Should Islamic countries be barred from the Olympics on grounds of discrimination?

A provocative article in the International Herald Tribune by Ali Al-Ahmed argues that  because the International Olympic Committee charter states that "any form of discrimination": including sex discrimination is incompatible with the Olympic Movement,  countries whose strict Islamic principles debar women from sport should be themselves excluded.  "Many Muslim women dare not even dream of the Olympics because their countries ban female sports altogether or severely restrict the athletic activities of the "weaker sex.'   The committee, he argues, is breaking its own rules.  For an Islamic essay on women in sport, try here.  Sport England has been trying to encourage more women from Muslim communities to take part, the BBC reports;   and here is a very fetching picture of Iranian women, decently covered, playing volleyball with evident skill.   BY 2012 it will be interesting to see how 'liberated' Muslim women in the UK feel about the participation of countries with all-male squads.  But in the interests of international friendship, is this argument going too far?
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Comments

[Fatpie42]

Muslim women in strongly Islamic countries often have quite a fight on their hands to be recognised. The phrase 'must work twice as hard to be seen as half as good' seems to apply.

On the one hand, if the olympics were to insist that women be given equal opportunities if their country is to be admitted, it might be quite an incentive. On the other hand, do we really want to exclude Islamic countries from what is often a unique opportunity for bringing nations together?

I think I shall leave the decision to wiser minds than mine, but I will leave you with a link to an article about a major Muslim sports personality: female racing car champion Laleh Seddigh
http://community.livejournal.com/islam_feminism/133783.html

[RW]

Perhaps Muslim women do not think that running around a field in their underwear is a sign of "liberation". Did anybody ask them? What about Japanese women? Don't see too many of them at the Olympics either.

[Miss Middle of Manchester]

RW,

The difference is that we don't know what the opinions of these women are.

In Japan, there isn't any legal threat of physical coercion against them entering. If Japanese women do not enter, we can assume it was because of a free choice.

In many of the countries in the ME, there is such coercion and legal threat. We don't know what the women's opinions are, just the opinions of the male lawmakers.