Jackson goes on shopping trip wearing woman’s robe

POP star Michael Jackson was spotted shopping in a Bahrain shopping centre yesterday, hiding his face behind a veil and donning a black robe traditionally worn by women in the Persian Gulf.

He was with three children, apparently his own, who also had their faces covered by dark scarves. An unidentified woman accompanied them.

Jackson was seen leaving Marina Mall in the Bahrain capital Manama holding a child by the hand.

The woman - also dressed in the black robe called an abaya, jeans and a scarf that partially covered her face - had the two other children. All three children were wrapped in black scarves and wore yellow shirts.

Since his acquittal on child molestation charges, Jackson has made several trips to Bahrain as a guest of the son of Bahrain’s king.

At the shopping centre, Jackson wore an abaya, pants, a white shirt and men’s shoes. His head and face were wrapped in a black veil and he also wore black gloves. The veil, abaya and gloves were of a style typically worn by conservative Bahraini women.

Bahrain-based AAJ Holdings Ltd has said it wants to hire the 47-year-old Jackson to give advice on setting up entertainment businesses. He reportedly is building a home in Bahrain.

In November, he stirred controversy in the United Arab Emirates by entering the ladies room in a shopping centre. His publicist said Jackson did not understand the Arabic sign on the door and left when he realised his mistake.

But local newspapers reported the performer was applying make-up in the woman’s toilets in a Dubai shopping centre. Jackson’s host, Mohammed bin Sulayem, dismissed the story as rumour.