TEHRAN, October 29 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Iranian women are lining up for a free course on motorbiking, which its promoter insists is strictly in line with Muslim values.

“The Prophet Mohammad, may peace be upon him, recommended that Muslims learn shooting, swimming and horse riding,” asserted Mohammad Reza Farhad-Sheikhahmad, head of sales for a major Iranian motorcycle manufacturer, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

“If we bring this up to date, horse riding can be replaced with motorbikes. And the prophet did not discriminate between men and women.”

Armed with such a holy weapon that he hopes will see off the country’s powerful conservatives, Farhad-Sheikhahmad is seeking to bring the joys of straddling a buzzing bike to women who for the past two decades have been forced to ride pillion.

Women bicycle or motorcycle riders are frowned upon here, although the practice is not strictly banned.

The cause of two-wheeling women has even been taken up by Faezeh Hashemi, the daughter of powerful former president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.

Motorbikes are also roughly five times cheaper than cars in Iran.

But a major barrier to women becoming bikers has been the lack of training -- something that Farhad-Sheikhahmad is seeking to change when he kicks off the five-month-long classes next April.

His Bana Industrial Group, which represents Japan’s Kawasaki in Iran, has been advertising the courses in local newspapers and magazines for just over a week.

“So far 11,000 women have already signed up,” he told reporters invited to the company's new training ground.

He said each course could train 7,600 women, but admitted he had already also attracted complaints.

But improving women’s rights or implementing the word of the prophet is not his only motive: of Iran’s 35 million women, he said that five million are potential clients for his company’s 18 factories, hence the free lessons in upmarket north Tehran.

To lure more clients, his company’s monthly magazine has published an interview with the Islamic republic’s best known female biker.

“At first I was ashamed after I saw how people looked at me, and I even thought of stopping,” said 34-year-old Fatemeh Boustan, a Karate and Kung Fu teacher who has been riding since the age of four.

“But,” she continued, “I thought about it and realized that I was just going from my home to my workplace, and not for fun. So that is why I continued.”

Another problem is that of clothing, given the obligation in Iran for women to wear a headscarf and long coat that should extend to the ankles.

But even here, Farhad-Sheikhahmad said he has found a solution.

“Several clothing manufacturers have contacted us to tell us that they have designed a special coat,” he said.

“In Islam, riding bikes, cars and other means of transportation is originally permissible. It is worth stressing that in the pre-Islamic era, Arab women used to ride camels. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is reported to have said, “The best women who rode camels are the women of Quraysh. They are the best to show affection towards children and to care for their husband’s wealth.”