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Michelle Obama faced backlash for not wearing a head covering in Saudi Arabia

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President Obama receives members of the Saudi Royal family, government officials and guests as first lady Michelle Obama and Saudi Arabia's King Salman look on at Erga Palace in Riyadh, January 27, 2015. REUTERS/Jim Bourg
President Obama receives members of the Saudi Royal family, government officials and guests as first lady Michelle Obama and Saudi Arabia’s King Salman look on at Erga Palace in Riyadh, January 27, 2015. REUTERS/Jim Bourg

First lady Michelle Obama faced backlash from Twitter users in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for not wearing a head covering during her brief visit there with the president.

Obama wore loose-fitting clothes including a long blue jacket and dark pants while accompanying President Barack Obama during their four hours on the ground in Riyadh to offer condolences on the death of King Abdullah and for the president to meet with new King Salman.

On Twitter, Saudis used a hashtag that translates to “#Michelle_Obama_Immodest” or “#Michelle_Obama_NotVeiled” to chastise the first lady for being disrespectful to Saudi traditions.

Saudi Arabia has a strict dress code for women, who are instructed to wear black robes and head coverings at all times in public, though visitors to the country are not required to abide by the dress code. In 2011, when then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with Abdullah in New York, she did not cover her face or hair. Nor did then-first lady Laura Bush during a 2006 visit with Abdullah in Saudi Arabia.

michelle obama in saudi
President Obama receives members of the Saudi Royal family, government officials and guests as first lady Michelle Obama looks on at Erga Palace in Riyadh, January 27, 2015. REUTERS/Jim Bourg

Some on Twitter noted that Obama had covered her hair during a visit to a mosque in Indonesia and wondered why she hadn’t done the same, Egypt’s Ahram Online noted, while one woman urged fellow Saudis not to “make Obama angry at us.”

The first lady’s office had no comment on her attire.

Politico

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17 responses to “Michelle Obama faced backlash for not wearing a head covering in Saudi Arabia”

  1. Patience2 Avatar
    Patience2

    Well, she’s not a muslim(I hope), so no head rag. Muslims should wear no head rags when they visit America(or the west), either.

    1. 5thDrawer Avatar
      5thDrawer

      I think ‘no comment’ on it was best …. although women always want to know what ‘the specials’ are wearing, and if they could fit into them. :-)))
      By the way …. the guy crossing front of Obama looks slightly Jewish don’t you think? 😉

      1. Patience2 Avatar
        Patience2

        Hmmm… similar rootstock, anyway.

  2. nagy_michael2 Avatar
    nagy_michael2

    She looks like she don’t belong there. she should have checked the dress codes i suppose.. Next time go shopping for sweets instead or stay home.. It seems they are ignoring her what a shame..

    1. 5thDrawer Avatar
      5thDrawer

      I think they are afraid to talk to a face they can see.

      1. nagy_michael2 Avatar
        nagy_michael2

        or believe it or not i have gone to school with Saudis and they were racist against blacks. little they know they looked darker than the blacks they were discriminating against. lol

        1. 5thDrawer Avatar
          5thDrawer

          We didn’t want to bring up that aspect … 😉 The favoured slaves were blondes. 🙂

    2. MekensehParty Avatar
      MekensehParty

      Why the hate? You sound exactly like her critics…
      She belongs there like anyone else. And she’ll wear whatever she wants within protocol rules.
      The Saudis are wise enough not to dare ignore the wife of the most powerful man in the world.

      1. nagy_michael2 Avatar
        nagy_michael2

        i am not hating on her i am just saying these guys are male chauvinistic so why bother go there. look at the picture they are ignoring her and she looks like a kid sitting in the corner. why put yourself in this position.

        1. MekensehParty Avatar
          MekensehParty

          She’s the wife of the President and she goes with him to the funeral of kings. All these chauvinistic males might not have shacked her hand, but be sure that they all paid her the due respect with a hand on their chest as agreed by protocol.
          I think her being there and without a headscarf is the right thing to do. Let them rant…

  3. MekensehParty Avatar
    MekensehParty

    There are protocols and Michele did not violate these protocols. The Saudi blogosphere can bitch as much as it wants, just like we accept visitors to wear what they like within the established protocols, they’ll learn to accept our choices.

  4. sweetvirgo Avatar
    sweetvirgo

    Oh get over it..so what she didn’t wear a headscarf!!! She shouldn’t be forced to wear one…she did however respect the Saudi’s enough and wore very modest clothes. What else do they want??

    1. AkhouManUki Avatar
      AkhouManUki

      It’s like she’s invisible – I’m sure no one would dare shake her hand – Allah Ou Akbar, and we all know what happens next 😉

  5. AkhouManUki Avatar
    AkhouManUki

    Here are some new hashtags for the Saudis: #OMG_WOMEN_HAVE_HAIR! #Obama_Needs_More_Wives #I_CAN_SEE_HER_FINGERS!! #IS_THAT_A_NECK?? #IS_THAT_MIA_KHALIFA??

    #YouGoGirl!

  6. Andre Avatar
    Andre

    Good for her…what a backward ass country, that’s all folks!

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