Indonesian city bans women from ‘straddling motorbikes’

London: A city in an Indonesian province that follows Sharia law has banned women from straddling on motorbikes behind male drivers.

Suaidi Yahya, the mayor of Lhokseumawe, Aceh, said that the move aims to save people`s ‘morals and behaviours’. Leaflets were sent out to government offices and residents to inform them about the regulation, the BBC reports. Under the new regulation, the mayor said that women passengers are only allowed to sit "side-saddle" because straddling the bike seat violates Islamic values. He added that passengers who sat side-saddle rarely fell off. The local government will be evaluating the regulation in a month, after which it could turn into a by-law, he added. According to the report, well-known Muslim activists like Ulil Abshar Abdalla, slammed the regulation. He pointed out that ‘how to ride a motorbike is not regulated in Sharia, and that there is no mention of it in the Quran or Hadiths.’ ANI