First lady’s handshake with conservative Muslim raises Indonesian eyebrows

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once again, the obama's right on top of protocol. reading the guys reactions are you thinking the same thing I am? Charlie Brown - Lucy's reaction to touching snoopy bobbing for apples? Blllleeeeech I've got dog germs

First lady’s handshake with conservative Muslim raises Indonesian eyebrows

Indonesia's pious information minister, Tifatul Sembiring, is in hot water for touching the hand of First Lady Michelle Obama, in what he describes as forced contact. The politician flaunts his conservatism as a Muslim and claims to avoid touching women who aren't family members, the Associated Press reports.

Indonesia -- which has the world's largest Islamic population, the vast majority moderate -- had been debating how to handle encounters between the first lady and observant Muslim officials far in advance of the Obamas' arrival in the country Monday.


Sembiring sought to deflect criticism by claiming Tuesday's skin-to-skin contact was all Michelle Obama's fault. "I tried to prevent [being touched] with my hands but Mrs. Michelle held her hands too far toward me [so] we touched," Tifatul Sembiring explained on his Twitter page (according to a translation provided in the AP report).

Some local observers laughed at that idea, and one female reporter gleefully said he wouldn't be able to avoid shaking her hand anymore, AP reported.:


Sembiring was part of a group of Indonesian dignitaries who greeted the Obamas in a receiving line when they arrived in Jakarta.

Most Indonesian Muslims hew to more moderate versions of the faith that permit casual contact between the sexes. As a result, some Indonesians have assailed Sembiring's rationale for the handshake, suggesting that it's an example of conservative Muslim hypocrisy to excuse the sort of conduct that he readily castigates in others. The minister has blamed natural disasters on moral failings and has joked about AIDS, the Associated Press reports.

Regional handshake kerfuffle aside, the visit is a big deal in Indonesia, where President Obama spent much of his childhood. According to the Associated Press, "Indonesians gathered around television sets across the country to watch the American president touch down. Children at the school he attended practiced a song dedicated to him just in case he visited."


In public statements, Obama has likewise stressed the importance of the visit for him.

"It's wonderful to be here, although I have to tell you that when you visit a place that you spent time in as a child as the president, it's a little disorientating," he told reporters Tuesday morning.

The president and first lady will spend roughly 24 hours in the country, hoping to improve ties with the Muslim world and open up opportunities for American businesses.


But Obama definitely appears to have his work cut out for him. Over the past several days, the presidential visit has sparked widespread protests from Muslims in the region.

I gotta read up on that...all I'm hearing on the news so far is ring-wing opportunists' opinions

Madison wrote:

I gotta read up on that...all I'm hearing on the news so far is ring-wing opportunists' opinions

actually it's right there from the horses mouth, no not michelle. From Tifatul Sembiring, the guy who freaked she touched him

I am surprised he even touched her hand...being a devote Muslim and all.

I would have thought he would have refudiated her gesture outright!

Angelica wrote:

I am surprised he even touched her hand...being a devote Muslim and all.

I would have thought he would have refudiated her gesture outright!

he tried to resist. she forced it

KK wrote:

Angelica wrote:

I am surprised he even touched her hand...being a devote Muslim and all.

I would have thought he would have refudiated her gesture outright!

he tried to resist. she forced it

Yep, you are right, I totally saw her take his hand, squeeze it until he gave in..heartless bitch!

LOL, were you watching the photochops on Fox News, or where you just being silly?

Angelica wrote:

KK wrote:

Angelica wrote:

I am surprised he even touched her hand...being a devote Muslim and all.

I would have thought he would have refudiated her gesture outright!

he tried to resist. she forced it

Yep, you are right, I totally saw her take his hand, squeeze it until he gave in..heartless bitch!

LOL, were you watching the photochops on Fox News, or where you just being silly?

actually i saw it on CNN and MSNBC, maybe they are relying on fox for their news

KK wrote:

Angelica wrote:

KK wrote:

Angelica wrote:

I am surprised he even touched her hand...being a devote Muslim and all.

I would have thought he would have refudiated her gesture outright!

he tried to resist. she forced it

Yep, you are right, I totally saw her take his hand, squeeze it until he gave in..heartless bitch!

LOL, were you watching the photochops on Fox News, or where you just being silly?

actually i saw it on CNN and MSNBC, maybe they are relying on fox for their news

Must have been a slow day and they thought they would add comic relief...and you know everyone goes to FOX for that...right?

Angelica wrote:

KK wrote:

Angelica wrote:

KK wrote:

Angelica wrote:

I am surprised he even touched her hand...being a devote Muslim and all.

I would have thought he would have refudiated her gesture outright!

he tried to resist. she forced it

Yep, you are right, I totally saw her take his hand, squeeze it until he gave in..heartless bitch!

LOL, were you watching the photochops on Fox News, or where you just being silly?

actually i saw it on CNN and MSNBC, maybe they are relying on fox for their news

Must have been a slow day and they thought they would add comic relief...and you know everyone goes to FOX for that...right?

of course everyone goes t ofox. just look at their ratings, sky high