I think women of many religions - even no religion at all - would like to have the option of female-only sessions at health clubs. Go for it, ladies!

The justification for a women-only policy is pretty important. If a company which purports to regard all its customers as equal is seen to make a special exception to its policies for religous reasons, it is opening up a can of worms it might prefer to leave on the shelf. These Islamic women are making this demand on explicit religious grounds. I know the rights of men are not necessarily of interest to the majority of writers and commentators on this blog, but it occurs to me that male members of this gym [many of whom, we must assume, have also paid for lifetime memberships] would have a decent complaint to make. Why should they be denied access to a gym because of the religious beliefs of a relatively small number of members?

Of course, there is another way around this. While closing the gym to men on certain days, the company could close the gym to women on other days. Something like, two days a week are for women only, two days a week are for men only and three days a week are gender-neutral. That would seem to spread the "pain" around evenly and satisfy the demands of the Islamic women.

Of course, that would mean non-Islamic women would have to sacrifice on behalf of their Islamic sisters. One wonders how long the sisterhood would remain united under those circumstances. Could be interesting/amusing to watch.

On the other hand, aren't there already gyms that cater to a mostly or entirely female clientele? They might appreciate having some business thrown their way.

women sometimes try and claim that a viciously enforced puritanical culture is incompatible with a culture in which men have no power over women. I think they are overly optimistic (at lease I hope that's what it is)

because that's what this is all about: primitave and anciet mores dictating modern facilities. Just wait 'til they're a voting block and see what your schools, gyms and public facilities look like then... This will set back the women's movement 30 years...

PS - on this Rebecca loses her snark? Why is the left enamoured of the Islamofacism?

"Why is the left enamoured of the Islamofacism?"

Please. Every time one thinks/imagines/hopes we've moved beyond the primitive Why Do You Hate America and Freedom? debate in this country, a righty comes along to dash those dreams. You can't tell anything about Ms Traister's views of Islam [much less fascism] from her post. And even if you could, how did Ms Traister become the spokesperson for the American Left? You don't get to make that designation yourself, Jeff.

And just for the record, Jeffrey, you should learn how to spell fascism. If you're going to hate it and blame the left for it, you ought to be able to spell it.

Doubtful that the gym would decide to limit male and female members to satisfy certain segments of their clientele. That would undoubtedly annoy the gym members of both sexes who want unrestricted access to their club, not to mention male-female workout partners.

A solution? Perhaps offer women's-only classes in a private room.

As for gyms that cater to women, only Curves really markets itself as such, and having visited almost every chain gym in New York City, I can tell you that all of the rest are very co-ed. Curves, by the by, has a CEO who contributes (with his own cash) to organizations with strong ties to the religious right and radical anti-abortion groups. Kind of ironic, since he runs a company designed to make women feel more empowered through control of their bodies.

I'm just sayin'.

Anyway, 200 customers is a lot for a gym, right? That's a pretty substantial monthly fee ready to fly; I have no idea why a business wouldn't flex for 200 like-mided customers. Plus, as some other reader has probably stated, I can imagine a few non-Muslim women would relish the opportunity to work out without the omnipresent male gaze.

When the men paid for lifetime memberships, they did so knowing that the gym would be closed to them on certain days, and accepting this negative. So I don't think that those individuals' memberships should sway the decision here.

As for the Muslim women, at a minimum they should get a full refund.

Our gym has a women-only cardio center with elliptical/stairmaster/treadmill machines. It is PACKED with women from all walks of life who want to feel comfortable.

Everything else is coed, although some stuff is effectively all female, like Cardio Kick & Sculpt.

Idea: why don't some classes just get names that will make men avoid them, like the aforementioned Kick & Sculpt, or better yet, Prenatal/Postpartum TransDance? Never seen a guy in that one (and it's actually a really good workout--the fact that one is neither prenatal nor postpartum can be her little secret.)

working out around men, the Muslim women and their religious doctrine non-withstanding. I have never in all the years I have been going to the gym cared that men are there too. I have never felt uncomfortable, I'm too busy sweating and counting my reps. The only time I notice other people is when they are using the machines incorrectly, robbing them of an effective workout or I'm envious of some woman's abs. The only time I don't like men is when they run next to me-smelling really really bad. If they put on some deoderant or cologne then I wouldn't care at all.

Are some women so worried that men are staring at them while you're on a machine or using the weights? Maybe it's just that I don't work out in a gym where people use it to pick up people? Or do some women think that men sit around judging your body no matter the setting?

Detroit's male Muslim community not clamoring for men-only days alongside these women? After all, modesty rules in Islam apply to both genders, right?