of the street is forbidden, but such narrations show that respecting the dignity and honor of women and their sanctity is important for Islam."

An Isfahan Court Decides Women Can Ride

In August 2019, a branch of the Isfahan Court of Administrative Justice ruled that traffic officers employed by the national police, or NAJA, must issue motorcycle driving licenses to women who qualified. The ruling came after a complaint from a woman who was entitled to a license but was told she couldn’t have one.

"The situation in urban areas, especially in metropolitan areas, the financial impossibility of providing cars for all groups in society, and the ease of commuting on motorcycles to make ends meet (and sometimes women in society do have to handle such matters), makes clear the need to issue motorcycle licenses for women,” the ruling read.

Despite this and the obvious need for this ruling to be applied throughout the country, some officials interpreted the ruling as being limited to women who protested in Isfahan.

But on October 19, 2021, NAJA police chief Kamal Hadianfar said it was illegal for women to ride motorcycles because they had not been granted licenses, and the issuing of such permits was banned by law. "We cannot issue a license for women because the word 'gentlemen' is specified in the text of the law.” He added that those defying the law would be prosecuted.

Women Motorcyclists Hold Out Hope

Despite these persistent bans, women motorcyclists still hope they will be able to ride — and not just on the streets, but on the racetrack too.

One of the most famous Iranian motorcyclists is Nora Naraghi, who is from Iran’s Baha'i religious minority. She has faced double pressure for being a Baha’i and for riding a motorcycle. She is currently back in Iran after spending time in the United States to study and participate in international motorcycling competitions. Her mother, Shahrzad Nazifi, has also faced persecution, and was arrested, imprisoned and banned from taking part in any sporting activities.

The achievements of stuntwoman Mahsa Ahmadi including winning the much-lauded Crystal Award in 2015 at the Action Icon ceremony in California, never make the headlines in Iranian state media or media linked to the Guards. Ahmadi is famous in for her stunt work in major Hollywood films, including Skyfall.

But Ahmadi, like other women, has no right to ride a motorcycle on the streets of Iran, although she has not faced challenges for her presence on the international stage as a professional motorcyclist.

Behnaz Shafiei attracted widespread attention for her success in competitions and her international notoreity. Again, she has been largely ignored by Iran’s official media and not allowed to ride in public in Iran. The same is true for well-known riders Shahed Rabiee and Sedigheh Khati.

And so they continue this strange, stifling double life. These motorcyclists defy fatwas and bans, risking arrest and legal action to pursue their professions, achieve their sporting goals, and to enjoy what is, after all, their rights.

Related coverage: 

Traffic Police Chief: We'll Deal With Women Motorcyclists

Iran's First All-Women Motorbike Race

The Woman Who Ignored All The Stop Signs

A Female Journalist’s Diaries of Riding a Bicycle in Tehran

Iran's Ambassador Praises Women Pilots — But They Still Cannot Ride a Bicycle

The Ayatollah and Women on Bicycles

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