“After Hamid posted a short video clip on facebook of that first ride with his wife Sahiba and his younger brother Azizullah, requests to join began coming in, mostly from women who were encouraged by Hamid’s wife. “I saw a friend’s Facebook story that she had gone out to cycle,” says 18-year-old student Habiba Halimi, who showed up for her first ride on her 10-year-old sister’s bike.
Hamid’s informal jaunt to the lake had sparked a departure from tradition in Kabul’s male-dominated society, where under the Taliban regime, girls were prohibited from attending school and women could be punished for leaving the house alone. In the last two decades under the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan—backed by the United States and the international community—women have gained more freedom and equality. Millions of girls have gone to school, and a significant number of them are now joining the workforce in both the private and public sectors, with some holding key leadership roles in the government.
the group usually rides early in the morning because there is less traffic on kabul’s often congested roads.
“Before the pandemic, with the exception of a few members of the national cycling team, almost no women could be seen on bikes in Kabul. Hamid’s group is one of the first to organize rides there, drawing dozens of women out on bikes, which makes the group’s presence both an unparalleled opportunity and a challenge.
for safety, some girls are accompanied by one or two male group members until they are united with the group.
“Despite a constitution that grants equals rights for women, Afghanistan’s conservative society has been slow to embrace change. Some traditionalists still consider women’s independence as a moral corruption of the society. Women riding bicycles are sometimes viewed as committing one of the gravest violations of a culture that sees their place only inside the house—a judgment that can significantly affect a young woman’s future prospects, from marriage to work. Perhaps it is the bicycle’s liberating nature that makes it so contested: It is at once a catalyst for change and a threat to society’s long-held patriarchal traditions.
“If sitting in a classroom is a sin for girls, then sitting on a bike is sinning at another level, bringing the idea of women’s independence into the open—and inviting a greater risk of retaliation. But for Hamid and his team, if the moment for change is not now, then when is it? “We have already done what was unimaginable just over three months ago. In the minds of many, we have broken the myth that girls cannot ride,” says Habiba. “We can only grow what we have started.”
“To change this culture, we must show the image of a girl on a bike to as many people as possible,” Farishta Afzaly says. “It’s like driving: A few years ago, [it was frowned upon for] women, but now it’s normal. We can do the same with cycling.””
read more: bicycling, 12.10.2020.