First lady Michelle Obama shakes hands with Saudi king. So?

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        In America it may seem normal for people to shake hands, but in other countries its a whole  different story.  On January 27, President Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, went to Saudi Arabia to greet the new king of Saudi Arabia, King Salman bin Abdulaziz. Saudi Arabia is a country that follows the Islamic law, and this law usually forbids men from touching women who are not in their family. But sometimes this rule can change when it has to do with the king. On Tuesday,when the  President and the First Lady arrived, Mrs. Obama had both of her hands holding on to a purse in front of her. She did this so that when she was being introduced to the new king and all of the other men she would wait for them to try and shake her hand before she shook theirs. But if they did not shake her hand than she would just smile at them. The article also states how Mrs. Obama hugged the Queen of England even though she is not supposed to be touched and how Mr. Obama bowed to the Japanese Emperor.           
       In later classes we will talk about the duties of the President. One of his duties is being the head of state. As the head of state his job is to be a symbol for the U.S., this includes him welcoming foreign leaders, attend festivities of national importance, tosses the first pitch of the baseball season, and presents medals and awards for national service.         
        I think Mrs. Obama did the right thing by waiting for the men to initiate the hand shake. I think it would be rude if she just held out her hand because if they did not shake it, it might make them look bad. But if they did shake her hand than it would be breaking the Islamic law they follow. If my religion would not allow me to do something than I would not want others to put me in a place were I have to chose between my religion or how people are going to view me.