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The proper Islamic bicycle for the Muslim women is a topic of heated discussion in both Sunni and Shia Islam. Prof. Alparslan Acikgenc addressed the issue in a conference in Istanbul saying "a bicycle that is produced with God’s blessings in mind and man’s interests at its fore is an Islamic bicycle".Secular academics worry that Turkey’s Islamist government is putting Islam ahead of science. Mustafa Akyol argues that the very idea of an Islamic bicycle is indicative of a "mentality that has stagnated Muslim thought". Saudi Arabia bans the use of bicycles by women except in restricted recreational areas.
The Iranian version of the Islamic bicycle has a “boxy contraption that hides a woman’s lower body.” In Iran it is forbidden for women to ride traditional bicycles out of concerns for modesty. Women riders are attacked by vigilantes. Critics condemn both the bicycle ban and the Islamic bicycle as tools of oppression.