When President Bush and Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia met in Crawford, Tex., last week, they did something very un-Texan: they walked hand in hand.

Americans may raise an eyebrow at men holding hands, but in the Arab world, affection among men is common, and without sexual connotation.

"Holding hands is the warmest expression of affection between men," said Samir Khalaf, a sociology professor at American University of Beirut in Lebanon. "It's a sign of solidarity and kinship."

In fact, if a man chooses not to touch another in a greeting, it can be interpreted as a sign of distance or disdain. Kissing cheeks, long handshakes and clutching hands are meant to reflect amity, devotion and most important, equality in status, noted Fuad Ishak Khuri, a social anthropologist, in his book, "The Body in Islamic Culture" (2001).