Barack Obama was accompanied by his wife, Michelle whose attire to the Muslim country caused a frenzy on social media.
As noted by the Associated Press, Michelle Obama did not wear a headscarf or veil to the country. In Saudi Arabia, that’s unusual: The country is one of the few on Earth where women are expected to cover their heads, and most Saudi women wear hijabs.
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.
However, exceptions are made for foreigners, and Mrs. Obama who did wear loose clothing that fully covered her arms – appears to have been one of them.
More than 1,500 tweets using the hashtag #ميشيل_أوباما_سفور (roughly, #Michelle_Obama_unveiled) were sent Tuesday, many of which criticized the first lady. Some users pointed out that on a recent trip to Indonesia, Michelle had worn a headscarf. Why not in Saudi Arabia? they asked.
The response wasn’t entirely negative, Ahram Online notes that some Twitter users said Michelle shouldn’t be criticized too much, it being a short, impromptu trip and all.
See the photos below:
The Obamas being welcomed by royal officials at the airport
The Obamas meet more officials
The Obamas meet more royal officials at the palace
President Obama meets the new King Salman bin Abdulaziz
Recall that authorities in Saudi Arabia last week publicly beheaded a woman in Islam’s holy city of Mecca.
No comments:
Post a Comment