Lingerie's a hot issue in Saudi Arabia...

I wish them luck, but there are bigger issues than this....

Saudi women angry at being forced to buy intimate clothes from male sales clerks were urged on Saturday to begin a two-week boycott of lingerie shops.

Reem Asaad, a Jeddah economics professor, announced the action as part of her campaign to press the government to reverse rules based on religion that prevent underwear stores from employing saleswomen.

"I am calling for salesmen to be replaced with saleswomen," said Asaad.

"The only way to get things done is putting pressure on the industry, and (for) retailers to change," she told AFP.

Asaad organised the boycott through her Facebook page as public protests are banned in Saudi Arabia.

"I just hope that many (women) respond and boycott," she said.

Since 2008, Asaad has been pushing officials to allow saleswomen in shops open to both male and female clients, saying women are uncomfortable discussing their body particulars with men.

The labour ministry has said it has no written ban on shops hiring women, but Asaad says the law is purposely ambiguous, allowing top clerics and religious conservatives to effectively enforce a prohibition on saleswomen.