Sen. Ted Cruz, a frequent and vocal critic of the White House, had high praise Wednesday for at least one occupant — tweeting out his "kudos" to the first lady for going unveiled in Saudi Arabia.
The Texas Republican hailed Michelle Obama for "standing up for women" by not wearing a "Sharia-mandated head scarf."
He also
linked to an Associated Press story on how President Barack Obama’s trip highlighted the different restrictions local women face in Saudi Arabia compared with Western women.
The president and first lady were with a delegation Tuesday paying condolences after King Abdullah’s death when Michelle Obama — as well as other women in the delegation — were photographed without the customary head gear covering the head and face, called a niqab,
The Hill notes.
The Washington Post reports the gesture was not so welcomed by others in the Muslim world; more than 1,500 tweets using the hashtag #ميشيل_أوباما_سفور , which reportedly translates to #Michelle_Obama_unveiled, criticized the first lady.
One user pointed out that on a recent trip to Indonesia, Michelle had worn a headscarf.
Why not in Saudi Arabia?
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