PEOPLE | interview December 2020 www.womanthismonth.com 6 a friend’s house for years before declaring to her parents she was a rider. That’s amazing! What’s it been like since you became a part of the community then? Sajida Saeed Tabbara: My experience was bittersweet at the beginning... Defying stereotypes, especially as an educator, was very challenging. In 2011, a group of people waged a social media war on me and called me nasty names on a forum. I was called loose, unprincipled, a bad role model and a corrupting influence on young Bahraini women. This went on for three months until my own students at the university put an end to and stood up for me by posting on that forum in my defence. I have since ridden my bike with joy and without too many funny looks, which I still get occasionally. I have since gone on many trips abroad in the Middle East and Europe. I love riding my bike. It gives me a sense of unparalleled freedom and control. I love the feeling of comradery with other riders, especially female riders, and I feel safer in a group. How does it feel to be a part of a community of women with a common interest? Birgit Hobaugh (Germany): It is always great to be part of a community, to feel the sense of belonging and support in times of need. For many years, it was always the same number of ladies riding together with the men’s group. The biker community, in general, is a very close-knit community and is always there to help one another, but the fast-paced growth of this new lady biker community is amazing and clearly shows the support and encouragement provided by the group in the onboarding process of the new comers. Over the years the numbers have increased and we can finally ride together as a lady bikers group. I have been on several of these rides and gatherings. It’s great to network and sometimes just be a woman, taking photos with no inhibitions and the camaraderie of it all. How does it feel to be a group of strong women engaging in an interest that is more commonly associated with men? Priya Shankar (India): Seeing a woman ride a bike not only grabs eyeballs but also makes heads turn…with some muted comments: both positive and negative. However, when you go out in a group, you see the respect and get open-mouthed looks or even enthusiastic waving and thumbs ups. It’s great to be part of a group that supports you and helps you understand the stress of riding, even though I must admit when I started it was a much smaller community and most of the support and training I received were from my fellow brothers and a solo sister, who played a very significant role in not only getting me on the road but encouraging me to go on road trips to Oman and Europe. I feel riders are always up for helping each other out and sisterhood/brotherhood comes foremost. When I traveled to Oman,
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy Mjk0MTkxMQ==