Religious Restrictions on Training

Anonymous User wrote: Can women practice aikido in countries like Iran or Egypt?

Sorry to UP an old post, but to answer you .. yes they do I can grab some recent/old youtube clips to support my claims

Anne Marie Giri wrote: I'd still love to hear from muslims on this issue. I can understand you not wanting to post in this thread as it has pretty much devolved. So please feel free to send me a private message.

Over here in Egypt are two teams, one that changed the way of bowing to each other and O'Sensi's pic with slight leaning forward with the right hand of the chest as a gesture of greeting without being called bowing to one another, females and males alike.

The other team just do it the old classic way except they keep their eyes forward facing each other, not entirely bowing in this state, females and males alike.

The only noticeable thing about clothing, females tend to wear their Gi as they would with any other form of clothing, they wear Hijab or they don't

Other than that, its just all about practicing

Mohamed Salah wrote: Over here in Egypt are two teams, one that changed the way of bowing to each other and O'Sensi's pic with slight leaning forward with the right hand of the chest as a gesture of greeting without being called bowing to one another, females and males alike. The other team just do it the old classic way except they keep their eyes forward facing each other, not entirely bowing in this state, females and males alike. The only noticeable thing about clothing, females tend to wear their Gi as they would with any other form of clothing, they wear Hijab or they don't Other than that, its just all about practicing

Thank you for sharing. Places where I have trained there are a few Muslims and most are in the second camp. The one who is in the first camp still trains and recently took his sandan test. I think the key for my sensei was the acknowledgment of showing respect during the bow-in for the test to pause in acknowledgment towards O-Sensei, the testing committee, and his ukes.

But, yes, all in all its just about practicing.

Years ago when I was training at my original dojo at a university, a member quit because he had just become Christian and was told that he shouldn't bow towards O'Sensei. I thought about this for some time and realised the thing to do was suggest to such a person that they are bowing to God, and that O'Sensei's picture is just there to remind them to hold the highest ideals.