Environmental Organization Provides Loans for Bicycle Purchases

The Director General of the Public Participation Office of the Environmental Protection Organization announced that this organization will grant loans ranging from 3 to 10 million tomans to applicants for purchasing bicycles and electric motorcycles. Mohammad Darvish stated this during an interview with 'Young Journalists Club' on Thursday, October 14, and declared that the aim of providing these loans is to 'reduce the use of single-occupancy vehicles.' Reducing 'air pollution' is another reason for granting these loans, and as Mr. Darvish mentioned, the Environmental Organization is striving to 'reduce noise pollution and restore mobility' to citizens. The Environmental Organization has supported a campaign called 'Car-Free Tuesdays,' which was first proposed by environmental activists in the province of Arak in 2015. According to Mr. Darvish, the goal of this campaign is to 'raise public awareness of their role and contribution to improving air pollution,' which is expanding to other provinces and cities in Iran. This campaign has received considerable support from groups of women in various cities in Iran; however, during this time, numerous reports have emerged about the obstruction of its programs due to the participation of women in this campaign. Following these obstructions and increasing criticism from civil activists against restrictions on women's cycling, the office of Ayatollah Khamenei announced that 'women cycling in public and in the presence of non-mahrams often attracts men's attention and leads to social corruption and is contrary to women's chastity, and it must be avoided; however, if it is not in the presence of non-mahrams, it is permissible.' This fatwa was also a response to Shahindokht Molaverdi, the Iranian Vice President for Women and Family Affairs, who had recently tweeted that 'according to the Leader's office, women's cycling is permissible with adherence to Sharia guidelines.' In this context, the police prevented the implementation of the 'Car-Free Tuesdays' initiative in Tehran.