Thread: 'Illegal' Saudi women's gym shut down

'Illegal' Saudi women's gym shut down

RIYADH — Health authorities in Jeddah have shut down an "illegal" women's fitness centre attached to a hospital, closing one of the few venues where Saudi women are able to exercise, local media said on Wednesday.

Although health officials have repeatedly blamed the high rates of heart disease and diabetes in the kingdom on poor diets and lack of exercise, health authorities said women's fitness centres were not allowed.

"Anyone who violates regulations governing the running of health facilities would be punished severely because this involves people's health," Jeddah health official Muhammed Abdul Jawad told the English-language Arab News.

The reports did not identify the Jeddah hospital affected, but a photograph in the Saudi Gazette showed an official sealing the club door with an announcement reading "Closed on the order of Jeddah Health Affairs."

While gyms for men in the gender-segregated conservative Islamic society are permitted, women's health clubs are forbidden, despite a clear demand shown by a surge in underground facilities in the past two years.

But last year a number of stand-alone women's gyms were shut, though some attached to or inside hospital premises continued to function.

The reports said the country's municipal and rural affairs ministry had recently closed two other gyms in the Red City of Jeddah and one in Dammam, eastern Saudi Arabia.

Originally Posted by bigmoe65

Thats the country we should have invaded.

The US and Saudi have a very powerful alliance.

(Yes, I think the KSA is a twisted, sick, place.)

But invading the home of Mecca and Medina would bring severe blowback.

The Saudis help the US by allowing the OPEC oil transactions with the entire world to be held exclusively in US dollars (excluding Iran). They made this deal in 1972 or 73. Because of this, the US, can borrow tons of money and run massive deficits.

This "Dollar party" is slowly coming to an end, now.

The Saud family have very close ties with the Bushes, and they often spend time together (Prince Bandahar, e.g.).

I have friends that work in Saudi. They tell me many of the common things, that make me hard to accept their ways.

People that work in Saudi are there for only 1 reason: $$$$$$$.