„Young Iraqis have organized a mixed-gender cycling event in the middle of Baghdad, after a photo of a young woman on a bike went viral last week. Marina Rada had posted the picture, taken by photographer Ayman al-Amiri, on her Facebook page last Sunday, accompanied with the caption: ‚I am society‘. The image captured Iraqi imaginations and has become a symbol of the need for greater flexibility with regard to gender norms in the country. (…)
In a video shared on her Facebook page on Thursday, Marina criticized those who saw her riding a bicycle as an accomplishment, saying that: ‚This is not my ambition, this is not what I want to achieve, the issue is greater than this. My concern and my cause is for the rights of the woman, that she can exercise her natural rights.‘
The status of women in Iraq has faced severe setbacks during decades of conflict, and under the influence of conservative and extremist religious groups. Perhaps now, as the country comes closer to ridding itself of Daesh in the north, Iraqi women can take the opportunity to seize greater freedoms.“ („Central Baghdad flooded by women on bicycles following social media campaign“)
