President
Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama made a quick stop in Saudi
Arabia on Tuesday to pay respects to the late King Abdullah, and to hold
meetings with the new leader, King Salman bin Abdulaziz. But one aspect
of the encounter stood out to reporters covering the receiving line at
the palace: the first lady shook hands with the king.
Islamic
law generally forbids men from touching women to whom they are not
related. However, that rule is often times overlooked when official
diplomatic delegations visit the kingdom.
The
White House notes that representatives of the United States, including
former Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and Madeleine Albright,
along with German Chancellor Angela Merkel have all visited the Saudi
king, and have all shaken hands with members of the Saudi royal family.
Islamic
experts also point to another central theme of Islam: hospitality. When
one is a guest in someone's home, they are treated as family.
Obama
also did not cover her head, eschewing strict religious and cultural
customs in Saudi Arabia, where women wear a full-body garment called an
abaya and cover their heads with a hijab or the more conservative niqab,
which has only a slit for the eyes.
Obama's
predecessor Laura Bush also did not cover her head during her 2007 solo
visit to Saudi Arabia and neither did Hillary Clinton during a 2010
trip to the kingdom as Secretary of State. Another former secretary of
state, Condoleeza Rice, also did not cover her head as she joined the
U.S. delegation in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
But
the U.S. State Department advises other American women visiting the
country that they could face problems if they don't cover their heads.
"Women
who choose not to conform to this dress code face a risk of
confrontation by Mutawwa (religious police) and possible
detention/arrest," the State Department says on its website. "While most
incidents have resulted only in inconvenience or embarrassment, the
potential exists for an individual to be arrested, physically harmed, or
deported."
Additionally, female
tourists who don't abide by the dress code or sidestep other religious
laws -- like walking in public unaccompanied or mingling with men who
aren't relatives -- risk being harassed, pursued or assaulted by Saudi
citizens, the State Department warns.
Pool
reporters traveling with the President on Air Force One, also pointed
out that in the receiving line at the airport in Saudi Arabia - a more
open setting than the palace -- Michelle Obama stood next to but
slightly behind the President, and held a small black clutch purse in
front of her with both hands.
Reporters
say they noticed that Mrs. Obama waited for a gesture to be made to her
by the men who walked by, and if the man initiated a handshake, she
smiled and shook their hand. If not, both she and the man politely
smiled and nodded heads.
Perceived
problems of etiquette have come up before with the first lady. In 2009
during her first meeting with Queen Elizabeth in Britain, she drew headlines
when she hugged the monarch. British tabloids picked up on the embrace,
and some noted that etiquette wasn't followed, because people aren't
supposed to touch the queen. However, other outlets quickly noted that
the queen returned the hug.
President Obama has had his fair share of criticism as well.
Critics took issue when he bowed in front of Saudi King Abdullah at a
G20 meeting in 2009, and again for bowing to the Japanese Emperor
Akihito. Although, aides at the time told CNN on condition of anonymity
that, "It wasn't a bow. He grasped his hand with two hands, and he's
taller than King Abdullah."
Former
Vice President Dick Cheney was one of Obama's most vocal critics and
said an American leader should never bow to anyone. However, a State
Department spokesperson at the time told CNN that, "It's a natural
response of the President the first time he meets the Japanese head of
state, to show a sign of respect."
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