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  • Michelle Obama Forgoes A Headscarf and Sparks A Backlash in Saudi Arabia - The Washington Post

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    Michelle Obama did not wear a headscarf during a visit to Saudi Arabia with her husband Barack Obama, sparking criticism on social media under the hashtag #Michelle_Obama_immodesty. While exceptions are made for foreign women, her decision not to cover her head was unusual given the strict rules for women in Saudi Arabia requiring head coverings. Over 1,500 tweets criticized her choice, pointing out she had worn a headscarf recently in Indonesia, questioning why not in Saudi Arabia. The response online was mixed, with some defending her for it being a short, impromptu trip. The incident comes amid wider international criticism of Saudi Arabia's human rights record.

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    Michelle Obama Forgoes a Headscarf and Sparks a Backlash in Saudi Arabia

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    Michelle Obama Forgoes a Headscarf and Sparks a Backlash in Saudi Arabia - The Washington Post

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    Michelle Obama did not wear a headscarf during a visit to Saudi Arabia with her husband Barack Obama, sparking criticism on social media under the hashtag #Michelle_Obama_immodesty. While exceptions are made for foreign women, her decision not to cover her head was unusual given the strict rules for women in Saudi Arabia requiring head coverings. Over 1,500 tweets criticized her choice, pointing out she had worn a headscarf recently in Indonesia, questioning why not in Saudi Arabia. The response online was mixed, with some defending her for it being a short, impromptu trip. The incident comes amid wider international criticism of Saudi Arabia's human rights record.

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    14 views3 pages

    Michelle Obama Forgoes A Headscarf and Sparks A Backlash in Saudi Arabia - The Washington Post

    Uploaded by

    Raj Sukkumar
    Michelle Obama did not wear a headscarf during a visit to Saudi Arabia with her husband Barack Obama, sparking criticism on social media under the hashtag #Michelle_Obama_immodesty. While exceptions are made for foreign women, her decision not to cover her head was unusual given the strict rules for women in Saudi Arabia requiring head coverings. Over 1,500 tweets criticized her choice, pointing out she had worn a headscarf recently in Indonesia, questioning why not in Saudi Arabia. The response online was mixed, with some defending her for it being a short, impromptu trip. The incident comes amid wider international criticism of Saudi Arabia's human rights record.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    Flag for inappropriate content
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    of 3

    WorldViews

    Michelle Obama forgoes a


    headscarf and sparks a
    backlash in Saudi Arabia
    By Adam Taylor January 27 at 4:29 PM

    BarackObamawasinRiyadhonTuesdaytopayhisrespectstothelateSaudi
    KingAbdullah.Hisvisit,forwhichhecutshortamuchhypedtriptoIndia,underscores
    howimportanttheU.S.SaudirelationshipremainstotheAmericanleadership.Onsocial
    media,however,muchoftheattentionhasfocusedonsomethingelse:Hiswife'sattire.
    AsnotedbytheAssociatedPress,MichelleObamadidnotwearaheadscarforveil
    Tuesday.InSaudiArabia,that'sunusual:ThecountryisoneofthefewonEarth
    wherewomenareexpectedtocovertheirheads,andmostSaudiwomenwearniqabs.
    Exceptionsaremadeforforeigners,however,andMichellewhodidwearlooseclothing
    thatfullycoveredherarmsappearstohavebeenoneofthem.Inphotographsfromthe
    officialevents,otherforeignfemaleguestsarealsoshownnotwearingheadscarves.
    Morethan1,500tweetsusingthehashtag#__(roughly,
    #Michelle_Obama_immodesty)weresentTuesday,manyofwhichcriticizedthefirst
    lady.SomeuserspointedoutthatonarecenttriptoIndonesia,Michellehadworn
    aheadscarf.WhynotinSaudiArabia?


    @Riyadh_K_S_A

    Follow


    __ #


    @mshanarm @s_a_aldweesh
    11:26 AM 27 Jan 2015
    51 RETWEETS 9 FAVORITES

    Theresponsewasn'tentirelynegativeAhramOnlinenotesthatsomeTwitteruserssaid
    Michelleshouldn'tbecriticizedtoomuch,itbeingashort,impromptutripandall.Saudi
    statetelevisiondidshowimagesofMichelleandheruncoveredhead,despitesomeclaims
    thattheyhaddigitallyobscuredher(awidelycirculatedvideowiththefirstladyentirely
    blurredseemstohavebeenanamateurproduction).
    Still,theObamas'triptoSaudiArabiacomesatatimeofremarkable
    internationalcriticismofSaudiArabia'shumanrightsrecord,promptedlargelybythe
    floggingofbloggerRaifBadawiforinsultingIslam.Thetripwasapparentlydesignedtobe
    apoliticalObamahassaidhewas"unlikely"todiscussBadawi'scasewiththenewSaudi
    king.
    ButinSaudiArabia,thesimpleactofnotcoveringyourheadcanbepolitical,
    intentionallyornot.

    Adam Taylor writes about foreign affairs for The Washington Post. Originally from London,
    he studied at the University of Manchester and Columbia University.

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