The beliefs of another culture are supposed to be out of bounds to comment. There must be circumstances where this convention is abandoned. Take this report from today's Daily Telegraph. Just how many of us could imagine anywhere in the world where the sale of womens' undergarments was controlled at the point of sale by men. Some may say that they have no need to imagine it as it is something that will never bother them either way. But this situation exists in a country with a large influence in world affairs and we need to know that they are at a different level of development to ourselves and many others in the world community. Something along the lines of "Would you buy a used car from this man?"
It is hailed as a major step forward for women's emancipation in Saudi Arabia: in the coming weeks they will enjoy the right to buy lingerie from female shop assistants.
This may be a far cry from bra-burning feminism but in Saudi Arabia the notion of buying one's brassiere from a woman is nothing short of revolutionary.
A new decree requiring shop owners to hire female staff to sell undergarments illustrates the cautious liberalisation the kingdom is undergoing - and how far it has yet to travel.
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