I have written an article for Comment Is Free which pulls together various strands from the Saudi story of the fatwa against female cashiers in supermarkets (which I reported here earlier). My Cif article adds some analysis and discusses the wider implications of the affair for Saudi Arabia.

As usual, the question of cultural relativism is raised by some commenters in the article's discussion thread, with the suggestion that "If Saudis wish to resist western culture in their own country then that's their business."

Aside from the fact that large numbers of Saudis do NOT want to ban women from working in supermarkets, it's interesting how selectively the "resistance to western culture" argument is used. If it can be applied to denying women their rights, why not also apply it to supermarkets?

Supermarkets themselves are a western invention and completely foreign to Arab culture. But you never hear of scholars condemning supermarkets per se – only those that have women working on the tills.

Posted by Brian Whitaker, 11 November 2010.