King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia bans men from selling lingerie

Jun 07, 2011 |

London

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King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has become something of a hero to women in his home country after he banned men from working in lingerie shops.

King Abdullah, 87, issued the decree to end ‘embarrassment’ suffered by women who don’t want to give men their measurements.

Saudi women working in the outlets got embroiled in a dispute three years ago with the labour ministry and the powerful religious authority, which issued a fatwa banning such jobs.

The decree from the king was part of a push to reduce the amount of female unemployment in the conservative kingdom, currently at around 30 per cent.

Saudi women say they have been uncomfortable buying lingerie from men and would prefer female sales assistants.

Fatima Garub, founder of a Facebook campaign called ‘Enough Embarrassment’, backed the king’s decision saying it would create about 6,000 jobs for Saudi women.

“From now, embarrassment will end. We thank the king who felt our problem and took the decision that we have been waiting for a long time,” the Daily Mail quoted her as saying.

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