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It's hard to believe that an international incident was caused by a handshake.
But when First Lady Michelle Obama reached out and shook hands with Tifatul Sembiring, Indonesia's information minister, the pair created the hand clasp heard round the world.
It turns out that Sembiring belongs to a conservative brand of Islam that forbids touching women who aren't family members.
After realizing his religious faux pas, Sembiring claimed that he was trying to avoid touching Mrs. Obama and that she forced him into the handshake by reaching forward. (He said this all on his Twitter page.)
A video recording of the greeting proves Sembiring is either mistaken or a liar.
Both he and Mrs. Obama reached forward like civilized people, smiling all the while, to deliver a friendly yet unspectacular handshake on the receiving line.
I would be the last one to criticize the religious practices of any people, but to me, many practices are archaic and do more to divide us as people than unite.
Refusing to shake the hand of a woman? That makes no sense.
Maybe now that the leaders of Sembiring's sect see that his hand didn't explode, the seas didn't swallow up the shore and all things are fine after the handshake, they will rethink their flawed ideology.
It would seem they have a lot of other things to worry about than intergender handshakes.
Watch it for yourself below:
Comments: (9)
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By: Jewel on 11/10/2010 3:18PM
What is amazing to me is how men oppress, suppress, and marginalize women with such "customs" within certain cultures. I am not taking potshots at one's religious beliefs. I am rather frustrated by the notion that touching a woman by shaking her hand (especially in this case a First Lady's hand) in some way desecrates a man. After all, a woman had to carry a seed around in her body until it became a human being that was ready live outside her body. So, the relationship was quite intimate. From birth she raises the child until he can live independently. However, before he can even support himself, he starts to treat her as though she is a second class citizen? That is beyond me and needs to be examined.
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By: tanisha on 11/10/2010 3:50PM
I am not a big fan of the First Lady, however the information minister appeared more than happy to shake MO's hand, he actually covered her hand with his other hand!! Give it a break Tifatui!!
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By: dawggybon on 11/11/2010 4:39AM
It's their religion moron! They didn't ask you for your opinion. You would think that the Obamie's might have researched this before blowing into town. They are the guests in Indonesia and when in Rome do as the Roman's do. They are an embarassment to the U.S.
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By: ROLRUC on 11/12/2010 5:32PM
You are the embarassment to yourself, klan and ethnicity. You are obviously uneducated, inarticulate, "lowclass", as in "lowclass" not refering to ones economic status. I will elaborate and simplify for your understanding. In the language of your klan you are "Po Trailor Park Trash". You know, green rotten teeth, eat out of cans, fear soap and water, and brew moonshine liquor in the hills.
On behalf of the Obamas you can pucker up and kiss their educated, articulate, and classy Black A--es.
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By: dell on 11/11/2010 9:14AM
You actually are in embarrasement because you are stupid and left evidence of your stupidity in your post. It is their religion not to touch women, but it is clear that the individual embraces Mrs. Obama with both hands, therefore the error was on his part. Know what your are talking about before you make a statement.
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By: b&b on 11/11/2010 9:26AM
@ROLRUC LOL!!!
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By: stare k on 11/13/2010 11:09AM
I wonder are you an embrassement to GOD .
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By: ADRIAN HARRIS OF SOUTH GEORGIA!!! CLASS OF 86 GO GRAMBLING STATE UNIVERSITY!!!!!! on 11/13/2010 6:17PM
HAIL!!! YAHWEH ELYON(LORD MOST HIGH)!!! GOD THE FATHER ALMIGHTY!!! HELP OUR FIRST LADY!!! HAIL!!! SEPIA PEOPLE OF THE RAINBOW MELANIN SPECTRUM!!! MY COMMENT----YOU SEE WHAT A BEAUTIFUL EDUCATED BLACK WOMAN HAS TO GO THROUGH AND TO HAVE A HANDSOME POWERFUL BLACK MAN SHE LOVES BY HER SIDE. OLE GOOD TIME BOY WITH THE GRAB HAND AND CHESTER CAT SMILE WANTED SOME---YOU KNOW--P**Y---SEX---OR "YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN". DAMN THAT N**G*R--SHE GOT. THE WHITE MAN DID TO US IN SLAVERY WITH OUR WIVES AND STILL ARE. WE DO IT RIGHT HERE IN THE STREETS AND AT PARTIES. PICK UP SOME WEIGHTS OR A GUN, SLAP A BROTHER DOWN OR THREATEN TO SHOOT HIM AND TAKE HIS WIFE OR GIRLFRIEND HOME. WE GOT IT FROM THE WHITE MAN AND HIS WAYS WITH OUR WOMEN IN SLAVERY. WE GOT TO PRAY TO MAKE IT TODAY. THERE'S KNOW OTHER WAY. STIFF UPPER LIP MY LADY OBAMA. SHOW YOUR SPIRITUAL IMPREGNIBILITY. DEFEND ANTONEY(PRESIDENT OBAMA) YOUR LADY ISABELLA LEANS UPON YOU. GOD DEFEND BOTH OF THEM. WE KNOW YOU ARE THERE ABBA!!! BYE Y'ALL!!!
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By: Warren D on 11/13/2010 9:09PM
(SMH!) It is absolutely mind-boggling, and brain draining, the level of outright ignorance on these sites! Some of you Bama's should NEVER be allowed to own a personal computer EVER in this life! You have nothing but insipid, vitriolic, hateful and racist things to post - you have the spelling, grammar, and sentence composition skills of 5 year olds on meth - you spew your sewage from behind the anonymity of the internet because you lack the guts to say it to your targets' faces.Even if you could.You're like maggots - feeding and growing off rotten and dead crap - to sustain your insatiable need for hatred and just plain evil.I used to despise you ....now, I simply pity you.And you know who you are.
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