living in harmony: car-free? & dutch bikes

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Yesterday as I was driving back from work, I was reflecting again on fitrah and how when a human being is sincere to their fitrah - by recognizing there is one God and by acting on that knowledge, submitting themselves to their Creator - they become at harmony with their Creator, with their own soul, and with the rest of creation.

So I was feeling all good, seeing the trees, the birds, the sky, as I rolled homebound along the highway... all at peace with nature, when suddenly I realized wait - I am harming nature! While driving my car it is releasing CO2 into the atmosphere, and even the process to extract oil, fossil fuels, is damaging (BP Oil Spill, anyone? Alberta Tar sands?... and the rest of it). I initially went to college to major in Environmental Geography so we studied a lot of the effects of our auto-loving-dependent societies on not only "nature" including flora, fauna, air and water, but also the direct and resulting effects on other human beings - locally and around the world.

How is it I am in harmony with the rest of creation, yet I am doing something that I know is harmful to it? I am not looking at this in the frame that taking myself off the road will make a a difference in the world, as it is only a drop in the ocean, but rather how my actions speak to my own sincerity of not wanting to do harm to others. I am not implying any sort of fatwa by saying this (I am completely and totally not in a position to do that), but just reflecting... considering if I can make alternative choices to drive less, such as walking and biking when possible.

At first I was looking into loads of websites about the car-free movement mashaAllah... I am totally in support of their vision actually, of gearing cities to be more conducive to walking, biking, etc. through urban design... having more close communities that have everything available nearby for example. As much as I would like to try the car-free lifestyle, the fact I am in a contract position at work (which is a 45 minute drive from home) means I am stuck to my Dodge until the contract date is up... after that, if I choose to work somewhere else, inshaAllah I will choose something close to home. Not just for the car reason, but also the time spent in traffic, the fuel costs, the traffic jams and frustrations,... these I can all do without.

What about public transit, you ask? Well,... yes, I did consider that. But as a Muslim it was like choosing between two undesirable things... because for me transit is full of fitna (this is my experience after many years busing/skytraining it around), especially at rush hour. Just thinking back my mind floods with memories of being crammed in like sardines surrounded by non-mahram men, of fellow transit-goers talking/swearing loudly or making out in public (eww), of psychologically unbalanced people screaming or threatening your personal space, of having to walk from the train to home late at night feeling unsafe and kicking myself for staying out until after dark without a ride home. So, while transit IS fine sometimes (ie at non-peak daytime hours) its not a viable alternative for daily commuting for me personally, as alhamdulillah I do have the choice to drive instead.

So while I can't commit to car-free I aim for car-light... driving only when necessary, combining as many errands as possible into one trip, walking when possible (staying local :D)... and my dream... to get a Dutch bike! This is something every abaya/skirt wearing muslimah should know about! It is a bicycle with a step-through frame (ie you can wear a full skirt without having a centre bar push it up) and a completely covered chain (ie no abaya getting caught up and mangled! no need to tuck pants into your socks!) and a skirt-guard on the back wheel .... check it out:



They are actually becoming very popular nowadays... the cheapest 8-speed one I found in my area is around $550.00 (you can find cheaper 3-speeds, and you can custom design your own colours at Republic Bikes - $399 USD for a single speed) however I think if it is going to be well used it is a worthy investment... not only is it great for transportation, but for leisure and exercise mashaAllah. Back-in-the-day when it was scandalous for a proper lady to show her ankle, women all wore full-length skirts and dresses and such bikes were designed to let them ride while preserving their modesty. Even the higher handle bars and size of peddle had this in mind so ladies could sit up without having to bend over too much and without having to raise their knees too high when peddling (which could cause an ankle to be flashed - 'ayb!) Check out these historical photos...

German Postcard, 1915:


From 1895:


And if you google "dutch bike" and check out the images, you will find lots of interesting things especially for carrying many items or for accommodating children (like this one with two child-seats behind or this one with a stroller attachment in the front ~ love it). InshaAllah I really want to try a Dutch bicycle out soon, so I'm thinking to ask the bike store if I can test-ride one or rent one from one of the many downtown bike rental places if they have them.