[Nafheense]

The London Olympics will be the first ever to include women athletes from every competing nation after Saudi Arabia agreed to send female athletes following protracted negotiations and heavy lobbying.

According to The Guardian, Wodjan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shahrkhani in judo and 800-metre runner Sarah Attar will take part in the Olympics.

Though, neither of the athletes qualified to compete in the Olympics, they received special invitations from the IOC 'based on the quality of the athletes'.

International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge said he was 'very pleased' that Saudi Arabia had finally agreed to send female athletes.

"We've looked at the ones who are the closest to qualifying standards and these were these two athletes. That's always the bottom line in all these invitations," Rogge said.

"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," the 17-year-old Attar said.

Rights groups hailed the decision as a step forward for Saudi women, but said the fundamental problem of segregation remained firmly in place.

http://www.albawaba.com/sport/women-...lympics-433753

[denwerdinoss]

May Allah give hidayat to all of us.

Saudia is till the best country in the world regarding purdah and peace. I love saudia more than Pakistan (this is for abufatimah)

[tilmprarnerit]

'Fruits' of King Abdullah's era of 'enlightened moderation' :P

[infinkPoode]

May Allah give hidayat to all of us.

Saudia is till the best country in the world regarding purdah and peace. I love saudia more than Pakistan (this is for abufatimah)

lol jazak allahu khair akhi glad to see some justice in teh criticism. I was gonna say something if saudi gets bashed for this because i dont know of any other muslim land who doesnt have these eproblems also

[Yinekol]

The IOC are a bunch of idiots.

effectively they are forcing a soveregin state to send athletes to their event.
that is oppression.

if a country does not want to send any athletes then no pressure should be exerted.

and why did they get "special invitations"??
thats unfair to all the athletes from other countries who did not receive these "special invitations".

no such thing as a free world. olympics is just one big idiotic circus for kids.

[Bobdilan]

Rights groups hailed the decision as a step forward for Saudi women, but said the fundamental problem of segregation remained firmly in place.

The western secular radical feminists have an ongoing agenda to tear down Saudi culture and "free" it's women from all morals and religion.

[optormtix]

The western secular radical feminists have an ongoing agenda to tear down Saudi culture and "free" it's women from all morals and religion.

i have a screenshot to prove that

its childish. the only reason they get away with it is because there is no alternate news source for muslims. sigh.

[22paseabelldaps]

i heard the athlete speak, she has an American accent

so not sure if she's a home grown talent

[AgindyMinnife]

Like i said before, until a Muslim atlernateive for Muslim women to express their talent in shariah way, we would continue to have women pulled into such avenues and through these few women glorified as heroes in the west, more women is pulled into it and so on cultural domination of west over muslims.

[Abarricoss]

You mean we should have women olympics in purdah?

[AgowlSown]

The IOC are a bunch of idiots.

effectively they are forcing a soveregin state to send athletes to their event.
that is oppression.

if a country does not want to send any athletes then no pressure should be exerted.

and why did they get "special invitations"??
thats unfair to all the athletes from other countries who did not receive these "special invitations".

no such thing as a free world. olympics is just one big idiotic circus for kids.

I think this is perhaps a little misguided. They extend these "special invitations" all the time, usually as a way to include nations that want to participate but don't have qualified athletes. Here in Cambodia they not only give out special invitations to the men and women, they also contribute financially to getting them there.

Also while there may have been pressure, I don't think we can say that an Olympic committee "forced" one of the biggest military powers on earth to participate in a sporting event. There may have been inappropriate pressure applied, but they did ultimately still have a choice.

[Quonuttott]

Olympics is just a sports day for adults, will probably just watch team GB football and 100M, i think one of the female saudi athlete is american born/resident saudi

[Nidsstese]

i heard the athlete speak, she has an American accent

so not sure if she's a home grown talent

Possibly she studied here, or her parents did (so she was here when she was young). I know a few Saudi Arabian citizens who, while they've lived the majority of their lives in KSA (and are KSA citizens), who speak with immaculate American accents because of those reasons.

[Poeetiol]

You mean we should have women olympics in purdah?

Whatever Muslim women are allowed to wear among Muslim women. In time a set of games which are best suited for muslim women would evolve.

And btw, Saudis having their football team running around in shorts openly, is against hijab of men too.

[Rufio]

Whatever Muslim women are allowed to wear among Muslim women. In time a set of games which are best suited for muslim women would evolve.

And btw, Saudis having their football team running around in shorts openly, is against hijab of men too.

Saudi men going around without niqab is also against hijab

[ceagstuntee]

I think this is perhaps a little misguided. They extend these "special invitations" all the time, usually as a way to include nations that want to participate but don't have qualified athletes. Here in Cambodia they not only give out special invitations to the men and women, they also contribute financially to getting them there.

Also while there may have been pressure, I don't think we can say that an Olympic committee "forced" one of the biggest military powers on earth to participate in a sporting event. There may have been inappropriate pressure applied, but they did ultimately still have a choice.

The Saudi government has a habit of bowing to Western pressure, especially if there is enough of it. The king has overturned a few court-ordered hudood punishments in the past, for example. He has even opened up movie cinemas and co-ed universities in spite of the scholars in the country being against these measures. Many government scholars who voiced their opposition were promptly removed from their positions.

[nickayary]

The Saudi government has a habit of bowing to Western pressure, especially if there is enough of it. The king has overturned a few court-ordered hudood punishments in the past, for example. He has even opened up movie cinemas and co-ed universities in spite of the scholars in the country being against these measures. Many government scholars who voiced their opposition were promptly removed from their positions.

There are liberal pressures from within too. Its not Saudi king up against the whole ultra conservative citizens. There are various pressures and the king is trying to calm the flock.

[drugimpotence]

The Saudi government has a habit of bowing to Western pressure, especially if there is enough of it. The king has overturned a few court-ordered hudood punishments in the past, for example. He has even opened up movie cinemas and co-ed universities in spite of the scholars in the country being against these measures. Many government scholars who voiced their opposition were promptly removed from their positions.

I understand, and I think its shameful for all involved. I left my own county (England) when I was 17, in part out of disgust and embarrassment at the actions of my government, and haven't been back ever since (though in honesty there were many reasons why I left, that want the only one). That still doesn't change my opinion that "forced" is the wrong word to be using as it implies total lack of choice, whereas it sounds to me like choices are being made, just the wrong ones.

[creewespock]

I understand, and I think its shameful for all involved. I left my own county (England) when I was 17, in part out of disgust and embarrassment at the actions of my government, and haven't been back ever since (though in honesty there were many reasons why I left, that want the only one). That still doesn't change my opinion that "forced" is the wrong word to be using as it implies total lack of choice, whereas it sounds to me like choices are being made, just the wrong ones.

Or that the wrong people are making the choices.

There are liberal pressures from within too. Its not Saudi king up against the whole ultra conservative citizens. There are various pressures and the king is trying to calm the flock.

You are right about this. Many Saudis in Dammam and Khobar would travel to Bahrain over the weekend for alcohol and base desires.

[AdobeCreativeSuite]

Or that the wrong people are making the choices

I don't think its my place to comment on that as I'm not Saudi or Muslim. However I can see that with all the different interpretations of Islam, and the certainty that each sect seems to have in its claim to righteousness, ruling an Islamic nation in a way that leaves everyone, or even a majority of people happy would be a very difficult task, if not impossible.