Does anyone know...is it common for men to hold hands in the Middle East?

[MissMarple]

Is this a diplomatic thing or a friend thing? I was just wondering since the Saudi prince and George seem to be such close, personal friends.

[The Magistrate]

1. It Is Common, Routine, And A-Sexual, Ma'am

Spending some time in Morocco during my adventurous youth, it soon became common nature to me to do so with regular acquaintances: it would have been stunning impolite not to do so.

[MissMarple]

6. Thank you. That certainly puts things in perspective.

However, from the pictures I've seen here today, George doesn't look quite comfortable with the custom.

[The Magistrate]

10. It Took Me A While, Ma'am

And also a little time to get out of the habit acquired there after returning here....

[Bluebear]

20. George clearly grabbed the Prince's hand though

He made the first move!

[Wizard777]

33. Let me take you by the hand and lead you to the promised land.

It could be Bush's Christ complex resurfacing. But then again it could be just be another Republican leading someone down the garden path. I think that would be Bush's antichrist complex resurfacing. Prince Abdullah don't eat the apples!

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Democrats_win]

3. Good question. In America, men don't touch. Except to shake hands.

That's what I learned in Lutheran schools.

And according to the New York Times, "If two men are walking down the street together, one better be carrying a ball."

Did anyone see a ball?

[peacetalksforall]

13. Did you ever see two buddies hugging in greeting? Did you ever see

two buddies hugging in greeting when they've had some drinks? Did you ever see butt slaps in a locker room? How about high fives? What about slugs one guy gives another when the first one says something a little outrageous. How about the arm around a shoulder when their team wins?

The Lutheran schools are wrong.

[BringEmOn]

16. I doubt that there's a ball between 'em.

[jedr]

4. yes.....;

also common for women and men to walk with their arm around the shoulder of a close friend...have seen this in Asia also.

[NewJeffCT]

7. it's very common for women to hold hands in China...

friends, sisters, mothers & daughters... it's pretty common.

[Taverner]

5. Yes...and they do so in other countries as well

Thailand, for example.

[LittleClarkie]

15. I think I've heard of it in Vietnam as well

in a story about a vet going back to Vietnam and meeting a former adversary. But my memory could be faulty.

[BikeWriter]

25. Very much so. Women friends in VietNam are very demonstrative...

You'll see them walking down the road hand in hand. Men in Saudi often do the same thing.

[JDPriestly]

8. It seems to me that

when you are in a foreign country, you conform to the ways of that country to the extent that you can without doing something repugnant to you. (I would try to eat with chopsticks in an Asian country, but I would not knowingly eat dog meat, for example.) So why is it that when Crown Prince Abdullah visits Bush in the U.S., Bush conforms to the ways of Saudi Arabia, and Abdullah does not conform to the ways in the U.S. Seems to me Bush is being obsequious. Abdullah is showing him whose boss. This is not good for America.

[Blue Belle]

22. That's Prince Alpha to you... Mr. President.

Bush=Beta

[rocktivity]

26. DING DING DING! JDPriestly, you're our grand prize winner!

...when Crown Prince Abdullah visits Bush in the U.S., Bush conforms to the ways of Saudi Arabia, and Abdullah does not conform to the ways in the U.S...Abdullah is showing him (who's) boss.
THAT'S what I find so annoying about this--not the handholding itself, but that it makes Bush look like a dog on a leash! And don't think the fellow Saudi people don't interpet it that way!

:headbang:
rocknation

[Benhurst]

9. Yes, especially for members of the same crime family. NT

[peacetalksforall]

11. Absolutely common. We should not make a big deal of this, but use it

to learn it and more about the cultures.

Holding hands - OK.
Sitting so that the soles of your shoes are exposed to your guest or an audience - NOT OK.

They learn some of the same things about us - in reverse.

[libertypirate]

12. Well interesting...

Have you ever thought it was weird that right only fought against gay relationships? They obviously don't have a problem with gay people they hire them by the truckload.

Anyway my brother returned from Afghanistan and said that the culture was particularly difficult to deal with.

Woman are for having children, groups of men use young boys as relief, and men play with each other.

It was the men that our soldiers have issues dealing with. My brother said he had to be back down a couple of times when he saw a man beating on a female and another on a child.

[theboss]

14. More common in Saudi Arabia then elsewhere in the Middle East

Saudi Arabia segregates men and women so thoroughly in their youth that the men have developed a lot of odd (to the West at least) customs.

But I don't think the same thing in true in countries such as Lebanon.

[MissMarple]

19. Perhaps that helps explain libertypirate's brother's experience.

Afghanistan's culture must have been so twisted by the Taliban. The things he describes are so sad.

[spanone]

17. It's courtesy that Bush* learned from Gannon/Guckert

[applegrove]

18. I many places in the world it is normal for men to hold hands, even

if they don't happen to be gay lovers.

[chookie]

21. Too bad

To find out that hand-holding between men in the Middle East was verboten would have been priceless.

[MissMarple]

23. Well, we know that for a man and a woman to hold hands in public is bad.

I wonder if that includes husband and wife? Anyhow, this repression of normal human affections certainly seems to lead to some weird behaviors.

[City Lights]

24. If this is common, where are the pictures of former presidents kissing

and holding hands with Saudi royals?

I googled images and couldn't find any of Clinton or big bush kissing or holding hands with Saudi royals.

[leftofthedial]

27. I don't know, but

it appears to be common practice in Crawford, TX.

[The Stranger]

28. Spongebob Squarepants holds hands with his friend!

Where is Focus on the Family and James Dobson?!

[onager]

29. Very common. As posted elsewhere...

...I lived in Saudi Arabia for about 2 years. And I spent January of this year in Egypt. Men holding hands, kissing each other on the cheek...er, the face...in greeting, etc., is very common.

Think of the Buy-bull story about Judas betraying Jesus with a kiss. That sounds really horrible to us Westerners, because we think of a kiss as an intimate act. But in the Middle East, that would be the same as saying that Judas identified Jesus by walking up and shaking hands with him. It's no big deal.

As for male-female couples holding hands in public: absolutely not. Never. Technically, you could get arrested for having a woman in the front seat of the car beside you. Even if she was your wife.

While I was there, right after Operation Desert Storm some Saudi women (including one princess) held a protest and drove themselves to a mosque on Friday. They were all arrested immediately. Outraged newspaper editorials and TV reports blamed the demonstration on "the influx of foreigners into the Kingdom during Desert Storm," etc. They also repeated the Saudi govt. line that there would be NO political demonstrations in KOSA (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia).

Us Westerners joked that the women only got caught because they did something no male driver would ever do--stopped to ask for directions.

[noiretextatique]

30. it's also common in italy...people actually touch each other

:wow: in public :scared: funny that...i would walk arm in arm with my female friends there, but once we got back here :scared:

[brettdale]

31. i think its common

But if your a woman out in public expect a good old fashion stoning and your family has to pay the government for use of the stones used in you stoning.

[onager]

32. I have to admit...

I know the cultural stuff, and I'm STILL looking at that picture with this song running thru my head...

Seems like the other day, my baby went away,
He went away across the sea.
It's been two years or so, since I saw my baby go,
And then this letter came to me.

It said that we were through, he found somebody new,
Oh, lemme think, lemme think, oh, what canl I do?

Oh no!
Oh no!
Oh no no no no no!
Remember, walking in the sand.
Remember, walking hand in hand.
Remember, the night was so exciting.
Remember, his smile was so inviting,
Remember, and then he touched my cheek,
Remember, with his fingertips.
Remember, softly, softly we met with a kiss.

Whatever happened to, that boy that I once knew.
That boy that said he'd be true.
Whatever happened to, that night I gave to you.
What will I do with it now?

Oh no!
Oh no!
Oh no no no no no!
Remember, walking in the sand.
Remember, walking hand in hand.
Remember, the night was so exciting.
Remember, his smile was so inviting,
Remember, and then he touched my cheek,
Remember, with his fingertips.
Remember, softly, softly we met with a kiss.