(Boston Globe/AP) Ali Akbar Dareini - About 25,000 Iranian women have registered since last week for free motorbike driving lessons. Iran's biggest motorbike-maker, the Bana Industrial Group, is hoping to cultivate a market of more than 36 million women. But the move has already sparked controversy in a country where women must cover themselves head-to-toe. ''Islam's Prophet Mohammad has encouraged all Muslims to learn how to ride a horse. A horse in our modern day is a motorbike, a car, and a plane. Driving a motorbike is in full conformity with Islam,'' cleric Ahmad Hosseini said. But Najibeh Abazarpour won't allow her daughter to drive a motorbike. ''It's simply not Islamic for women to drive motorbikes. This will push our innocent girls toward corruption,'' she said.
2002-11-01 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive