Sweden's growing Muslim diaspora seemed tobe mortified bythe fact that the Saudi King shook hands witha woman duringUS President Donald Trump's state visit the pastweekend. In most versions ofIslam, shaking hands with (or even touching) a member ofthe oppositesex is prohibited when not related.
The fiercest criticism was expressed bythe freshly-launched Instagram account Islamiskt ("Islamic"). The account was started atthe end ofApril, followed bya Facebook page by the same name, Swedish news portal Fria Tider reported.
"In God's name, you shake hands likethis? I hope not," Islamiskt wrote and went onto enlighten fellow Muslims aboutthe peculiarities ofIslam. "Shaking hands withthe oppositesex is strictly haram [forbidden] and is something the holy prophet not only never did, butalso forbade the believers todo," Islamic wrote.
The text continued withan explanation why it was ofparamount importance forMuslims not toshake hands withany member ofthe oppositesex.
"Keep it inmind that bynot shaking hands you show it tothe others and even toyourself who you are. This is part ofyour identity, do not forget it," the text said.
The controversial Instagram post received more thana hundred "likes."
At present, it remains unclear who runs the account, butsuspicions were voiced that it could be possibly linked toan activist group that previously protested the fact that a hijab-wearing Muslim woman was denied employment bythe Nordic airline SAS. Earlier this year, Aye Alhassani's failed, yet much-debated attempt toget a job withSAS wearing an Islamic veil was claimed tobe a publicity stunt withIslamic undertones by blogger Rebecca Weidmo Uvell, which was vehemently denied byAye Alhassani.
In Sweden, Muslim ethics often clash withits perennial drive formulticulturalism, yielding unexpected results. In 2016, a Muslim woman stepped downfrom her job asa teacher afterbeing told that shaking hands withher male colleagues was expected. The same year, similar cases involved a Muslim member ofHelsingborg City Council and a Muslim border inspector. The most high-profile case, however, involved former senior Green Party member Yasri Khan, who resigned inacrimony afterrefusing toshake a female reporter's hand duringan interview.
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TrumpGirlStrong ???????? @TrumpGirlStrongDo we not have the most stunning First Lady @FLOTUS ever? She's breathtaking. #TrumpinSaudi#MelaniaTrump#MiddleEast#PeaceThroughStrength
2:03 AM - 22 May 2017
Incidentally, the First Lady also stirred debate byrefraining fromwearing a veil, which is an expected thing forwomen todo inSaudi Arabia. Remarkably, Donald Trump himself previously slammed former First Lady Michelle Obama fornot wearing a veil duringher visit toSaudi Arabia in2015 together withBarack Obama.
Donald J. Trump ?@realDonaldTrumpMany people are saying it was wonderful that Mrs. Obama refused to wear a scarf in Saudi Arabia, but they were insulted.We have enuf enemies
8:10 PM - 29 Jan 2015
