Cannot even gaze upon this!
BBC NEWS — Iranians in Belgian alcohol/handshake row — What a farce. This is essentially the same rude behavior that has gotten this country and area into trouble for centuries.
Iranian officials on a visit to Belgium have upset their hosts by trying to ban alcohol from the lunch table and refusing to shake women’s hands.
Belgium’s parliament speaker, Herman De Croo, decided to cancel a lunch rather than hosting a meal with no wine.
Strict Islamic teaching instructs Muslims to avoid looking at alcohol, as well as to avoid drinking it.
Belgian Senate president Anne-Marie Lizin later cancelled talks with the visitors over the handshake issue.
“We tried to find a solution, but they held fast to their position of not wanting to shake her hand,” spokesman Patrick Peremans said.
The Senate said the meeting with the 12-strong delegation had been called off because of the “continued refusal” of Ms Lizin’s counterpart to shake her hand.
Shades of this ridiculous story here.
found by H. Fuller
C’mon, is not shaking hands really an issue??? Stop fooling us, people!
Which area? Iran or Belgium?
I have lived in the Muslim world for YEARS and generally, I “get” the culture. I (and my wife especiall!!) dress to respect the culture and — for instance — I don’t shake women’s hands. I accomdate their culture in HUNDREDS of different ways, even though I disagree with much of it.
But when they come to OUR culture, many of them don’t even seem to try to accomodate western values.
In the west we find it offensive to shroud women or treat them unequally. Visiting Muslims should respect this aspect of our culture.
Hey, I’m a Muslim, and I can tell you that there’s nothing wrong with looking at alcohol. But the shaking hands, that’s a problem. To replace it, I don’t see what’s wrong with smiling at each other and bowing a little. Don’t let small issue like that be blown out of proportion. Is it really rational to call off a meeting just because of that?
A microcosm of the start of all wars…
Fidel Castro regularly kisses upturned faces of heads of state.
When Arafat was alive, world leaders were afraid of his hugs and ceremonial kisses.
However, I think when two cultures meet, regardless who visits whom, the least common denominator of each other’s practices should be followed. Decent people do that without protest.
I’m a muslim, and yes this news is old, but the issues discussed affect me greatly. I don’t drink and I don’t shake hands. There was a time I shook hands with the opposite sex, because I didn’t want to offend them. Ever since starting my job I have actually found the courage to refuse hand shaking with men. I apologise and if they want an explanation I explain, and the men have been very respectful and understanding. The whole point of following a religion is not that you change its rulings to make others happy. But if people learnt to respect eachother’s beliefs and were understanding there wouldn’t be a problem. There is a difference between culture and religion. Religious rules can’t be changed, culture can be ! The matter of shaking hands and drinking alcohol is religious NOT cultural. Some muslims decide to follow it some don’t, that’s their choice. But those who follow should not be forced not to follow, because God comes first, religion comes first, and that’s true for all religions.