Guess Why the Saudis Are Mad at Michelle Obama
Some societies have the odd custom of covering their hair. Muhammad’s wife wore a hat maybe? Regardless, a lot of nations have adopted practices that we find curious, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise when one of our own decides not to play along, like Michelle Obama.
![President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama stand in a receiving line in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia yesterday. (AP Photo/SPA)](https://i0.wp.com/madmikesamerica.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/saudis.jpeg?resize=512%2C356&ssl=1)
(Newser) The Obamas cut short their India visit to visit Saudi Arabia after the death of King Abdullah, and while Michelle didn’t do anything truly outrageous like leave her arms uncovered or drive a car, some Saudis were annoyed by her failure to wear a headscarf. More than 1,500 Twitter users criticized the first lady under a hashtag that translates to “immodest” or “unveiled,” reports Politico.
It notes that unlike Saudi women, foreign women visiting the kingdom aren’t required to cover their hair, and Laura Bush didn’t wear a veil or headscarf when she met Abdullah during a 2006 visit to Saudi Arabia. Administration officials say that during the president’s meeting with King Salman, he raised the subject of human rights but didn’t address specific cases like the blogger sentenced to 1,000 lashes, the AP reports.