Here in Dhimmiland UK, news just in that a female employee of British airline BMI has been sacked – because she refused to wear an ‘abaya’ and walk behind male colleagues when in Saudi Arabia.
I kid you not. This is the story, courtesy of the Times Online:
“A BRITISH air stewardess was sacked for refusing to fly to Saudi Arabia after she was ordered to wear a traditional Islamic robe and walk behind male colleagues.
Lisa Ashton, a £15,000-a-year stewardess with BMI, was told that in public areas in Saudi Arabia she was required to wear a black robe, known as an abaya. This covers everything but the face, feet and hands. She was told to follow her male colleagues, irrespective of rank.
Ashton, 37, who was worried about security in the country, refused to fly there, claiming the instructions were discriminatory. She was sacked last April.
“It’s not the law that you have to walk behind men in Saudi Arabia, or that you have to wear an abaya, and I’m not going to be treated as a second-class citizen,” Ashton said last week.
“It’s outrageous. I’m a proud Englishwoman and I don’t want these restrictions placed on myself.”
Earlier this year an employment tribunal in Manchester ruled that BMI was justified in imposing “rules of a different culture” on staff and cleared it of sexual discrimination. Ashton has consulted Liberty, the human rights organisation, and may seek a judicial review of the decision.
Ashton joined BMI in March 1996, flying to the Caribbean, the United States and India. Based in Manchester, she was told in the summer of 2005 that BMI was starting a service to Saudi Arabia and she might be required to work on it.
The Foreign Office was then advising visitors of a “threat of terrorism” in the country. Ashton did not want to travel there because of the security risks, and was offended by the rules for staff travelling to the region.
A BMI document circulated to staff who might travel to Saudi Arabia stated: “It is expected that female crew members will walk behind their male counterparts in public areas such as airports no matter what rank.”
Staff were also given abayas and were required to put them on when leaving the aircraft.
Ashton, a practising Christian, was advised by union officials that it was considered a part of the uniform and she could face disciplinary action if she did not wear it.
Why the hell should any NON Muslim woman, from a NON Muslim country, be forced to don traditional Muslim garb? Do Muslim women from Saudi Arabia take OFF their abayas when visiting Britain? No, of course they blinking well don’t!
As usual, it’s we ‘infidels’ that are being required to change and give up our rights in order to fit in with Islam.
And for a British company to be the force behind this latest travesty is alarming. Of one thing we can all be sure: this is not the first such incident, and it won’t be the last.
A Jew With A View 
Except for diplomats, of course British or any other subjects are subject to the local law of the country they are in.
If anybody does not want to go there, they needn’t.
And I am not a Muslim.
Lots of interesting comments, many thanks to all!
LEVI – but surely British citizens who happen to be in Saudi Arabia with work, are not subject to Islamic laws…?
If you’re saying that they are, and if we then extend that reasoning, then that means no woman stopping temporarily in Saudi, with work, would have any freedoms nor rights! They would not be able to go anywhere without a male chaperone, for example.
I don’t think that is a valid argument, do you…? 🙂
GEORGE
Wow, that’s really interesting. And your description conjures up such a vivid image of a horde of Saudi women sprinting into the nearest ladies’ loo and hurling off their robes then battling it out for mirror space and lipstick…! LOL LOL
I totally agree with your comments. And personally I think it’s ABSURD that this woman was asked – or rather, ordered – to don Islamic garb and walk behind her male colleagues! She is not a Saudi citizen and she was not obliged to adopt Islamic law.
As for BMI for actually firing her… shame on them.
Funny, you know. When travelling from Saudi Arabia, where I was working for 3+ years, on holidays to Europe, I quite often saw Saudi women, fully dressed in Abayahs, dash for the toilet as soon as the plane had crossed the border out of Saudi Arabia and reappear dressed in lovely western fashions. Going back, the reverse often happened.
This tells me that many Saudi women can’t wait to have the opportunity to get out of those penguin clothes and walk as normal world citizens in the Kingdom.
It has nothing to do with religion… it’s an archaic social custom based in the premise that women should hide themselves so that tribal competitors would not be tempted to kidnap her. Helloooo… Saudi Arabia… we are now living in the 20th century! Or has that Mullah brainwashed you to think otherwise?
I fully agree with the notion that this flight attendant was treated unfairly by her company, who seems to want to kow-tow to some barbaric and archaic customs that should have been thrown in the garbage many centuries ago.
1. What do other non-Muslim airlines do?
2. If it is part of her contract that she must wear whatever uniform her employers specify, her case for wrongful dismissal might not be too strong.
3. If it is the law of the country concerned that women must follow men, then that is the law.
4. Nevertheless, I feel that dismissal was rather extreme. They should have shifted her to another route.
Omar, many thanks for your kind and articulate comments…!
you should rename your blog to A jew with a propoganda………lol…..fuckin idiot jew…