City bans women from straddling motorbikes, citing morals

Can straddling a bike lead to immoral behavior? Apparently that's the thinking behind a new rule in the Indonesian city of Lhokseumawe, in Aceh province, where Shariah (Islamic law) is followed. The regulation bans women from straddling motorbike seats when riding behind men and requires them to sit sidesaddle instead. The regulation could become a by-law after the local government evaluates it, which would mean women who disobey the law could be punished. The town's mayor, who instituted the ban, cited Islamic values and aesthetics. "When you see a woman straddle, she looks like a man. But if she sits sidesaddle, she looks like a woman," Mayor Suaidi Yahya said. And sometimes she looks like a woman falling off a bike. [Source]

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