White House adviser Ivanka Trump donned a hijab — a traditional head covering to show modesty — during a visit to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Saturday.
In the past, both Ivanka Trump and First Lady Melania Trump had declined to cover their heads while visiting Muslim countries — as in President Donald Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia in May 2017.
And for much of her visit this weekend to the United Arab Emirates, where she was the keynote speaker at the Global Women’s Forum, Ivanka Trump did not cover her head.
But in a visit to a mosque, a holy site, diplomatic protocol typically requires adherence to custom and decorum — as is the case for the holy sites of other faiths, such as the Western Wall in Jerusalem, where men of all faiths are expected to wear kippot or yarmulkes in accordance with Jewish tradition. At the Vatican, both Melania and Ivanka Trump covered their heads when meeting with Pope Francis.
Trump mixes sports and patriotism with UFC Freedom 250 ‘spectacle’
UFC Freedom 250 White House event: Photos
Sean Strickland removed from UFC White House event by Secret Service
National Guardsman pleads guilty to fatal shooting of soldier he found in bed with his ex-girlfriend
Eric Trump denies asking former UFC star if White House fights were rigged
Trump announces peace deal with Iran, declares Strait of Hormuz will reopen: ‘Let the oil flow!’
Trump arrives for UFC fight
Boston police arrest 14-year-old after masked suspects allegedly rob siblings’ lemonade stand
Congressional baseball game offers longstanding traditions, and plenty of confusion
11 skydivers, one pilot killed in Missouri plane crash near airport
Sen Mitch McConnell hospitalized, ‘receiving excellent care,’ his office says
Republican leaders embrace viral World Cup fans they say are discovering the ‘real America’
Gabbard says declassified biolab records validate concerns previously dismissed as misinformation
Trump marks 80th birthday, now second octogenarian sitting president: ‘Seemed to utterly defy age’
Another One: German Woman Beheaded, Homeless African Male Arrested for Murder Earlier in 2026
In the Jewish faith, which Ivanka Trump shares, many married religious women also cover their heads out of modesty, especially in religious settings, though there is no Jewish equivalent of the Islamic veil.
In that context, Ivanka Trump’s visit to the mosque was also significant, as she is among the first Jewish people to be an honored guest of a kingdom that has been, until recently, cold toward Israel and Jews.
#إيفانكا_ترامب تزور #مسجد_الشيخ_زايد الكبير في #أبوظبي وتؤكد أن الجامع تحفة معمارية إسلامية رائعة من حيث الحداثة والتصميم #IvankaTrump#GWFD2020#البيان_القارئ_دائما pic.twitter.com/JA0ePP1atU
— صحيفة البيان (@AlBayanNews) February 16, 2020
The United Arab Emirates has, until recently, barred Israelis from entering the country, in a policy that has been described as antisemitic. However, relations are warming and those restrictions are being eased.
Ivanka Trump praised the United Arab Emirates for recent reforms that granted more freedom to women in the country, the AP reported.
Story cited here.









