How Saudi fascination with ‘Ivanka bin Trump’ underlines changes in ultra-conservative kingdom
Saudis watched on state television on Saturday as Ivanka Trump strode at her husband’s side down a red carpet to meet the royal court
The top trending Twitter hashtag in Saudi Arabia on Saturday wasn’t visiting President Donald Trump or even first lady Melania Trump. Instead, Saudis were abuzz about #binttrump – Arabic for “Trump’s daughter,” Ivanka.
Saudi Arabia’s fascination with Ivanka Trump highlights how far women have advanced in the kingdom, and how much further they have to go.
A lot of ladies are excited to meet her. She represents smartness and style
She is an Orthodox Jew, having converted when she married New York real estate developer and editor Jared Kushner, but that’s not a sticking point with Arab men and women in this Sunni Muslim country. They see the president’s eldest daughter, more than her other three siblings, as a reflection of and credit to her father.
“Usually in Saudi, when we like somebody, especially in the hierarchy of the royals, we call them Abu [or father of],” said businessman Ahmed Ibrahim. “With President Trump, when we want to mention how great he is, we say ‘Abu Ivanka,’ we don’t say ‘Abu Eric’. She’s amazing. I think she’s going to have a lot of fun over here. A lot of ladies are excited to meet her. She represents smartness and style.”
Tracking Ivanka Trump’s visit in a country with one of the highest per capita rates of social media consumption, he said, has “become a social trend” – from hashtags to Facebook timeline and WhatsApp posts.
Ivanka Trump is viewed as accomplished in so many ways, that “when you mention that in front of Saudi women, they get jealous,” Ibrahim said. “My wife sometimes, when I say Ivanka, she gives me this look.”