When Iran's Supreme Leader bans women from cycling, Iran's women cycle.

In a small triumph of common sense and social media over religious law, women across Iran are taking to their bikes in defiance of a fatwa - a non-binding religious rule - on female cycling issued by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

In the increasingly restrictive Islamic country, it had been understood that women could cycle as long as religious concerns were respected. Despite being frowned upon by religious clerics, more women had been taking to the streets on two wheels as part of a grass-roots movement to encourage Iranians to reduce pollution by leaving their cars at home.

But when asked recently, Khamenei reportedly said women were not allowed to cycle in public or in the presence of strangers, explaining that the practice of females riding a bike "exposes society to corruption" and "contravenes women's chastity," reports the Independent.

Under the hashtag #IranianWomenLoveCycling, women are campaigning against the new rule, with photos, videos and supportive comments flooding in to Facebook page, My Stealthy Freedom.