BF2S Forums Harvard Sets Women-Only Hours for Gym, Complying With Muslim Students'

oug wrote:

Mind boggling. Around here there's also gyms for women only. What the fuck is up with that?

I believe it all stems from the problem of guys who focus more on picking up women at gyms rather than working out.
It sucks when all of the eye-candy goes to women only gyms.

Harvard Islamic Society’s Islamic Knowledge Committee officer Ola Aljawhary, a junior, said the women-only hours are being tested on a trial basis. The special gym hours will be analyzed over Spring Break to determine if they will continue, she said.

Aljawhary said that she does not believe that the women-only gym hours discriminate against men.

Though the policy was in part initiated by the school’s Islamic group, Aljawhary said women-only hours are not a case of “minority rights trumping majority preference” and said women of different faiths have showed interest in the hours.

“These hours are necessary because there is a segment of the Harvard female population that is not found in gyms not because they don’t want to work out, but because for them working out in a co-ed gym is uncomfortable, awkward or problematic in some way,” she said.

The actual information speaks for itself. No comment is necessary IMO.

FEOS wrote:

mtb0minime wrote:

If this is the case then I want men-only workout hours at the gym because it's embarrassing when I work out because seeing women's nice asses when they're bending over and stretching or running sometimes gives me an erection. And I don't want that to happen, so there can't be any women present.

Just gives you another place to store the plates...

I know there are commonly women-only classes in gyms, and some women-only chains (ie, Curves). Don't think it's necessarily a big deal, but the precedent is a bit concerning. Are they going to have a gym with no machines to accommodate the Amish population?

Yes, if Harvard had a reasonable number of "paying" Amish students in the student populous - then maybe they'd consider setting some kind of Amish precedent, or maybe they'd make some concessions to the paying Amish students or even make some Amish cultural/religious appeasements. Pandering to the political correct (P.C.) mindset, trying to be "cultural sensitive" and the like - when you think about it boils down to crass economic realities (i.e. if there's economic pressure to be less P.C. they'd be so, if there's economic pressure to be more P.C. then the converse would be true; and they'll be more P.C. sensitive). If they have paying students it seems to me nothing more than (Harvard) catering to various segments that make up the total student population.

Last edited by topal63 (2008-03-04 09:17:25)

PureFodder wrote:

If non-Muslims asked for and got a womens only time in a gym or swimming pool as is common place throughout the west, this wouldn't make the news. This story is more of a comment on FOX news and it's readership than on the Muslim population.

QFT

PureFodder wrote:

If non-Muslims asked for and got a womens only time in a gym or swimming pool as is common place throughout the west, this wouldn't make the news. This story is more of a comment on FOX news and it's readership than on the Muslim population.

Bullshit, If Christians asked for this?? Not only would it have made the news, it would have also been denied.

Last edited by lowing (2008-03-04 04:05:06)

The OP.
Why is this even thread worthy? They created uni sex hours at our local gym because some (fat?)women are more comfortable without men round them when their wobble bits are wobbling. That's Vanity, should we be awaiting the hoards of Vain women charging over the hills to destroy our western way of life?

Women read cosmopolitan which tells them they must be size 8 and gives anyone who can't achieve that an inferiority complex. Muslim Women read the Koran which tells them not to expose themselves to men. Each book is a full of bullshit as the other.

usmarine wrote:

DoctaStrangelove wrote:

oh noes! teh mooozlimz r gonna tak ova r contrie!!!!!!!

wtf is your problem?  If we can have a million israel threads, then fuck off and go complain somewhere else.

Id hardly compare a thread on 4 hours of women only gym time to the majority of Israeli threads cataloguing ruthless actions killing children etc.
Or is this a competition to see which 'side' can make the most threads?

B.Schuss wrote:

lowing wrote:

PureFodder wrote:

If non-Muslims asked for and got a womens only time in a gym or swimming pool as is common place throughout the west, this wouldn't make the news. This story is more of a comment on FOX news and it's readership than on the Muslim population.

Bullshit, If Christians asked for this?? Not only would it have made the news, it would have also been denied.

Not really. It is quite common for gyms to have women-only days or hours. The only difference would have been that the religion of those involved would not have played a role in the reporting. If there would have been any reporting in the first place...

Are you honestly going to tell me that you believe a Christian group who would want EXCLUSIVE use of the gym based on religious beliefs WOULD get their request granted?? Naive.

lowing wrote:

B.Schuss wrote:

lowing wrote:

Bullshit, If Christians asked for this?? Not only would it have made the news, it would have also been denied.

Not really. It is quite common for gyms to have women-only days or hours. The only difference would have been that the religion of those involved would not have played a role in the reporting. If there would have been any reporting in the first place...

Are you honestly going to tell me that you believe a Christian group who would want EXCLUSIVE use of the gym based on religious beliefs WOULD get their request granted?? Naive.

If Christians held the same beliefs as Muslims in regard to women covering up, yes.

mtb0minime wrote:

If this is the case then I want men-only workout hours at the gym because it's embarrassing when I work out because seeing women's nice asses when they're bending over and stretching or running sometimes gives me an erection. And I don't want that to happen, so there can't be any women present.

That's nothing.  I walked into the Locker Room once when the Meatspin song was playing (You Spin Me Round - Dead or Alive).  I had to walk out of the gym at that point.  Way too awkward.

The beliefs of 6 muslim women should not influence an entire campus. Go to fucking curves if you want women only.

Ajax_the_Great1 wrote:

The beliefs of 6 muslim women should not influence an entire campus. Go to fucking curves if you want women only.

well, they're probabaly paying their tuition fees just like the other students. why shouldn't they be allowed to lobby for their interests ?
Again, 4 hours/week in one out of three university gyms. I wouldn't exactly call that "influence an entire campus".

Most student residences/ dorms have their own workout facilities anyway, according to the article.

and btw, are university gyms free for students ? I'd imagine Curves wouldn't be...

Ajax_the_Great1 wrote:

B.Schuss wrote:

Ajax_the_Great1 wrote:

The beliefs of 6 muslim women should not influence an entire campus. Go to fucking curves if you want women only.

well, they're probabaly paying their tuition fees just like the other students. why shouldn't they be allowed to lobby for their interests ?
Again, 4 hours/week in one out of three university gyms. I wouldn't exactly call that "influence an entire campus".

Most student residences/ dorms have their own workout facilities anyway, according to the article.

and btw, are university gyms free for students ? I'd imagine Curves wouldn't be...

Nothing is free at college. You've already paid for it all with your tuition.

I guess I don't know what Harvards situations are with their gyms. We only have one with equipment at my school. If their women only hours were at the time when I wanted to work out I'd pissed. Especially since it's a really fucking stupid reason. If their religion supports oppression to woman thats fine but it better not affect my life.

about the gym situation at Harvard, from the article:

"The Quadrangle Recreational Athletic Center is one of three large recreational facilities on the Cambridge, Mass., campus, though most of the 12 residential houses also have workout facilities, Mitchell said. A large Harvard athletic center is also available for use on the Boston side of the St. Charles River."

I don't think Harvard lacks workout facilities, tbh...

The point I was trying to make about the Universiyt gyms being free for students was that Curves probably costs extra, while use of university-owned workout facilities are possibly included in the tuition fee. At least that's what I would imagine at such a high-profile university.

Also from the article:

"Since Jan. 28, the Quadrangle Recreational Athletic Center has been open only to women from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays."

seriously, 8 to 10 a.m. on two days, and 3 to 5 p.m. on mondays ? That's about the shittiest times for workouts I can possibly imagine.
Who would want to do their workouts during these times anyway ? Those poor muslim girls got screwed over. I am calling AAO....

JahManRed wrote:

We have women's day at the golf course.
We have women's sessions at the swimming pool.
We have women work out sessions at the gyms
We have women sports teams
We have bacherlet parties
We have the Woman's institution
We have the woman's coalition (political party)
and now we have 4 hours of women only gym time in a university somewhere in America.....................BIG FUCKING DEAL!!!!!

Women even have their own bathrooms....

Certain functions set up specifically for one sex are fine. That doesn't mean they all are.

Aparently Harvard has enough gyms for everyone so it shouldn't be that big of a deal.

However, the reasoning behind them requesting it is crap and you all know it.

B.Schuss wrote:

lowing wrote:

B.Schuss wrote:

Not really. It is quite common for gyms to have women-only days or hours. The only difference would have been that the religion of those involved would not have played a role in the reporting. If there would have been any reporting in the first place...

Are you honestly going to tell me that you believe a Christian group who would want EXCLUSIVE use of the gym based on religious beliefs WOULD get their request granted?? Naive.

they don't want exclusive use of the gym, if I remember correctly. We are talking 4 hours per week, in one of three university gyms. I wouldn't call that exclusive. And they also said that this was for all women, regardless of religion.

And yes, as Scorpion said, if there were a christian group that held the same views with regard to covering up, I'd consider it very likely that they'd try to lobby for the interests of their demographic, too. Seriously, lowing, this is only newsworthy because these women happen to be muslim. If any other group of women had asked for a couple of gym hours so they don't have to face testosterone-motivated activity during their workout, this would have been barely noticed.

It is news worthy because no other religious group is as oppressive to their women as Islam. Therefore no need for such bullshit requests.

Also for 4 hours a week during that time period. It is exclusive. The point being it is special privileges granted for special groups,  and should not be accepted.