Assuming this editorial in the Washington Times to be accurate, and there is no reason not to, count me as one person who will never be flying British Midland Airlines:
Should stewardesses flying to Saudi Arabia be required to wear head-to-toe coverings and walk behind men?
One airline thinks so. British Midland Airways is going to absurd and insulting lengths to patronize backward habits of the Middle East by forcing its female flight attendants to dress and behave in a stereotype of subservient Saudi women. When flight attendant Lisa Ashton stood up to the policy, she was fired.
BMI employees were informed of the policy in August 2005. In addition to wearing the traditional abaya, the policy stated that, “it is expected that female crew members walk behind their male counterparts in public areas such as the airport, no matter what rank.”
What sick behavior on the part of the executives of BM, cooperating with the medieval Saudi policies. Ms. Ashton is to be commended for standing up to these creeps. It would take a real reactionary like our Speaker of the House to go along with such misogynistic regulations. Come to think of it, considering her crazy conflicting statements of late regarding water boarding, she may need a new job soon. And she’s just the woman for BMI. As we all know, she doesn’t seem to have trouble wearing an abaya. [I’m not so sure she’d be happy walking behind men of lesser rank.-ed. Tell that to Prince Abdullah. Maybe he’d take her on as wife number 436.]
PS: There’s a Facebook site for those who would like to support Lisa Ashton and protest the Neanderthals at BMI>
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