Jul 30, 2014
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
announced today that it is leaning toward finally allowing its female
population to use forks.
The highly anticipated move
comes as the autocratic Islamic regime faces ongoing criticism around the world
for its record on women’s rights, which critics say is among the worst in the
word.
“We hope this gesture of
goodwill today will assure our critics that the Kingdom is open to reform on
all issues and is sensitive to the needs of its female population,” a
spokesperson for the Saudi government says.
Saudi Arabia has banned women
from using forks since its formation in 1932 over fears that the utensil
represented a threat to the kingdom’s conservative sexual mores.
"There is something very
unclean about a woman putting four long hard things in her mouth at once,"
explains a leading Islamic cleric close to government policymakers.
"When a man sees a woman
putting metal with such shapes into her sacred orifice, he cannot help but
think the most unnatural thoughts. This measure exists to prevent sexual chaos
between men and women."
However, Mario Santerelli, an
Italian expatriate who runs an upscale Italian restaurant in Riyadh, has a
different view.
“I can’t wait for the ban to
be lifted,” he says. “It’s frustrating having to watch women eat pasta with a
knife and spoon. Many of my customers are couples looking for a romantic night
out. Being unable to properly eat your food kinda kills the mood.”
Once the ban on female fork
use is lifted, women will still face a variety restrictions unique to the
kingdom, where the status of women is arguably analogous to that of blacks in
apartheid South Africa.
All women in Saudi Arabia are
required to have a legal male guardian, are barred from mixing with the
opposite sex in public, forced to use separate entrances to most buildings, and
are most notoriously banned from driving automobiles.
Although there is a growing
movement within the kingdom for greater freedom for women, this is the first
concrete step the conservative ruling monarchy has made in that direction.
According to sources close to
the government, the fork ban is expected to be lifted in a matter of weeks.
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