Saudi cleric says sport 'corrupting' women

Monday, 24 May 2010 8:51 AM

HEALTH KICK: Sports are 'corrupting' and 'satanic' for women, Sheikh Abdul Karim al-Khudhair has said. (Getty Images)

A leading Saudi cleric has urged the government to uphold a ban on allowing women’s sports in the kingdom, it has been reported.

Sheikh Abdul Karim al-Khudhair, a member of the Council of Senior Scholars, said sports were “corrupting” and “satanic” for women and they should stay at home instead, the Associated Press reports.

The news agency said Al-Khudair’s comments come amid increasing calls for restrictions to be eased to help address the country’s growing obesity problem.

The Saudi government had previously chosen to turn a blind eye to unlicensed women’s gyms in order to avoid criticism from religious scholars.

It is still illegal for women’s gyms or fitness centres to operate in the country, but many underground venues exist and these are becoming increasingly popular.

In January, health officials closed down one women’s fitness centre that was attached to a hospital in Jeddah.

“Anyone who violates regulations governing the running of health facilities would be punished severely because this involves people’s health,” Muhammad Abdul Jawad, director of the Medical Licensing Administration, told local media at the time.

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Posted by: Dr M Abdulrahman Monday, 31 May 2010 3:36 AM[UAE] - Sweden

These are the scholars that have old thinking and God bless them. Why we solve everything with extreme actions is beyond me. He is thinking that women is Saudia are not custom to freedom and self thinking therefore women leaving family for few hours can be dangerous and since many of the society?s marriage is not based free spouse selection and love, more women may find lust outside and break up families. But he missed the point of the matter. Health and recreation. I guarantee TV corrupts people especially woman more than Gym and few men are against it. And even today?s technology women can contact anyone they WANT, so these MEN should trust them and guide them so the weak ones should not fall into a trap. Get a gym in every neighborhood. Why not follow your wife and daughter to gym, drink tea outside, play with kids and bring them home safely. We should say how we can we give them the gym in Islamic way. Instead of offering non-Islam gym or say no gym at all.

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Posted by: Neil Thursday, 27 May 2010 6:59 AM[UAE] - UAE

So? a human being keeping themselves fit and healthy is satanic? Once again the Devil works in mysterious ways in SA. I do wonder why women there put up with this kind of nonsense.

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Posted by: Brian Wednesday, 26 May 2010 7:21 PM[UAE]

seriously? ?corrupting? and ?satanic? haha - get a life...

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Posted by: alibaba Monday, 24 May 2010 3:47 PM[UAE] - UAE

This goes into full contraddiction of the new king's liberalization and reforms which is saving Saudi Arabia from the stone ages. Let the clerics do the preachings and the Saudis do the rest.

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Posted by: Mohammed Abubaker Monday, 24 May 2010 12:22 PM[UAE] - UAE

The kindgom should make some private sports arrangement for women separately. In islamic history there has been instances where women used to participate in physicaly chalenging activities. Some of our women are more liberal than the women of the past and others are more conservative than the women of the past. We seem to have lost the right balance!

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