"Laura Bush will not be wearing hijab"

[Al-khiyal]

October 15, 2007 -- Laura Bush departs Saturday on a six-day tour of the Middle East, with stops planned in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Jordan. The White House says the first lady plans to meet with government officials and leaders of medical and women's groups during her overseas trip.

Given that the first lady wore a headscarf when she visited a Jewish holy site in Jerusalem and a mantilla when she met with Pope Benedict XVI, we asked if Bush will be wearing some sort of abaya while she's in Saudi Arabia. "No," Sally McDonough, the first lady's spokeswoman, tells USA TODAY's David Jackson, adding: "they do not expect nor encourage it" of Western visitors.

Condoleezza Rice and Madeleine Albright didn't wear head coverings when they visited Riyadh on official business, according to the photographs in our archive.

Update at 12:45 p.m. ET: McDonough says they have a nuanced policy when it comes to women who are visiting Saudi Arabia as part of the first lady's delegation.

"According to our team, during any activities on your own time - going to the mall, going out of the hotel for dinner, etc - women need to follow Saudi law and wear an Abaya. During official meetings, it is not necessary," she writes in an e-mail to USA TODAY. "As per guidance from Embassy on the ground, as members of the official traveling party, we will not need to wear any head scarves or abayas at any point."

Here's what the State Department tells American women who plan to visit Saudi Arabia:

The Saudi Embassy in Washington advises women traveling to Saudi Arabia to dress in a conservative fashion, wearing ankle-length dresses with long sleeves, and not to wear trousers in public. In many areas of Saudi Arabia, particularly Riyadh and the central part of the Kingdom, Mutawwa pressure women to wear a full-length black covering known as an Abaya, and to cover their heads. Most women in these areas therefore wear an Abaya and carry a headscarf to avoid being accosted. Women who appear to be of Arab or Asian origin, especially those presumed to be Muslims, face a greater risk of being confronted.

Some Mutawwa try to enforce the rule that men and women who are beyond childhood years may not mingle in public, unless they are family or close relatives. Mutawwa may ask to see proof that a couple is married or related. Women who are arrested for socializing with a man who is not a relative may be charged with prostitution. Some restaurants, particularly fast-food outlets, have refused to serve women who are not accompanied by a close male relative. In addition, many restaurants no longer have a "family section" in which women are permitted to eat. These restrictions are not always posted, and in some cases women violating this policy have been arrested. This is more common in Riyadh and the more conservative central Nejd region.

In public, dancing, playing music and showing movies are forbidden.

"Laura Bush will not be wearing hijab"

[Al-khiyal]

Mrs. Laura Bush talks with Dr. Samia Al-Amoudi, a breast cancer survivor,
during a “Breaking the Silence” Coffee Wednesday, October 24, 2007, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Mrs. Bush met with breast cancer survivors and members of their families to discuss awareness issues.
Pictured at left is Dr. Samia’s daughter, Esraa Al-Harbi,
10-year-old author of a children's book entitled, “My Mother and Breast Cancer.”
The child at center is unidentified.
White House photo by Shealah Craighead

[Al-khiyal]

"Your little hand, how it trembles and perspires so in my domineering grip, Bush!"

[Bent_Bladi]

uh... but she did - at least in those photos

[nesreen]

"Your little hand, how it trembles and perspires so in my domineering grip, Bush!"

Al Khiyal I love the Title of the LINK but should the title say ":Your little hand , how it trembles and perspires in my domineering grip , your majesty ?? oh i see , you were being sarcastic , right