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.
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.
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.
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.
Handshake or not, Does it really matter ?
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