In a condolence visit to Saudi Arabia in honour
of King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz who died of pneumonia recently, Barrack Obama
went with a crop of official personnel including his wife Michelle.
Michelle Obama
came under serious criticism from Saudi Arabians for not wearing “hijab.” After
all it is said that when you are in Rome, you should behave like Romans.
Women are not allowed to go without veil in the
ultra-conservative Islamic country.
Washington Post reported that over 1500 tweets
were sent in campaign against the unwelcome gesture.
With Obama were John Kerry, Secretary of
State; Condoleezza Rice and James Baker, who served as the leaders of the State
Department under Republican presidents.
King Salman took Obama hands in
greeting at the stairs of the Air Force One and conducted a red carpet march for the train into
the lavishly furnished king’s palace where Obama and his entourage were treated
to the best Saudi delicacies.
Many of the Saudi officials
shook hands with the first lady while numerous others only gave her a nod; a
gesture which the first lady’s facial expression obviously disapproved of.
Michelle Obama was not the only
person in the visiting train that did not cover hair. Condoleezza Rice did not
also but that of Michelle Obama was picked and criticized by the citizens of
Saudi Arabia.
C. Rice did not cover her hair also
Elsewhere, it was reported that
both Queen of England and Duchess of Cornwall that visited the kingdom in 1979
and 2013 respectively veiled their hairs.
One might argue that it is a
kind of protest to women’s enslavement in the country. This is even buttressed
the more with the speech given by Obama in India where they set out to Riyadh,
Saudi Arabia.
This is not the first time when
observing local customs during a state visit had ruffled feathers in the Washington.
A writer described Obama’s act
of bowing before the Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko at the Imperial Palace
in Tokyo during a state visit as “treasonous.”
King Salman and President Obama
in the reception party discussed pressing political and economic problems of
the Middle East; including the ISIS.
Saudi Arabia is a strong US
ally in the Middle East; a relationship which the emergent King Salman had
indicated interest to uphold.
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