IKEA airbrushes women out of their Saudi catalogue.

[Tradewind]

Well, rather be safe then sorry I guess. Muslim extremists are 100% unpredictable, just look at some of the recent events.

...and just imagine the horror. Warehouses full of Hemnes and Lack tables and Ektorp couches aflame, millions of pounds of particle board, fueling the fires of hatred.

[Bakis]

It's quite tasteless is it not? Multi-National companies should try to spread acceptance, not adhere to inacceptance.

Sure but this is a minor problem, how about entire nations supporting Suadi Arabia without a single doubt. Sup US?

[Laize]

I don't find any fault in IKEA here, they're just trying to sell a product. The Saudi government is where the problem is here.

That doesn't seem to be the opinion of the United States government.

Also in defense of Saudi Arabia (Because if you have to visit a Muslim nation, Saudi Arabia is probably the safest next to the UAE), they are getting better. King Abdullah has stated that women will be allowed to hold public office by 2015.

[Frenegade42]

Less to do with IKEA and more to do with Swedes not understanding that not everywhere is Sweden.

Less to do with Sweden and more to do with a liberal west realising that decades of social engineering and tolerance still doesn't change the fact that it must coexist with the other half of the world that holds values that they themselves find reprehensible. Thats the true test of tolerance.

[Tradewind]

That doesn't seem to be the opinion of the United States government.

Also in defense of Saudi Arabia (Because if you have to visit a Muslim nation, Saudi Arabia is probably the safest next to the UAE), they are getting better. King Abdullah has stated that women will be allowed to hold public office by 2015.

It's a shame that their husbands will still have to drive them to work though.

[Laize]

It's a shame that their husbands will still have to drive them to work though.

You can't expect them to have sweeping changes overnight. Unless you believe this is real.

[gneugen]

I would think it was smart for them to do it. They're not losing any customers by airbrushing the women out, but they would be losing some by keeping them in. When you grow up in a culture that is so anti-female, even if you're not of the belief that women are lower-class citizens, it subconsciously seeps in, whether you like it or not. And there's also the few who are anti-female who might be less inclined to appreciate the ad when they see the presence of a woman.

They lose nothing by airbrushing the woman out, they might gain something by doing it.

They should've been more careful about it though. Should've taken entirely new photos without women in the first place.

If the parent company stands by the decision, they stand to lose a lot more customers than there exist current customers in Saudi Arabia.

[xylophone]

That doesn't seem to be the opinion of the United States government.

Also in defense of Saudi Arabia (Because if you have to visit a Muslim nation, Saudi Arabia is probably the safest next to the UAE), they are getting better. King Abdullah has stated that women will be allowed to hold public office by 2015.

I was talking specifically about this issue, I don't see any reason that IKEA needs to apologize.

[MrSerious]

banning women from driving and requiring them to have permission from a male guardian before travelling or receiving medical care.

that just boils my blood. Bunch of assholes!

[Laize]

that just boils my blood. Bunch of assholes!

It's not your country so it's not your place to tell them what's right.

[Tradewind]

that just boils my blood. Bunch of assholes!

I guess on a positive note it does eliminate one possibility from the question "Is that an asian or a woman driving that thing with the blinker still on?!"

/jokes

[IIamaKing]

IKEA obviously thought it would be in their best interest to Pshop out the women in that region.

[Deleted]

It's not your country so it's not your place to tell them what's right.

Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy. It's not the people deciding how they want to live, it's their hereditary monarch. It is absolutely our place to tell them what we believe are fundamental human rights that should be respected by every country in the world.

[Powerogue]

Well would it have been better if they hadn't gone over the top to attempt to prevent offending Saudi Arabia, and gotten crazy people running around burning things?

Certain individuals have been getting offended dangerously easy lately. http://www.mmo-champion.com/threads/...Temples-Burned

They're just playing it safe.

[chadwix]

Glad to see there are still smart business people who dont put personal beliefs above the dollar.

[Vokal]

Rather ironic, considering where it happened...

[Deleted]

To my knowledge of the Muslim religion there is 0 reason to photoshop the women out of the picture?

I think the group of people who doesn't find this offensive to their religion are the minority, but what do I know?

[Fuzzzie]

Different culture, different rules. I don't believe in it, but it's not me. For the Canadian catalogue I wish they photoshopped more women in tbh. It was quite bland.

[Spectral]

I think we all know exactly what the problem is here. Some will chose to pretend that this isn't a symptom of a very large problem though.

[Laize]

Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy. It's not the people deciding how they want to live, it's their hereditary monarch. It is absolutely our place to tell them what we believe are fundamental human rights that should be respected by every country in the world.

Well you can tell them what you believe. They don't have to listen.

To the best of my knowledge, Saudi Arabia hasn't signed any international agreement that binds them to treat women as equals.

Not saying I agree with it. I'm saying they're a sovereign nation and you don't get to just tell them what they should do.