An ultra-orthodox Jewish rabbi of the Jerusalem neighborhood of Nahloat has reportedly banned girls aged 5 and older from riding bicycles in some areas of Israel because it’s “immodest”.

He had said that young girls riding bicycles could “cause serious damage to their modesty” and that the bicycle seats cause young girls to sit in a “provocative” way for men.

The ruling said that they inform parents that they are obligated to forbid their daughters, starting from age 5 and up from acting in this illegitimate way.

The people affected by the ruling are the members of the ultra-orthodox Haredi branch of Judaism, and ultra-orthodox rabbis requested back in December that women in Israeli city Bnei Brak refrain from studying in higher education.

They claimed that institutions which teach secular subjects present a real danger, so that’s why girls and women should not study.

Haredi leaders have also tried to ban the internet from their communities and have declared smartphones non-kosher.

According to studies, however, this interdict has had no effect, because ultra-orthodox Jews in Israel are using the internet just as much as anyone else.