A small step forward
July 13th, 2012 at 9:00 am by David FarrarStuff reports:
Saudi Arabia is to send female athletes to the Olympics for the first time, with a judoka and an 800m runner representing the kingdom in London, the International Olympic Committee said.
Wodjan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shahrkhani, who will compete in the 78-kg category in judo, and teenager Sarah Attar will be the first Saudi women ever to take part after talks between the IOC and the country.
“This is very positive news and we will be delighted to welcome these two athletes in London in a few weeks time,” said IOC President Jacques Rogge in a statement.
“The IOC has been striving to ensure a greater gender balance at the Olympic Games, and today’s news can be seen as an encouraging evolution.”
Thursday’s decision means that every country competing in the July 27-Aug. 12 Olympics will be represented by both male and female athletes.
At the Atlanta Games in 1996, 26 nations sent no female athletes, the figure falling to just three in Beijing in 2008.
Progress, but said we are 12 years into the 21st century and this is still an issue.
In recent months human rights groups urged the IOC to ban Saudi Arabia from the Games unless it agreed to send women.
Powerful Saudi clerics denounce women for taking part in sport, saying it goes against their nature.
Women in Saudi Arabia are regarded as minors and require the permission of their guardian – father, brother, or husband – to leave the country and in some cases even to work. They are not allowed to drive.
Attar, 17, said she was honoured by the prospect of competing for her country at London 2012.
“A big inspiration for participating in the Olympic Games is being one of the first women for Saudi Arabia to be going,” she said at her training base in San Diego, California.
“It’s such a huge honour and I hope that it can really make some big strides for women over there to get more involved in sport,” she told the official Olympic website (www.olympic.org).
Hopefully it will be a powerful symbol to Saudis, and a building block to a less repressive regime.
Related posts:
- The barbarity of Saudi Arabia towards women
- Raybon Kan on Olympic gag
- Unlikely agreement
- Benson-Pope accusers step forward
July 13th, 2012 at 9:13 am
Ever the optimist DPF. Good on you. Me, I see this as another bit of taqqiya from a regime that finances the murder of kaffirs and uppity women all over the world.
Vote:July 13th, 2012 at 9:16 am
Nah!
It’s all a marketing ploy, a bullshit exercise to ward off protest at the Olympics.
Dawa for Dhimmis in the West.
Keep watch at persecuted.com and other sites next week for the oppression to continue regardless.
Vote:July 13th, 2012 at 9:37 am
And from next week onwards they’ll only chop the fingers from thieves instead of whole hands.
Vote:They will also only behead every second person accused of apostasy, adultery, witchcraft, sorcery and homosexuality.
Aren’t they making wonderful progress.
And who knows, they might even let Jews visit the country within the next 100 years.
OK, maybe not.
But at least the trains run on time.
July 13th, 2012 at 9:38 am
The Olympics are “striving to ensure greater gender balance.”
That’s so progessive of them.
To ensure equality what is needed ,and the west has shown the way forward, is legislation to enforce equality on this reluctant dinosaur.
Women should be in 50% of all aspects.No more discrimination and inequality!
Vote:July 13th, 2012 at 9:50 am
Meanwhile, there will now be a big rush to embrace martyrdom now that this little question has been cleared up.
Vote:http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/3158/islam-sodomy
July 13th, 2012 at 9:54 am
Your optimism will be unfounded and short-lived. The followers of the religion of peace are still stuck on the 7th century.
Vote:July 13th, 2012 at 9:58 am
How fast could they run in a burqa?
Vote:July 13th, 2012 at 10:08 am
it is hard to see any liberalisation in Saudi Arabia. They are like the fortress of Islam. No Jews are allowed to set foot in the country. There are no Christian churches in the country.
I don’t think they are going to be too worried about what urban liberal progressives think anytime soon.
Vote:July 13th, 2012 at 10:19 am
Yep. all the bullshit from the UN over all sorts of other stuff they want to regulate and tax but narry a word to fixing the atrocities carried out by their member states.
Can’t deal with that but we can find a way to take your money from you.
And that from an organization that was set up to help humanity.
Total waste of US space.
Vote:July 13th, 2012 at 10:43 am
Nice to see the courage of these women.
Vote:I saw something the other day about the struggles of the Afghanistan water-polo team – inspiring stuff.
July 13th, 2012 at 10:48 am
Why would that be, mike?
Vote:Are you prepared to speak againt the vileness and savagery of Saudi Arabia and its Islamic regime? Are you an Islamophobe?
July 13th, 2012 at 10:58 am
For fuck sake build a bridge people, it’s the olympic games there’s always been controversy associated with them, politics & the issues of the day have & will always play a part. And if at this games the biggest non-issue is that the Saudi’s are actually sending woman (shock horror how dare they we should boycott in protest) then there really is truth to the saying that some people aren’t happy unless they’re moaning, bitching & complaining. For the record & just off the top of my head:
Vote:1936 Dirty Fascists
1948 Dirty Hun & Commie Bastards
1968 Bloody Black Bastards
1972 Bloody Rag Heads & Commies
1976 Dirty Cheating Commies & that little pimple on the arse end of the world(John Walker should give back his gold)
1980 High & Mighty Western World (you cant invade Afghanistan, just dont mention Vietnam)
1984 Those dirty Commies again
July 13th, 2012 at 11:18 am
Manolo
Vote:I’m planning on sending a strongly worded statement to the Saudi ambassador.
July 13th, 2012 at 11:54 am
Please post it here.
Vote:July 13th, 2012 at 12:00 pm
Have the Arabs apologised for Munich yet?
Vote:July 13th, 2012 at 12:01 pm
No no no people, the Saudi’s know what’s best. After all, they’re members of the UN Human Rights Council
Vote:July 13th, 2012 at 12:12 pm
Are you waiting for all Arabs to apologise, kowtow?
Vote:July 13th, 2012 at 12:13 pm
kk
Vote:Sick, I know – like having countries on the Security Councl that repeatedly invade other countries.
July 13th, 2012 at 12:18 pm
By the way- Whatever happened to John Minto and Co’s planned boycott,protest and disruption of the Beijing Olympics??
It must destroy these fruitcakes when they realise no-one gives a fuck..
Vote:July 13th, 2012 at 12:21 pm
kowtow
Any Arabs in particular? Or just all of them?
Vote:July 13th, 2012 at 12:25 pm
The number of do-gooders and wowsers grows by the minute. These people should be told to fuck off.
Vote:http://news.msn.co.nz/nationalnews/8498568/treat-booze-like-smokes-kids-advocate
July 13th, 2012 at 12:27 pm
Longknives
Likely we didn’t notice. Or perhaps he was too hoarse after his sterling megaphone endurance effort in influencing Israeli policy at the tennis. But more to the point, if you have Minto popping into your consciousness more or less at random, that can’t be good. Better have a lie down or a drink.
Vote:July 13th, 2012 at 12:30 pm
And if you start dreaming about him, seek professional help.
Vote:July 13th, 2012 at 12:39 pm
Manolo
Correction. The list of people who should be told to fuck off grows by the minute. The do-gooders and wowsers to whom you refer are but a sub-set of the wider class of people who need to be told to fuck off. But don’t just say it here; write to them and tell them to fuck off. I think that’s what I’m going to start doing. Here, you can copy my standard form letter if you like:
Vote:July 13th, 2012 at 2:09 pm
any or all Arabs?
Muslim ones for starters.
Vote:July 13th, 2012 at 2:29 pm
And should all Europeans apologise for the crusades, or just the christian ones?
Vote:July 13th, 2012 at 2:42 pm
Usual mm tactic.
Vote:Stay on topic.
July 13th, 2012 at 2:48 pm
Seriously then, although it’s hardly seems possible that you could be serious, why should all Arab muslims apologise for a particular terrorist attack?
Vote:July 13th, 2012 at 3:06 pm
Has there been an apology for the Munich massacre from the Arabs yet?
Simple question deserves a simple answer,not the usual contortions of the KB contortionists.
Or perhaps we don’t like being reminded speciffically about Arab Muslim terrorism on the international stage,at events that once promoted (notionally anyway) peace ,co operation etc.
Vote:July 13th, 2012 at 3:15 pm
Has there been an apology from Peter King yet?.
Vote:July 13th, 2012 at 3:32 pm
Is there some tradition of terrorists (or any extremists) apologizing for their actions? Or some other tradition of people generally apologizing for the actions of other of the same race or religion? Sounds a bit like Jurgen the German:
Vote:July 13th, 2012 at 3:46 pm
@kowtow
Why should all Arabs, or for that matter all Muslims, apologise for the Munich murders?
I am more cocerned about the ones that rationalise it.
The ‘extremists*’ will try to kill you, the ‘moderates*’ explain why you deserve it.
*MSM definition of extremists and moderates.
Vote:July 13th, 2012 at 3:57 pm
O_A
Vote:This may be a first, but I completely agree with you (well, your first two lines anyway).
July 13th, 2012 at 4:20 pm
@mikenmild
“This may be a first, but I completely agree with you (well, your first two lines anyway).”
And your definition of “completey” is…?
Vote:July 13th, 2012 at 4:51 pm
O A
He’s being a dick,as usual. Best ignored.
Vote:July 13th, 2012 at 4:55 pm
kowtow
Ah, here is the simple answer to your simple question: No.
Were you expecting one? Was there any rational point to your simple question?
Vote:July 13th, 2012 at 5:10 pm
hey dvm,you’ve come out to play, took a while. how nice.
actually yes. the palestinians, who were responsible for the outrage are in the olympics. No one seems to be interested in holding these people to account.or even to care.
where do you stand?
Vote:July 13th, 2012 at 5:35 pm
The 800m runner will obviously be wearing some sort of full body covering, however it is unlikely to be ‘form fitting’. Whatever it is it’ll be hilarious. Worth the price of admission alone.
Its also probably the maximum distance negotiable without excess sweat soaking into the layers and weighing them down.
Odds will be 1.01 on her coming last.
Vote:July 13th, 2012 at 6:47 pm
kowtow
Are they really – even the dead ones? Wow, that’s your re-birth right there! Still, a team of only 8 or 10 or however many were at Munich smacks of tockenism to me. What are they competing in? The 100m walking stick?
Where do I stand? Just above my feet as it happens.
BTW, what about those Catholics. They still haven’t apologised for the Inquisition, trying to off QE I, or all that boy-bothering. I reckon we should take them and the Arabs and toss them into the fiery hell of Mount Doom.
Vote:July 13th, 2012 at 6:54 pm
dvm
you make a lot of sense……..not.
Vote:July 13th, 2012 at 7:04 pm
But really, the whole Palestinian nation should apologise for the 1972 attacks, except, wait – there ain’t no such thing as Palestinians are there? I have read this on Kiwiblog, so it might be true.
Vote:July 13th, 2012 at 7:04 pm
In what regard old thing?
But then what would I would I know – I can’t even spell tokkininesm.
Vote:July 13th, 2012 at 7:20 pm
milkmug
No really, there are Palestinians out there if you look hard enough. I’ve even met one. No apology forthcoming though. Didn’t even seem embarassed by Munich. Looked a bit dodgy – brown eyes, 48 hour shadow – a bit of a tan – we all know the type. Wasn’t even driving a taxi which made him even more suspect.
But these bloody Arabs are so cunning you would never know what they are up to – except for the fact that most of us have figured out that that the Emirates sponsorship of Team NZ is just a front for an impending global terrorist attack.
Ohh, and what about these Catholics?
Vote:July 13th, 2012 at 7:40 pm
@mm
“except, wait – there ain’t no such thing as Palestinians are there?”
People call themselves anything they like. Some people might even play along.
Vote:Some people believe that they have been abducted by aliens and call themselves experiencers.
Just because experiencers exist doesn’t mean they are real.
Like werewolfs, elves, pixies and vampires mikey.
They exist but that doesn’t mean they are real.
Got it?