[AnAmericanMother]

You're not an arab, and neither am I. And neither is Pres. Bush. If you look at the photo, his thumb is in an awkward position, as though the Saudi had grabbed his hand.

The handholding occurs between friends as a general rule. Turks hold hands also.

The point is, it is NOT a gesture of subservience, which the salaam most definitely is.

[trumandogz]

Perhaps you have spent more time in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, the UAE and Dubai than I have. And while there are some of their customs that I follow while I am there, we do not hold hands.

Moreover, the picture in question was taken in Texas, not Saudi Arabia.