Saudi Women Protest Against Moroccan Maids

Jakarta Globe, September 14, 2011

Saudi Arabian women are protesting against plans by the Gulf nation to replace Indonesian domestic workers with Moroccan maids, believing the North African women “are beautiful and could snatch their husbands off them,” a report said on Wednesday.

Emirates 24/7 reported that after failing in their efforts to overturn a ban on driving, Saudi Arabian women had been “swift and decisive” in their opposition to Moroccan maids.

The news portal reported that the Gulf kingdom’s appointed parliament had been “deluged” by women demanding it veto the plans to use Moroccans to replace Indonesian and Filipino domestic helpers.

“Many Saudi woman have objected to plans to import domestic workers from Morocco … they say the Moroccan women are beautiful and this will cause continuous anxiety and concern in Saudi families,” Emirates 24/7 reported the Sharq daily as saying.

“Some of them said Moroccan women are so attractive that their husbands could easily fall for them … others said Moroccans are good at magic and sorcery and that this could enable them to lure their husbands.

“Some women threatened to resign their job and stay at home so their husbands will not be left alone with the Moroccan maid.”