FORMALITY or otherwise, there have been many instances when opposition-slant keyboard warriors would bash Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for the “sheer indecency” of exchanging handshakes with a female guest.
It remains to be seen if the opposition likes to politicise such matter out of sincerity to remind PMX (or any Muslim Madani government leaders for that matter) that the very act of touching the hand of another woman who is not one’s spouse is haram (forbidden) or simply because the opposition front has no better issue to trumphet.
The latest – if not most fascinating incident – took place in Lima, Peru during which there were at least two instances when PMX had to exchange handshakes with Peruvian President Dina Ercilia Boluarte Zegarra.
The first was when Zegarra conferred him the order El Sol de Peru or “The Sun of Peru which is awarded to heads of state and ministers accredited to foreign ambassadors or presidents of public authorities.
The event took place on Wednesday (Nov 14) at the Government Palace in Lima during which PMX had arrived in Peru on Tuesday (Nov 12) to attend the 31st APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting (AELM) from Nov 14 to 16 which is also expected to strengthen bilateral relations between Malaysia and Peru.
The second handshake scene took place slightly earlier when PMX introduced the Malaysian delegation (which among others include Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan and Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz) to Zegarra.
While to many, a firm handshake – even though it is deemed a western tradition – is nothing more than a good etiquette to cement mutual ties, it is unfortunate that some ‘over-religious fellas’ would seize the moment to make a mountain out of a molehill.
“If the PM adheres to the teachings of Islam, this kind of situation will not happen,” berated MY 🇲🇾 🇵🇸 (@saythenameayy) in a post on the X platform, accompanied by a brief video of the aforementioned events with Quranic verses stating that Prophet Muhammad “had never shook hands with a woman except exchanging a verbal greeting”.
Kalau PM berpegang pada ajaran islam, tak berlaku situasi macam ni.
Perempuan tu tak salam mungkin dia hormat Anwar tu orang Islam.
Tapi kalau Anwar sendiri hulur tangan, orang tu kenalah balas.
Walanon melalak tuduh org lain tunggang agama tp ketua dia sendiri macam ni. pic.twitter.com/X2YJw33qq8
— MY 🇲🇾 🇵🇸 (@saythenameayy) November 15, 2024
“The woman didn’t greet Anwar (with a handshake); perhaps she respects Anwar who’s a Muslim. But if Anwar himself extends his hand (instead), that person has to respond. Walanon (slang for staunch Madani government supporters) accuses others of riding religion but their own leader behaves in such (unruly) manner.”
Thankfully, PMX has many pro-Madani backers to deflect the brickbats hurled at him with few commenters lambasting the poster for “slandering instead of seeking knowledge”. Moreover, past PMs, too, had shaken hands with female dignitaries without any issue.
As one commenter rightly pointed out, he had expected the “handshake scenes” to be harped upon by the Walaun (slang for staunch PAS supporters) “as if the greeting itself is more important than the essence of the meeting”.
“What a pity…. their capital has really dried up. 🤣🤣🤣🤣,” he teased. – Nov 16, 2024
