Video Cycling in Saudi

[Hassan]

Interviewing a few brothers who regularly commute to work by bicycle in Saudi. I learned amongst other things how to cycle while wearing a thobe, watch carefully for it.

Press the 'Captions' button for English subtitles (bottom right) if they don't appear automatically, in shaa Allah

 

[Mabsoot]

assalamu alaykum,

Having lived in Saudi and personally knowing friends who have been killed tragically in car accidents on the roads there (they were in cars), i would think it is a bad idea. It is like the opposite to biking in the Netherlands (which is so cool) !

waslaam

 

[Hassan]

I have cycled in near 40°C, can't really imagine 50, let alone cycling in it, the brother kept his fast even! Ma shaa Allah.

The discussion on cycling can be endless. I doubt I would just start cycling there myself, without having a feeling for how traffic behaves and so on. I had an accident even in the Netherlands, on a segregated cycle path - I was going so slow in order to admire the scenery, the bike 'tripped' and I had no momentum to change it. I had some bad bruises, but fortunately nobody saw me do it. Fortunately all my accidents have been my own fault with no harm done.

I was sorry to hear of those friends of yours. Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi rajioon.

Wasallam

 

[Mabsoot]

wa alaykum salam

- I was going so slow in order to admire the scenery, the bike 'tripped' and I had no momentum to change it.

wa alaykum salam

hmm with momentum!

assalamu alaykum

 

[Hassan]

Akhi, where did you get a pic of me on my way to pray fajr? lol

Makes me dizzy just looking at that pic

wa alaikum asalaam

 

[Janaan]

You should add, "for brothers only" somewhere up there.

But Maashaa'Allaah very good way to stay fit and active though I have to be honest, cyclists on the road make me nervous subhaanallah it's hard to share the road with them, a little bump will knock them over...

 

[Hassan]

There is the movie "Wadjda". A lot of people are talking about it, though it is all about politics and how ground-breaking it is. I haven't heard anybody say if it is good, or if they liked it.

Yeah, cycling the US too. Though, things are changing over there...

 

[Janaan]

There is the movie "Wadjda". A lot of people are talking about it, though it is all about politics and how ground-breaking it is. I haven't heard anybody say if it is good, or if they liked it.

I was wondering what this had to do with the thread. Hm. To anyone who's curious,

WADJDA is a 10-year-old girl living in a suburb of Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Although she lives in a conservative world, Wadjda is fun loving, entrepreneurial and always pushing the boundaries of what she can get away with. After a fight with her friend Abdullah, a neighborhood boy she shouldn't be playing with, Wadjda sees a beautiful green bicycle for sale. She wants the bicycle desperately so that she can beat Abdullah in a race. But Wadjda's mother won't allow it, fearing repercussions from a society that sees bicycles as dangerous to a girl's virtue. So Wadjda decides to try and raise the money herself.

Sounds interesting enough but a movie is a movie at the end of the day... In most cultures, women/girls who are of age aren't allowed to ride bikes but despite that I've seen many sisters who still do it. Personally, even if it was alright to do so in my culture or religion I still wouldn't ride it, subhaanallah that's just crossing the boundaries of hayaa'.

 

[Hassan]

Would you have thought there is a Muslimah Cycling Club? Started in London I think and is going strong after a good few years:
https://www.facebook.com/MuslimWomenCycling
Amongst other things, they had an after Eid bike ride, ma shaa Allah.
Each to their own though

 

[Nureyni Amir]

Subhannallah, This is Crazy, Indeed the hour is near.