Michelle Obama's uncovered head

Salvador

Salvador

One Nation Under God
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.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/...-covering-criticism-114646.html#ixzz3Q8QutGsa
 
GregV814

GregV814

Well-Known Member
and in other news, nobody cares Salvador...Factually, from Politico, I am suprised YOU are distraught...
 
Christy

Christy

b*tch rocket
Hooray for her. I don't think she should have worn one. I have no love for the Obama's, but this is just silly. One minute they get grief for being too respectful to the Saudi's, then the next, not respectful enough. It's just dumb.
 
RoseRed

RoseRed

American Beauty
PREMO Member
One of the pictures I saw today also included a blonde woman who was also uncovered. Where's the outrage over her?
 
Pushrod

Pushrod

Patriot
Good for her! As far as I'm concerned, a nation that births so many fanatical terrorists and thumbs it in our face doesn't deserve our respect.
 
Toxick

Toxick

Splat
PsyOps said:
Plenty of examples of past American dignitaries not wearing head cover in SA. This is a non-story.
Click to expand...



I don't think it's the western media who is blowing it out of proportion... at least they didn't at first. A bunch of Saudis started hash-tagging #MichelleIsImmodest or some such bull####. That started trending and then it became "news".

As near as I can tell, the law requiring women to wear head covering does not extend to foreign women (or maybe just visiting foreign women dignitaries). But a lot of them do it anyway, though, as a sign of deference, respect or modesty. Laura Bush didn't wear one. Condoleeza Rice didn't wear one... For some reason people are attaching a "political motive" or some sort of feminist statement to Obama's decision not to wear one. I think people here and in the ME are reading way to much into it.

But I agree with you. This is definitely a non-story. Probably manufactured by racists and Christian conservative ass-mongers.
 
Hijinx

Hijinx

Well-Known Member
Whether or not she wanted to make a political statement is not the point here.

The point is that a bunch of Saudi's saw it as a political statement.

I am cool with that. If they want it to be a political statement that's fine. It's a good one.

It's about time the women of America actually stood behind something besides abortion rights.

Women in Saudi are treated as chattel.
 
PsyOps

PsyOps

Pixelated
Toxick said:
I don't think it's the western media who is blowing it out of proportion... at least they didn't at first. A bunch of Saudis started hash-tagging #MichelleIsImmodest or some such bull####. That started trending and then it became "news".

As near as I can tell, the law requiring women to wear head covering does not extend to foreign women (or maybe just visiting foreign women dignitaries). But a lot of them do it anyway, though, as a sign of deference, respect or modesty. Laura Bush didn't wear one. Condoleeza Rice didn't wear one... For some reason people are attaching a "political motive" or some sort of feminist statement to Obama's decision not to wear one. I think people here and in the ME are reading way to much into it.

But I agree with you. This is definitely a non-story.
Click to expand...

When I was in Saudi Arabia it flipped back and forth. When I first got there woman were required to cover their legs and arms, but not their head. Sometime later we were informed that women must cover their heads. I can remember there being some confusion about exactly how their heads were to be covered. So, to avoid being arrested women just stayed within the confines of the Khobar Towers limits. Pretty much everything is dictated by the king. I guess it just depends on his mood. :shrug:

Toxick said:
Probably manufactured by racists and Christian conservative ass-mongers.
Click to expand...

It amazes me you can make such a clear honest comment then blurt this out at the end. There are very deep, fundamental believers in Sharia in Saudi Arabia. It's not outside of reality that many Saudi women were deeply offended by Michelle's lack of observance of their customs.
 
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