In a spur of the moment decision, 28-year-old Palestinian journalist Asmaa Alghoul decided to join three of her friends, two Italian human rights workers and an American, on a tour of Gaza by bicycle. On a warm summer's day, the two men and two women set off from the Egyptian border town of Rafah and headed north to Gaza city, along 30km of coastal road. But to Asmaa, the ride was more than a sunny day trip: women on bicycles are frowned upon in most Muslim societies, and the young woman had not ridden a bike since she was 14 years old.
Most of the Gazans the small group came across were friendly and hospitable, as well as very helpful when it came to repairing flat tires or twisted chains. A rough encounter with a group of men on motorcycles, however, came as a harsh reminder of the domestic role women are expected to stick to in Gaza.
Many thanks to our Observer in Gaza, Patrick McGrann, who was part of the bike trip and put us in touch with Asmaa.
Asmaa Alghoul is a journalist in Gaza city. A divorced and independent woman, she describes herself as a secular Palestinian.
'For my international friends, riding a bike is just a pleasant means of transportation, not a political statement. But as soon as I, a Palestinian woman, decided to join their group, the trip took on another dimension.'
You just don't see women riding bikes in Muslim countries. It's not forbidden per say, but it's socially unacceptable. In addition, the Hamas government in Gaza has begun enforcing very strict, sexist rules restricting women's freedom - we can no longer smoke water pipes in cafés, for example. I find all of these rules unfair - stupid, really - so I decided to go on the bike ride as a test, to see what would happen.
Mostly, I was very pleasantly surprised. I thought I wouldn't remember how to ride a bike after so many years, but after a couple of minutes I was zooming away! Another nice thing was to see that people generally reacted in a very friendly and supportive manner: they would smile or wave and say hello in English - no one seemed particularly shocked to see two women on bicycles.
The second incident was more unpleasant. Again it involved men on motorcycles. They went past us once, then came back and crossed us again. We stopped on the side of the road because they were passing by us very close and very fast. The second time they passed us, one of the men punched my friend Chantal in the back, hard, and spit in my face. I was expecting that, so I spit back. As a secular woman who doesn't wear a veil, I get a lot of that kind of attitude from younger men.
Overall, however, it was a very positive experience. Twice, we had technical problems, and twice, very conservative families offered us hospitality and help. They didn't berate me for riding a bicycle at all - although they did ask me whether or not I was fasting for Ramadan!" (source)
