Saudis allow girls to play sports

DUBAI: Saudi Arabia said it would grant girls in public schools access to physical education, a decision that comes after years of calls by women across the kingdom demanding greater rights and access to sports.

The Education Ministry said it would introduce the classes “gradually” and “in accordance with Shariah regulations.”

At least one Saudi activist on Twitter questioned whether this implied that girls would be required to seek the permission of their male guardians before they can play sports. It was also unclear if the classes would be extracurricular or mandatory.

The decision is significant in Saudi Arabia because women taking part in exercise is still seen as a taboo. Some ultraconservatives shun the concept of women’s exercise as “immodest” and say it blurs gender lines.

It was only four years ago that the kingdom formally approved sports for girls in private schools. Women first participated in Saudi Arabia’s Olympic team during the 2012 London games.

Despite incremental openings for Saudi women, tight restrictions remain in place. Women are banned from driving and must seek the permission of a male guardian to obtain a passport.

Guardianship

The move to grant girls access to sports comes after years of campaigning by women’s rights activists, who have led calls to end male guardianship rules and lift the ban on driving. Other than a few upscale gated compounds where foreigners live, women do not jog or exercise in public spaces, and they are banned from attending sporting matches in the country’s male-only stadiums.

Women in Saudi Arabia must wear loose flowing robes known as “abayas” in public, and most of them also cover their hair and face with black veils.

Access to sports has largely been a luxury for those women who can afford it and whose families permit it.

Saudi Arabia implements strict gender segregation rules that often require women to sit in “family only” sections of restaurants and cafés, or to be banned entirely from establishments where segregated seating is unavailable. Boys and girls are segregated in schools and university to prevent unrelated males and females from mixing.

The ministry said the decision was in line with serious changes.

The plan specifically calls for encouraging the participation of all citizens in sports and athletic activities. It says 13% of the Saudi population exercises once a week. The government aims to bump that up to 40% and raise life expectancy from 74 years to 80 years. – AP

Jane Austen letter to fetch £80 000

LONDON: Jane Austen once wrote that a large income was the best recipe for happiness. Now a private letter written by the author to her niece could well make someone very happy indeed.

A letter critiquing a contemporary author for being “prosy” goes under the hammer at a London auction house on Tuesday. The letter is from Austen to Anna Lefroy, the eldest daughter of the author’s eldest brother Reverend James Austen. Auctioneers Sotheby’s expect it to fetch £80 000 (R1 371 685) to £100 000.

The subject of the letter is a “most tiresome and prosy” Gothic novel titled

published by her contemporary Rachel Hunter. – Reuters