Egypt's first lady called modest housewife

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CAIRO, June 28 (UPI) -- Some Egyptians are questioning how the wife of the president-elect can function as first lady, given her preference for traditional Islamic roles for women.

Naglaa Ali Mahmoud, who sees herself as housewife and mother and prefers to be known by the nickname Um Ahmed, or Mother of Ahmed, wears a head covering that falls to her knees and is unwilling for religious reasons to shake hands with men, The New York Times reported.

El Fagr newspaper suggested a "comic scenario" in which foreign leaders are told not to look at her or shake hands with her. Ahmed Salah, a young banker, told the Times he can't "call her a first lady under any circumstances" because she "can't be an image for the 'ladies' of Egypt."

Mahmoud -- who married her cousin Mohamed Morsi when she was in high school is 11 years younger than he -- told the Muslim Brotherhood newspaper she is in a difficult position because if she plays an active role, she will be compared to former first lady Suzanne Mubarak but if she stays out of sight critics will say Islamists keep their women hidden.

Morsi made public references to his wife during the presidential campaign that are unusual for a traditional Muslim man. He told one interviewer his marriage was "the biggest personal achievement of my life."

Dalia Saber, a 36-year-old engineering lecturer, said the rise of Mahmoud to prominence shows the revolution against ousted dictator Hosni Mubarak succeeded: "She looks like my mother, she looks like my husband's mother, she probably looks like your mother and everybody else's."