Harvard University has banned men from one of its gyms for a few hours a week, a move to accommodate Muslim women who, for religious and cultural reasons, cannot exercise comfortably in their presence.
No men are allowed in the gym between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Mondays, and between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Even the staff during those times is all women.
Student Ola Aljawhary, who is Muslim,...rejected that argument. "The majority should be willing to compromise," she said. "
Six Muslim women asked the university for the special hours, Muslim women who say it offends their sense of modesty to exercise in front of the opposite sex. The special hours allow the Muslim women, who adhere to traditional dress codes by covering their hair and most of their skin while in public, to dress more appropriately for exercising,
"It's a pretty big breach of their moral and religious code for a man to see them with their hair uncovered and it's just not possible for them to be in a mixed environment,"
'We get special requests from religious groups all the time and we try to honor them whenever possible,'' he said, noting that the school has designated spaces for Muslim and Hindu students to pray.