Whenever I see a sign “For Women Only”, I feel sorry for us women. Females, including girls as young as ten or even less as well as elderly women, can be together in any of the places displaying this sign. They can smoke water pipes, chat freely and watch satellite TV channels but they are not allowed to exercise or participate in any kind of sport — even in places reserved for women.
A sound mind is often found in a sound body. It is a fact that exercising helps both men and women, especially young people, to lead healthy lives by burning the body’s extra energy.
Women could easily participate in sports in segregated places and so ensure their privacy. This would help them to lead a disciplined life and encourage both team spirit and fair competition. With all the complications of modern life, exercising has become very important. It is vital that girls be allowed access to sports since this can serve as an alternative to these cafes where young girls are exposed to such bad habits as smoking.
Let us hope to see the day when there are enough places to accommodate the girls who want to be there; let us hope to see the day when all girls are allowed to participate in the sport of their choice.
A girl could spend an hour or two in a sports club and return home refreshed and energetic, instead of passing all her time chatting on the phone or glued to television.
Sitting at home with little to do, young girls spend long hours watching TV while eating and drinking too much. The result is that precious time is wasted, muscles grow flabby and bodies grow fat. The ultimate outcome is obesity.
I studied the life and habits of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) for eight years and never encountered any text which prohibits women from exercising. We all know of the story narrated by Sayyeda Ayisha, wife of the Prophet, who said she entered a footrace with the Prophet. She won the first round because she said she was still young but lost the second when she began gaining weight. If there were anything wrong with that, the Prophet would surely have explained it to Ayisha and the Ummah would certainly have known of it.
Arab News From the Local Press 17 December 2002
