Laura Bush Dons Hijab, Will Opprobrium Follow?

Yesterday, while, on tour in the Middle East raising breast cancer awareness (as well as working to "[restore] Washington's image in the region"), FLOTUS Laura Bush put on a traditional hijab given to her by Saudi doctor Samia al-Amudi.

Naturally, you might be wondering if you should brace yourselves for a coming torrent of outrage! After all, when Nancy Pelosi did the exact same thing back in April, the slings and arrows flew hot and heavy!

Mitt Romney, in the New York Post: "Her going to a state which is, without question, a sponsor of terror, and having her picture taken with Assad and being seen in a head scarf and so forth is sending the wrong signal to the people of Syria and to the people of the Middle East." [Note: Pelosi didn't wear the headscarf during her meeting with Assad.]

Investor's Business Daily: "Anyone who thinks Nancy Pelosi showing up wearing a scarf around her head visiting a mosque...won't even make janitor in the foreign service."

Hot Air: "It pains the left too, I'm sure, to see the most powerful woman in America having to yield, however slightly, to a misogynistic culture's expectations..."

Instapundit: "FEMINIST IN AMERICA, subservient in Syria."

Syrian Reform Party: "No one will ever know how many women took the Hijab on after seeing Pelosi wearing it. The damage Speaker Pelosi is causing with her visit to Syria will be felt for many years to come."

Clipmarks: "Pelosi just reversed the work of the Syrian civil society and those who aspire for women's freedom in the Muslim countries many years back with her visual statement. Her lack of experience of the Middle East is showing."

The New Editor: "This picture disgusts me. What message is Nancy Pelosi trying to send?"

But don't worry! Remember: Wearing a hijab is okay when Laura Bush does it. It's okay when Condoleezza Rice does it, too!

RELATED:
Islamofashion [HuffPo]

Comments

[catsrflyfishn]

Did Laura get a phone call from Ricky Santorum asking her to wear this for Islamo-Fascist week?

[mommadona]

"Oh, LOOK! She's being TOLERANT!"

not.

[godlessclif]

Horowitz is a scream. Holding Islamo-Fascist week, a Horowitz event, near Halloween. Horowitz wrote an academic paper on pop culture and why it supports the left.

Horowitz is trying to get the Bill Maher audience
to support suppression of free speech and public demonstrations. Those Bill Maher hecklers were Horowitz plants.

[Progress]

What's Laura going to wear when she visits the Hasadim in Tel Aviv or New York City? Will she put on really long sideburns and not trim her beard? Will they ask her to wear those funny little boxes with prayers that her husband will die in them?

[desertdweller]

The Muslim Hijab, like the head scarve, is all about modesty, and not some symbol of repression. I can guarantee you that the daughters of any Muslim official in the Middle East do not publically comport themselves in the manner that the Bush twins have.

[Bright Creature]

Why don't men wear the Hijab then?

If it's all about modesty I assume men can be modest too.

Don't get me wrong, though. I'm all about respecting other cultures and their traditions. I'm just curious about this one.

[smallgal]

Have you not seen the get up that the men wear in the desert? Lawrence of Arabia and all that? Everything's covered but the eyes, otherwise they'd be burned to a crisp.

[godlessclif]

Modesty is repression.

[shelby35]

Only if it is against their will. Frankly I grow tired of the tasteless display of womens' bodies and actions in America. Like Dave Chappelle said

"You might not be a ho, but you're still wearing a ho's uniform."

[wry]

Bullshit. Daughters of "Muslim officials" probably can't be seen in public without a male escort. Don't give me that modesty crap. Women don't want to walk around in 90 degree heat in a black table cloth.

[NABNYC]

What's the difference between the Muslim Hijab and the Catholic nun's habit? I can't see any difference except that the nun's habit has reinforced headgear, cloth-covered plywood or something, which would qualify them to play in the Sunday NFL game.

Let's see. Both the hijab and the habit consist of long lengths of fabric designed to cover up most of a woman. No difference there.

Both the hijab and the habit were created by men who believe that their fellow men are so crazed that if they see the face or body of a woman, they would immediately engage in group rape. What was that Jodie Foster movie? Like that.

The solution to the complete insanity of their fellow men is therefore to force women to basically stay inside a home, sometimes stay just inside one room in the home, be removed from society and legally prohibited from working, earning a living, getting and using an education, having any independence. So basically, women have to be slaves in cages because men are so insane that if they see a woman, they have an uncontrollable impulse to rape her. I think that's the logic?

And, of course, there is the footnote that if any woman does have sex other than with her husband, even if she is raped, she is a whore and must be put to death.

So do I have any objections to the Hijab? No more so than to the habit. Same difference.

[Killer]

Up until Vatican II, Catholic women were required to wear something on their heads to Mass, and head scarves were in abundance.

Will neo-conservatives attack Laura? Definitely, with veiled threats of course.

[savertime]

NABNYC, There is a big difference between the
Hijab and the Habit. In most muslim countries, all women are required by law to wear the head covering. In the Catholic church, women choose to become nuns and thus, to wear the habit.

Do you really believe all Catholic women wear Habits?????

[RedWhiteandBrooklyn]

... and what do you think that the right wingnuts would have said if Pelosi went to the Vatican & put on a nun's habit? The issue here is the usual repug double standard: it's OK when we do it, but it's bad when "they" do it.

[forpeace]

*

"RedWhiteandBrooklyn
... and what do you think that the right wingnuts would have said if Pelosi went to the Vatican & put on a nun's habit?..........."
==========================

Good point!

*

[nyawker]

Except for the fact that you don't have to be a Catholic nun if you're an American woman. Or do you live in a place where all the women are Catholic nuns. Tell me where that place is, so I can avoid it. I've still got ruler scars on my knuckles that are forty years old.

[godlessclif]

"What's the difference between the Muslim Hijab and the Catholic nun's habit? I can't see any difference except that the nun's habit has reinforced headgear, cloth-covered plywood or something, which would qualify them to play in the Sunday NFL game"

No difference.
Read Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaiden's tale"
or see the movie.

The hood is to stop women from looking around.
Curiosity is evil for property.
Nuns are the property of Jesus.

[OneWoman]

His harem?

[SolarPowerGuy]

The following comment has appeared dozens of times on Huffington Post, but it bears repeating here:

"It's OK, as long as you are a Republican."

[TXfemmom]

Well, Princess Diana went to the Middle East, and she never donned a hijab.

Requiring our first lady to do that is an offense to our way of life.

[forpeace]

*

"TXfemmom
............Requiring our first lady to do that is an offense to our way of life. "
=======================

What first lady??!!

*

[Bright Creature]

I suspect that they pointed out Nancy Pelosi's hajib because the msm just love pointing out how hypocritical we liberals are. So haircuts, sighs, and cackles made by dems get reported to the last detail while destroying countries, wrecking constitutions, and corruption all get the nod and the wink when Republican movement conservatives do them.

[mommadona]

I actually agree with you on this one.

If Mideastern women don't understand what this symbol means to Western women, then, THAT is a communication problem of huge portent.

I can't imagine constantly fiddling with a piece of cloth in the name of a religion.

[forpeace]

*

"mommadona
If Mideastern women don't understand what this symbol means to Western women, then, THAT is a communication problem of huge portent.
I can't imagine constantly fiddling with a piece of cloth in the name of a religion."
============================

That is our biggest problem in WEST.

We simply do NOT Understand anything about Middle East, culture, tradition, religion, values and etc.....

.............and we always try to judge them based on our values.

*

[TucsonEd]

"If Mideastern women don't understand what this symbol means to Western women, then, THAT is a communication problem of huge portent."

I AM totally offended when I run into women at the mall wearing it... UGH. It's all I can do not to snatch it off of them.

[nefertiti]

txfemmon

watch this

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/graphics/2004/08/31/diana/diana14.jpg

[Hooray]

"Requiring our first lady to do that is an offense to our way of life."

TXfemmom, if that's how you feel, then both you and that drugged out Laura need to stay in Texas. LOL

[hannitizer]

Laura Bush reminds me of the crazy lady that lived next door when I was a teenager. Smiling by day, guzzling spirits by night. She presents herself as a woman of taste and tolerance. She pretends she is aware of the current problems which face our country. She acts as if she is spear-heading groups to confront some of our most pressing problems. But in reality, she's none of those things. She is a sheep in shepherd's clothing. She couldn't lead anyone anywhere without a coherent plan devised by someone else. She is a "phony".

Laura, put down the bottle. You are not qualified to represent any of the millions of women who provide not only monetary but emotional and organizational support for their families. You are a fake and a deceiver. You deserve niether our support nor our attention. Crawl back to West Texas with your gin-craving cronies and ruin someone else's day. America can't stand you. America wants true compassion and understanding. Stepford is calling.

You disgust me!

[rusino]

hannitizer:

I just talked to Laura Bush. I asked her what she thought of you. She said she thought you were a sensible, kind, and intelligent person.

She was sooooo wrong!

[hannitizer]

I am so glad someone took the time to let me know about my unkind and insensitive nature. And thanks for pointing out with such precision my lack of intelligence. Only the thing is I'm not representing the U.S. like she is and therefore, I can say whatever I want...I'm only speaking for myself. BTW rusino, what are your qualifications for determining if my opinions are unintelligent, unkind and insensitive. I think carrying the water for the most corrupt administration in the history of the U.S. is pretty unkind and insensitive. Not to mention idiotic.

[Giglawyer]

Who the hell are you to call someone crazy, phony, or worse yet, accuse them of being an alcoholic. I don't care if you hate the President, hate his policies, and hate where the country is going. This woman is kind, decent, well-spoken, and has done nothing worthy of scorn.

You want some "true compassion?" Try giving some.

[hannitizer]

Hey Giglawyer, do some research on Laura Bush. If you still think,"This woman is kind, decent, well-spoken, and has done nothing worthy of scorn.", after you've learned about the true Laura, I'll be glad to confront your rant.

[Hooray]

"This woman is kind, decent, well-spoken, and has done nothing worthy of scorn."

Giglawyer, you're right, she "has done nothing." Laura crawls out of her hole maybe once every 2 or 3 months or so, then crawls back in.

This woman has a platform to have done some good for this country, and what has she done? NOTHING.

[Scurvybro]

Can't wait to hear the reaction from Glenn “prove to me that you are not working with our enemies” Beck.

[mommadona]

Maybe she'll appear on Glen's little show and EXPLAIN it to him in very short sentences with no more than three-syllable words.

[VivaZapata]

Dear Laura,
You know Chaney's a seriously deranged person who controls your drunk. Save your country. Divorce him and tell people the truth about where he's at. How can you stand all this misery and stay mute? Have you no heart?
Sincerely,
Viva Zapata

[starrianna]

She lost her heart when she killed her boyfriend 40 years ago.

[godlessclif]

That is why Saudi Arabia has laws against women driving. A lot of sheiks would end up with tire tread marks on their butts.

[THISTLE]

Well at least they didn't put her behind the
wheel of a car!

[midnight04]

Nancy Pelosi is a seen as a political figure. The First Lady is not thought of as a political figure but a cultural one. I think she'll get a pass and I think she deserves one. By the way, I think the hijab is a flattering garment. I live in a neighborhood that is getting a lot of Middle Eastern immigrants and they are really graceful in their hijabs and abayas sitting in Dunkin Donuts and feeding treats to well-behaved kids. I'm not anti-Muslim. I'm Jewish and they're welcome in my world.

[hannitizer]

She doesn't deserve a pass 04, she got one great big one back her early days of drinking, driving, and killing a former boyfriend and his new gal after being spurned by him. She deserves nothing but our contempt. She is a liar and a fake. Bite me 04!

[Giglawyer]

She was not drinking and driving. Unlike Uncle Ted and the great Chappaquiddick cover-up, Laura Bush had a tragic accident that was just that - an accident.

[ronspri]

See, told you they would find a way to rationalize it in their own mind. Even those that say it is wrong for all won't be pushing this like they did Pelosi. Just a quick sentence or two to pretend to be "fair".

[rusino]

midnight04

Please see my reply to hannitizer above.

I also asked Laura Bush about you. She said all the same things about you that she said about, hannitizer.

This time she was right!

[hannitizer]

rusino, you wouldn't know right from wrong if it bit you on the ass.

[UltraClassic]

No, it's not ok when anybody does it, if they don't want to. It's pandering to islamofascism. plain and simple, Laura, Nancy or whoever.

[scrzbill]

Contact as maying right wing blogs and tell them how sick you are to see Laura Bush supporting the Islamo-Fascist.

[katlade]

She is the most useless First Lady we have had in years. Guess what Laura, it is the 21st century and women are equal counterparts to their spouses. OOps, guess that is not saying much in your case.

[OckhamsElectricRazor]

Well it is certainly an improvement over the white hoods her husband wears!

[claytongrayum]

:)

[ronspri]

Now calm down, I am sure the radical right has a perfectly good excuse for hypocrisy. They always do don't they? We know that no matter what they do they do it in the noblest sense and when the left does something it is ALWAYS destructive and evil. Have you not learned your lesson after all these years. Darn you liberals are stubborn. SUBMIT!