OBAMA missed a big opportunity in the Middle East.
No, not that Obama. The other one.
The president’s trip was boldly cast as “a new beginning” for relations with the Muslim world. So if Obama was serious about representing the true America to the Middle East — a region notorious for its ill-treatment of women — why did he leave his better (female) half behind?
It’s too bad he did — because a little Michelle would have gone a long way. The coverage of her vacationing in Paris over the weekend was yet another reminder of her immense star power. And whatever you think of her politics, Mrs. O is obviously smart, accomplished and confident — a great example of what women can achieve in societies that welcome their contributions.
It would be hard to describe the countries on Obama’s tour thus. Discussing the visit last week, Islamic reformer Ayaan Hirsi Ali noted: “In public, in Egypt, as a woman, you run 80 percent of the time the risk of being assaulted simply because you are a woman walking down the street.”
And in Saudi Arabia, women can’t drive cars, appear in public unless covered by the hijab and abaya, and conduct business or even move about without the say-so of a male guardian.
Mrs. Obama could have done a lot of good by supporting women working to secure some of these basic rights. First ladies carry a powerful cachet — something her predecessors understood. Hillary Clinton traveled widely to promote women’s rights — including in Muslim countries — and launched a global women’s democracy initiative.
And Laura Bush was a huge champion of women in the Muslim world — whether devoting herself to helping Afghan women recover from the Taliban or urging women to run for office in Kuwait. Bush also fought against breast cancer in a region where the taboo surrounding women’s bodies means women don’t get screened for the disease — and thus die at needlessly high rates.
On a trip meant to highlight the issue, I was fortunate to see the effects of a first lady’s diplomacy first-hand. During a meeting with survivors in Saudi Arabia, Bush listened to women speak of their efforts to get the Saudi government to focus on women’s health. A young computer-science student shared her plans to start an online support network for fellow survivors. Beneath her abaya, another woman said proudly: “Saudi women are like women everywhere — really strong.” Perhaps most touching, the women brought their little girls along to listen and to learn.
At meeting’s end, the survivors presented Mrs. Bush with a hijab of her own — decorated with the pink ribbon of breast-cancer awareness. They thanked her for her support, and thanked Americans for caring about people outside our country.
Now that’s showing the real America to the Muslim world.
Plenty of amazing women in the Middle East might appreciate a similar boost from Mrs. Obama. For example, an Iranian-born former assistant secretary of state, Goli Ameri, notes that in Iran and the Persian Gulf, more women are now university graduates than men. Mrs. Obama is a well-educated lawyer who wants to support working women. She could have given major props to women trying to use their degrees in societies hostile to their advancement in the workplace.
Of course, not everyone agrees — and strangely, those giving Michelle a pass are the ones who claim to lead the cause of women’s liberation. Feminist writer Naomi Wolf says bringing Michelle along would have been “insensitive,” adding: “What [Obama] did so well in that speech is to say that there’s this Western imperialism politically, but a Western imperialism of ideas as well. It’s so good that he didn’t try to show them how to liberate women.”
The president of the National Organization for Women, Kim Gandy, says: “President Obama’s trip to the Middle East was an impromptu trip, and though very important to our diplomacy, Mrs. Obama does have small children at home she needs to look after.” (Mark it in the logbook: NOW endorses stay-at-home mothering!)
The White House had no official comment on Mrs. Obama’s reasons for staying behind. Yet while no one would begrudge her taking care of her daughters, she has traveled abroad during the school year and will undoubtedly do so again.
It’s just unfortunate that on the trip where her presence probably could have done the most good, Mrs. O was MIA.
Meghan Clyne was a speech writer for first lady Laura Bush and President George W. Bush.