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See the original image at usatoday.com

Underground sport: Saudi women shed veils to play basketball

usatoday.com — The players bounded into the gym, shedding their long black cloaks and veils to take to the basketball court. Up this night: Jeddah United against the Jaguars, as 30 women spectators hooted and hollered from the stands.

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  • slickstar, on 05/10/2008, -5/+29how dare they become a little civilized! crucify them !
    • teaBagger, on 05/10/2008, -11/+7your sarcastic comment is the rule that I judge you by.
      you and your +diggers can go ***** yourselves.

      these ladies risked much to do this in a male centric / female suppressed society. power to them I say!

      • Risingashes, on 05/10/2008, -4/+6And who exactly is cooking the dinner and minding the house while they are out gallivanting around practically naked?
        How does exposing flesh equate to fighting for female liberty?
        • ElAssoWipo, on 05/10/2008, -2/+3My guess would be: the men. Are you so retarded that you can't even cook yourself a meal?

          And because men force them to cover it.

      • PopcornDave, on 05/10/2008, -0/+3So why are you here? Slickstar makes a perfectly valid sarcastic comment decrying the way women are treated there.
    • mitikomon, on 05/10/2008, -0/+7FYI in an S.A. they dont crucify, they stone.
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoning
    • flashback99, on 05/10/2008, -4/+5"Abdul-Kareem al-Khudayr, a professor at Imam University, wrote on al-Muslim website that introducing physical education classes for girls at government schools would be tantamount to "following in the devil's footsteps" — an argument conservative clerics make to highlight the corrupting influence of women's sports. That attitude is one reason why the rate of obesity among Saudi women is higher than among men, health care officials say. About 52% of Saudi men and 66% of women are either obese or overweight, according to Saudi press reports."

      This is what happens when a country is run by stupid people who believe in god.
    • monoa, on 05/11/2008, -0/+1Crucifixion, it's a doddle.
  • McHoffa, on 05/10/2008, -5/+43Tomorrow's News - 10 Saudi women sentenced to death for showing their faces in public
    • afterlife23, on 05/10/2008, -9/+5your alowed to show your face there, if you wanna poke fun at the situation at least make it funny
      • punx, on 05/10/2008, -1/+5You're allowed to show your face to other WOMEN, in private. You're not allowed to show your face in public at all, and certainly not to men you aren't related to. The closest thing is that Bedouin women have a small slit for their eyes to show, but the other Saudi women wear an Abaya in public. A black veil that covers the entire face and body.
        • Ne007, on 05/10/2008, -4/+3Amish women aren't allow to go into public without hiding their hair. They do it because of their customs that they are used to. That's the way of life they know and like. Ask them. I've asked the Amish women about that situation and they say that they find it funny when they read that the U.S. wants to meddle in the affairs and customs of countries over seas.
          • Jashobeam5, on 05/10/2008, -0/+2You know the difference? Amish women at age 17 can decide to stop wearing their head coverings, not get baptized, and can live without fear of getting put to death for it. The Old Order Amish say that if you want to belong to an Amish church, you have to cover your hair if you are female. If you don't want to, don't join an Old Order, move to a more modern order. The Amish never claimed to be a government, either.
        • afterlife23, on 05/10/2008, -6/+1punx your stupid and wrong so shutup about stuff u dont know, face and hands are alowed to be shown but those women choose to cover there faces
          • punx, on 05/10/2008, -0/+4First of all, I like the fact that you call ME stupid, when you can't even figure out the difference between 'your' and 'you're', nor can you even spell allowed. So let's get that one out of the way, because it simply proves you are a complete moron, or 12. Saudi women are required to wear an Abaya in public. Period, end of story.
          • jnava121, on 05/10/2008, -1/+3no, u R stupiz i can haz THEIR veil afterlites?
        • anidal, on 05/10/2008, -2/+3I hate to be agreeing with the less grammatically inclined person here, but what afterlife says is in fact correct. Sharia law enforced in Saudi Arabia has no requirement for wearing a face veil. It is a different thing entirely though when the county's Wahhabist 'police' tries to enforce a face veil.

          For the most part, women can walk about in public without face veils. Sometimes though they will be harrassed by these religious police, but since the police have no legal backing (they are all in fact regular people who decide to preach Wahhabism), women will not get arrested for it.

          Please note, this is coming from an expatriate who has spent significant time in Saudi Arabia.
      • monoa, on 05/11/2008, -0/+3Your. You're. Their. They're. There. Too. To.

        This is the easy stuff in life... and it impresses the double-digit IQ inhabitants that you need to converse with.
        • afterlife23, on 05/11/2008, -1/+1smart people dont waste time corecting grammer on internet msg boards, nerds do
  • 533n, on 05/10/2008, -5/+40Great country where women have to play sports in hiding. Honestly wtf is wrong with the middle east.
    • kungfumaniac, on 05/10/2008, -13/+10Digg me down, but that's they're culture. Despite how much we may disagree with such a way of life, how are we we are in any place to condemn it. You saying, wtf is wrong with them is just as wrong as a Saudi condemning me for drinking beer. Live and let live. We'll all be better off.
      • 533n, on 05/10/2008, -2/+10You just said live and let live. They are the ones not letting women live. They are doing it by FORCE. I am merely expressing an opinion. By your own comment you proved my point.
      • Wade, on 05/10/2008, -2/+4If it's their culture to enforce women to wear such things and my own culture stands to force their culture into compliance with my own, you would have no problem with that, right?

        I'm sick of jerks saying "It's their culture", guess what? It's the internet culture to fight back, deal with it or your words will be used against you. Truly think about that.
      • flashback99, on 05/10/2008, -0/+2Telling women what to wear / do is a million miles from "beer is bad". Honestly speaking, it's this attitude that seeks to excuse oppresive behaviour that we'd be all better off without.
      • solid12345, on 05/10/2008, -0/+2The difference is you are not being forced to drink that beer it is a choice. And I don't buy the "oh we all choose to wear the veil" crap. You mean to tell me 100% of the population chooses that? Where is the lone 1% who want to be different? Oh right in JAIL.
    • capttoenail, on 05/10/2008, -0/+11Would you say it's ok if slavery was legal in a country just because it's their culture?
    • SSUK, on 05/10/2008, -1/+3I think your comprehension of history is lacking. The west equally oppressed the rights of women. It was only in the last 100 years that women started getting rights and equality. It's just taking a bit longer for the rest of the world to follow suit.
      • flashback99, on 05/10/2008, -0/+2"The Basic Law, in 1992, declared that Saudi Arabia is a monarchy ruled by the progeny of King Abd Al Aziz Al Saud. It also declared the Qur'an as the constitution of the country, governed on the basis of Islamic law.[11]"

        "In 2002, the United Nations Committee against Torture criticized Saudi Arabia over the amputations and floggings it carries out under the Shari'a. The Saudi delegation responded defending its legal traditions held since the inception of Islam in the region 1300 years ago and rejected "interference" in its legal system."

        From wikipedia article on saudi arabia.
        This is NOT about catching up, it's about dealing with reality.
      • Jashobeam5, on 05/10/2008, -0/+1You don't understand US history. Read actual journals and diaries of the 1700s and 1800s and you will see Germans thought our women were too spoiled, and allowed to do what they wanted. The married women didn't listen to their husbands, and the men did most of the work. Quit believing everything you hear from libs.
    • tomzer1, on 05/10/2008, -0/+4In a word, Islam.
  • JoshChan, on 05/10/2008, -13/+5I understand why the men want them to cover their faces now...
    • Papajohn56, on 05/10/2008, -2/+7would hit the one of the left
    • afterlife23, on 05/10/2008, -7/+6buddy, american women are all over 200 lbs
      • methos75, on 05/10/2008, -1/+2What? I can go to any Mall and still find more underwight girls than I can true fatasses.
    • DavidtheDuke, on 05/10/2008, -0/+4I like the one in the ghetto pose on the bottom
      • lunatix, on 05/10/2008, -2/+2you do know half of those girls are lesbians right?
  • adamwsmith6580, on 05/10/2008, -5/+45The First Rule of Woman's Basketball in Saudi Arabia is "You Do Not Talk About Woman's Basketball In Saudi Arabia".
    The Second Rule Of Woman's Basketball in Saudi Arabia is "YOU DO NOT TALK ABOUT WOMAN'S BASKETBALL IN SAUDI ARABIA"
  • gnimsh, on 05/10/2008, -4/+34That must be some pretty hard-core porn for the Saudi men over there.
  • javier182gt, on 05/10/2008, -1/+3 Have they seen a WNBA game?! More power to them.
    • OnlyShawn, on 05/10/2008, -1/+3I wish I never had; I could still be laboring under the delusion that it's actually a sport.
  • Risingashes, on 05/10/2008, -8/+26Disgusting.
    I hope these morally destitute women enjoy burning in the eternal fires of hell.
  • sharjeelsayed, on 05/10/2008, -7/+6and US is a close ally of his "great" medieval kingdom...oil make the world go round...!!
  • FireStalker, on 05/10/2008, -0/+22far left is hot
    • Rodalli, on 05/10/2008, -1/+12Bottom center is pretty cute, too. Wish she would smile!
      • AzureRise, on 05/10/2008, -0/+2She lives in Saudi Arabia, can you blame her for not smiling?
    • neotype, on 05/10/2008, -0/+1I was just thinking that.
  • cfuse, on 05/10/2008, -8/+8Playing basketball in seclusion is an achievement? Whole of middle east = epic fail.
    • Encablossa, on 05/10/2008, -2/+6Idiot, back to /b.
    • passedoutghost, on 05/10/2008, -3/+2Yeah, because generalising is always correct.
    • Typhoon2009, on 05/10/2008, -2/+4It's an "achievement" because this is a country where women are given hundreds of lashes (read: being whipped, like what we did to slaves in the 1800s) for being in public with a man she isn't related to.
  • tommy68, on 05/10/2008, -3/+5Iam sure shortly after they were all stoned to death. stone age savages .
  • anbudom, on 05/10/2008, -0/+11I oppose oppression
    • AzureRise, on 05/10/2008, -0/+2I agree with you my forward thinking friend.
  • dudefather, on 05/10/2008, -1/+23Saudi women can't jump
  • xadious, on 05/10/2008, -4/+27If the religious right had the type of control they want in the U.S, this article could just as easily be talking about the U.S rather than S.A.

    You want condoms kid?? 1000 lashes!!! As ordained by Jesus our personal saviour, you do not spill your seed! Sex before marriage? Where's my ***** stone!! Non-Christians here? Mass extermination activate!!

    ***** right wing religious nuts of all countries!
    • AgmLauncher, on 05/11/2008, -0/+2Yes, ***** them. But your analogy is way off because the US clearly does keep a significant separation between church and state. Your post about the US is alarmist and exaggerated, while the oppression of women in SA is very real.
      • xadious, on 05/12/2008, -0/+1As i said, IF the religious right had the type of control they DESIRE, there wouldn't be a separation of church and state. Even now they argue there shouldn't be a separation (amongst other crazy things), what do you think fundamentalist Christians would do if they had real power?

        My post highlights, in an exaggerated manner, both the stupidity and the danger of the religious right.
  • SuminderJi, on 05/10/2008, -0/+1The one in the front right, looks like shes wearing a jersey and isn't even that covered. Actually she looks thugged.
  • rento, on 05/10/2008, -1/+2Nice one. At last some sense! Some SAs are f*** obsessed with rules and they know it. You can ask any of them and they ll tell you... that themselves have enough of rules and living like cattle.
  • Ne007, on 05/10/2008, -9/+3LETS BOMB THE AMISH!

    We will free their women of their bonnets and dresses! Just think...they are made to live without any electricity!

    Who are we to ***** with their way of life people? That's the life they know and the traditions they love. They will not give that way of life up if we want them to, only if they want to give it up and they don't.

    Let them figure it out for themselves and stop meddling in their affairs.
    • atbnet, on 05/10/2008, -0/+6The Amish don't kill their own people for violating rules. You are free to leave the Amish community at any time you want. You can't say the same for Saudi Arabia. Hopefully nothing happens to these women now that their faces have been published.
    • AzureRise, on 05/10/2008, -0/+5Love it? Unless the entire female population is masochistic and suicidal, I doubt they enjoy their daily whippings and honor killings.
  • LauraBlu, on 05/10/2008, -0/+0that is coolness.
  • judicar, on 05/10/2008, -3/+1Now I see why they are required to wear veils, it all makes sense now.
  • HubbertWins, on 05/10/2008, -0/+9I am sure it is our fault somehow. Isn't everything from world hunger to a cloudy day, the fault of evil Americans?
  • Spoomeister, on 05/10/2008, -1/+3This is the ideal outlet for Saudi women, a perfect place to show their faces, relax, and be themselves, in complete anonymity and safety.

    Because if their women's basketball is like women's basketball in the U.S., no one will watch it.
    • mabhatter, on 05/10/2008, -0/+3usually those places do not allow men inside so it's really not "underground" any more than a veil-sewing circle would be. As long as men aren't there and it's inside they're not breaking any rules.
      • BearinG, on 05/12/2008, -0/+1as long as they don't get their pictures taken and posted on the Internet...
  • armorking, on 05/10/2008, -0/+10I still find it completely unreal that these women cannot drive a car legally in SA...it is utter ***** and a disgrace...I cannot stand the fact that women are being treated as second class citizens around the world when they are our mothers, wives, etc. This has got to stop.
    • AgmLauncher, on 05/11/2008, -0/+3Be careful, Pakistan might ban Digg from the rest of the world for that comment....
    • BearinG, on 05/12/2008, -2/+2Just think 50-100 years ago in America.. women weren't treated as "equals" either.. it wasn't always this way..
      • Jashobeam5, on 05/12/2008, -0/+2There is no comparison at all here. Women in America have never lived under the brutal laws of that country.
  • rommelbhargava, on 05/10/2008, -3/+0who cares about stones, crusify... mmmm some of them are yummy :P
    wonder why those possessive bast**ds keep em under hood..

    lolz.... but they are still dressed as penguins :'D how will they play basket balls
  • solid12345, on 05/10/2008, -2/+2If any hot Saudi women want a one-way ticket out of there, just message me!
  • HotDogBun, on 05/10/2008, -1/+3Yeah, um, how come saudi arabia's female basketball players aren't all gross and manly like the american ones?
  • whalt, on 05/11/2008, -0/+1Look like a bunch of ballers to me.
  • blackturtleus, on 05/11/2008, -0/+1But wouldn't it be more interesting if both teams were dressed in all black and wearing veils?
  • natdg, on 05/12/2008, -0/+0Not bad if they liberate themselves. Getting into sports and tell the public what's in the mind of women shouldn't be against a religion or culture.
  • lee1199, on 05/12/2008, -0/+1Don't let the religious police know, my god a woman enjoying herself in a Islamic country, where will it end...
  • pegvolz, on 05/21/2008, -0/+0You all don't know how lucky you are! I live in Phila. PA, USA and when Muslim women here drop their veils and open their robes - VOILA! it's a man, pulling out his automatic weapon to rob a store, or bank, or take a hostage, or shoot a police officer in the face! Feel blest!! PV
  • gfarhaaz, on 06/11/2008, -0/+0lol whats wrong with women enjoying herself in islam? there is nothing wrong with her religion. the reason you will never see them having fun is because women are only allowed to assosicate with trusted men and family. and dont tell me we are deprived, i know history of non muslim dress, was exacly the same!!! so dont dare say it to me.
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