More Catholic Than The Pope
The fidgety man on the left we know well, so let's not talk about him. The woman on the right of the picture is where the story is. That is Asma al-Assad, Bashar's wife. She holds dual British-Syrian citizenship, and was born and raised in London. That's where she met Bashar, when he was training there to be an opthamologist. Here's the New York Times Magazine's gossip on her:
"The daughter of a Syrian cardiologist, Asma al-Akhras grew up in London and graduated from the University of London. She did stints as a banker in New York, first with Deutsche Bank and then with J.P. Morgan, where she worked in mergers and acquisitions. She loved New York, and while she lived in a corporate apartment uptown, she wants it to be understood that she preferred to hang out downtown. She also worked in Paris, and she speaks French and Spanish. She has relatives in Houston.
I want to leapfrog here on my earlier comments about Nancy Pelosi, and a note Michael Totten left in the comments.. Do you notice anything interesting about Ms. Assad? She's not exactly your typical stay-at-home wife. More to the point, she's not veiled. Nancy Pelosi presented herself as a more observant Muslim woman than her hosts.
I think the relevant point here is not about cultural sensitivity, but about understanding how foreign societies really work. If Pelosi had gone to Iran (God forbid) and veiled herself, I wouldn't have a problem. As a foreign diplomat, one needs to find common ground with different cultures, and adapting to respect their beliefs is a part of that. But the fact that Pelosi put on a veil in the wrong situation speaks volumes. It is just one more piece of evidence that she didn't know what she was doing.
(image: Taryn Simon for The New York Times. July 10, 2005. NYT Magazine.)
Comments (5)
Call Pelosi a cultural idiot. Sort of like Richard Gere in India. Both so desperate to be sensitive, yet without a clue.
Posted by JoseyWales | May 23, 2007 11:50 AM
Posted on May 23, 2007 11:50
Dude, Pelosi is an idiot, but that pic is from the Ommayad mosque. And yes, foreign women tend to take the veil there. Tis better to learn a bit more of the facts, before explaining the world according to the neocon road map. Kay?
Posted by david | May 23, 2007 1:26 PM
Posted on May 23, 2007 13:26
All reports I read mentioned that she wore a veil as she toured the old city, and the souq. In my experience, there are many veiled women there -- but a non-veiled foreigner is hardly scandalous. As for following the neocon roadmap, I plead not guilty; if all she did was wear a veil in the Ummayad Mosque, I've got no problem with that.
Posted by David Kenner | May 23, 2007 2:44 PM
Posted on May 23, 2007 14:44
Would you write the same if say, imagine, a US president wore a kimono in Japan. Seriously, this LGF style is a discredit to the Hill Top. Spend your time in Lebanon and Syria listening, not forcing the realities into your preconceived notions. It will repay a thousand fold, both professionally and personally. Taking sides while you are just beginning to understand that region is really not smart. Even if Syria and HA are the devil incarnate, time is better spent understanding and appreciating them. At the very least, you will have some shred of credibility when you go on the offensive, something the MJT's of the world will never ever have. Enjoy it.
Posted by david | May 23, 2007 3:15 PM
Posted on May 23, 2007 15:15
Don't be ridiculous, david. Look at the picture of Nancy Pelosi in the post below this one. Another woman, presumabl an Arab, is also pictured there, and she is not wearing a hijab.
I have never seen a non-Muslim foreigner wearing a hijab anywhere in the years I've spent in the Middle East.
You say I have no credibility, but you don't seem to have the first clue how actual women dress in the Middle East. That, or you're being willfully dense and missing the point on purpose.
My very liberal wife has been to the Middle East and North Africa many times and was aghast and embarrassed when she heard Pelosi wore a hijab in Damascus. It doesn't take a neoconservative to know that Pelosi did what she did because she didn't know better.
Posted by Michael J. Totten | May 24, 2007 6:02 AM
Posted on May 24, 2007 06:02