This is not the first time that the issue of handshakes has drawn attention and controversy in Sweden. In 2016, a Muslim member of the Green Party withdrew his candidacy for a seat in the party’s leadership after he was publicly criticized for refusing to shake hands with women, including a television journalist who was going to interview him.
That was the only acceptable decision. if he wouldn’t shake hands with a woman, he had no business being a candidate for a leadership position in the Green Party, and no business being in Swedish politics at all, given that gender equality is one of the most important principles of Swedish society..
“I stand for equality among people,” Stefan Lofven, the prime minister, told Parliament in April 2016, according to the newspaper Svenska Dagbladet. “For me, it’s the same as women and men having the same opportunities. It also means that in Sweden, we greet each other. One shakes hands with both men and women.”
What does Stefan Lofven think of the 3-2 decision that says he is flatly wrong, and that in Sweden one no longer need shake hands with both men and women? What does he think of Sweden’s future as an advanced Western society? Anything? Nothing?
Mr. Mork of the ombudsman’s office acknowledged the importance of such greetings in his country. “In Sweden, one shakes hands,” he said.
But, he said, “This is very much viewed under the lens of integration and gender equality.”
“It has become a little bit of a symbol question for how Sweden deals with its religious minorities,” he added.
“A little bit of a symbol question”? The tortuous phrasing reflects a certain confused embarrassment over the outcome. It’s not a question of symbols. It’s a question of who is to be master, that’s all. The Swedish people in Sweden or others, who may be citizens but have shown themselves unwilling to accept Swedish ways, such as shaking hands with people of both sexes. That practice is not just a symbol, but a long-established custom that reinforces the notion of gender equality. It is reasonable to ask all those who benefit from the laws of the well-ordered Swedish state and the customs of an advanced Swedish society, to observe those laws and customs.
“The question of balancing local custom with religious freedom has also been playing out in other countries recently. In 2016, the authorities in the Swiss canton of Basel-Landschaft ruled that two Syrian boys who studied at a public school in the town of Therwil could not refuse to shake their teacher’s hand on religious grounds. Shaking a teacher’s hand before and after class is part of Switzerland’s social fabric, and the canton authorities said that parents whose children refused to obey the tradition could be fined up to 5,000 Swiss francs, or about $5,020.
The Swiss, more hard-headed than the Swedes and more attached to their folkways, were not about to allow those who had been given generous refuge in their country to refuse to honor a Swiss custom, one that was always deemed to be an important part of the teacher-pupil relationship. For the Swiss, the handshake between teacher and pupil both before and after class was a sign both of solidarity and respect. If two Muslim boys refused to shake a female teacher’s hand, that reflected the lower standing of women in Islam, and was not to be tolerated.
“On the other hand, a school in Sydney, Australia, caused an uproar last year by adopting a policy allowing Muslim schoolboys to refuse to shake hands with women, as long as they instead placed a hand across their chest.
This places rules of some — not all — Muslims above those of Australian society. This clearly endorses a view of women as inferior, instead of requiring that everyone in Australia observe the rules of gender equality. If Muslims enjoy the great privilege of being allowed into Australia in the first place, especially considering the kind of places they likely came from, they ought to be willing to observe those rules of gender equality. This is the unwritten bargain immigrants have struck with their host country. Apparently the school authorities, in their diseased sympathy for The Other, and hellbent for “diversity,” did not agree. A nation-wide policy on the shaking of hands needs to be put in place, with the force of law. Australia ought to emulate steadfast Switzerland or, even better, France:
And this year, France’s top administrative court ruled that an Algerian woman’s refusal to shake hands with male officials at a French naturalization ceremony was sufficient grounds for denying her citizenship.
To that decision, which shows the French in their take-no-prisoners mode, one can only say “Attaboy.”
Meanwhile, I’d like to end on a lighter, less Islamic note. A Sicilian fisherman of my acquaintance, now living in America, told me once that in 45 years as a fisherman, he never had to sign a contract. All of his agreements were based, he said, only on a “shakanza.” I looked puzzled. He took my hand and shook it. “Shakanza,” he said. “Una shakanza.”
Agustina Saragossa i Domènech says
Traditionally, in Spain cattle dealers did not sign contracts; when they agreed the price, they just shook hands. Their word was a contract.
And they always honored their word.
BARBARA says
Of course, Islam is a terrible reason not to shake hands, but we need to stop shaking hands for another reason–it’s really spreads disease unless you can wash your hands or rub on a sanitizer immediately. We should change the custom to a slight bow, and then all will be happy, except those who like to squeeze people’s hands to show their power.
prebangian says
some say the Black tradition of bumping fist knuckles lightly is a happy medium for reducing bacterial risks.
Terry Gain says
I like shaking hands. I was my hands many times a day and hardly ever suffer from colds, Barbara you should bow out. I am washing my hands of you.
Ashley says
I vehemently disagree, BARBARA.
I was taught at a tender age to always deliver a firm handshake…a gesture of trust, sincerity and decency.
I was taught to be wary of the limp handshake…
I strongly believe I was schooled well.
gravenimage says
Barbara is quite mistaken that Muslims–whose hygiene is often appalling–don’t shake hands with the “filthy Infidels” for matters of cleanliness.
mortimer says
The head of the camel is in the tent… and the camel is in a bad mood and spitting and biting. Soon the neck and shoulders and fore-legs of the camel will be in the tent. What will Swedes do then?
Terry Gain says
The whole camel is in the tent. And barking commands.
prebangian says
So an Islamic male won’t shake a woman’s hand because she is of less worth? An Islamic woman won’t shake a man’s hand for the same reason (she signals that she is not worthy?). My daughter recently was introduced to an Orthodox Jewish man. She put her hand out and he didn’t extend his hand but apologized saying that orthodox rules forbid him to touch a woman. She apologized for not knowing (or momentarily forgetting) the rule, smiled at him and that was it. So the Jewish rule is based on avoiding temptation while the Islamic rule is based on superiority? An Islamic woman would certainly consider herself superior to an infidel male, but would she still not shake his hand? Would an Islamic male shake a male infidels hand since he considers himself superior to infidels? The yoke of Islam is not easy, its burden is not light.
lebel says
No this is just the natural jihadwatch projection, in other words:
1. When the Muslims do it it’s bad
2. If the Jews do the exact same thing, we will invent some way to defend it.
Muslim males shake the hands of both men and women. SOME orthodox Muslims do not shake a woman’s hand.
FYI says
Gimme a High Five!
Oh Sorry..that might offend muslims,the holiest people in the World
High Five!
to a Jew/Christian/Buddhist/Hindu/Atheist…OK
High Five!
to a muslim supremacist fascist..{ka Kaka BOOM}
Rob Schwartzman says
Sorry, have to disagree on this one. Jewish law generally prohibits physical contact with members of the opposite sex who are not closely related family. Some make exceptions for professional and emergency situations. Should they be denied citizenship or workplace protections too? If democracies provide protections for religious freedom then sincerely held religious beliefs can certainly be excepted from cultural norms and legal requirements unless, as in the US, the state has a compelling interest such as preservation of life.
Terry Gain says
Swedish claims to believe in equality are belied by their acceptance of Muslim immigrants as Zislam has a hierarchy of rights with Muslim men at the top and all others below incuding Muslim women, Christians and Jews and atheists at the bottom.
ConnectingDots says
A teacher at a private, secular high school in Texas told me that the school’s tradition is that the teachers shake the hands of the parents (e.g., when the parents pick up their children at the school) but that the Muslim mothers of some of his students REFUSE to shake his hand.
Westman says
It appears that government and the courts are busy complying with male Muslim demand to make Muslimas into “poison Ivy” – and succeeding. Now, if I can just get that song out of my head….
WPM says
If your job requirements cannot be meet because your religion refuses you to perform everyday things that job requires get a different job. To refuse to knowledge the boss as an equal human being is grounds for dismissal in any job in my humble opinion .Slave Masters do not like shaking slaves hands or believing them to be equal or even really human.
lebel says
Do you hold similar views if Jews refuse to shake hands for the same reasons?
https://jewishweek.timesofisrael.com/no-handshake-dont-take-it-personally/
No? why not?
Wellington says
Because, lebel, Jewish suicide bombers are kinda’ scarce and there is nothing in Judaism which seeks to make all the world Jewish, contra Islam. There are many other reasons why your pathetic comparison is bogus, but these two are enough for now.
gravenimage says
If an orthodox Jews was refused a job because he would not shake hands, he would not sue the company.
Muslims regularly try to impose Islamic norms on Infidel society–is lebel pretending that Jews are doing the same? Absurd.
thebigW says
Because Jews aren’t killing us and plotting to kill us, so I don’t care if some of them don’t want to shake hands.
lebel says
more info on similar practices in judaism
https://jewinthecity.com/2018/06/why-dont-orthodox-jews-shake-hands/
I know no one cares here because it’s only bad when Muslims do it but it’s nice to see jihadwatchers have bouts of cognitive dissonance.
Wellington says
Over 34,000 documented Islamic terrorist attacks worldwide just since 9/11 versus how many documented Jewish attacks worldwide since said date, lebel?
Ashley says
Thanks for those links, lebel. I was enlightened. Was unaware that certain orthodox Jews are adverse to the handshake.
That said, can you please cite where an offended orthodox Jew received compensation to the tune of over 4K? Or if/when an orthodox Jew filed a discrimination complaint due to “handshake-gate”?
Thanks in advance.
gravenimage says
Good point, Ashley.
Ashley says
You were already on it, GI.
I appreciate lebel’s critiques here…keeps things interesting.
Hugh did an outstanding job.
gravenimage says
Thanks, Ashley. lebel is pretty much a Tu Quoque artists–‘you filthy Infidels are no better than Jihadists’–but he does keep Anti-Jihadists on their toes, I suppose. And I agree with you about Hugh Fitzgerald–a real treasure.
Hugh Fitzgerald says
A brief note, and a musical interlude:
Brief Note: Older Italo-Americans sometimes will seal a deal not with a written contract but with “una shakanza” (shaking of the hands)
Musical Interlude: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2xjrcXcd5w
gravenimage says
Hugh Fitzgerald: In Uppsala, No Handshake (Part Two)
…………………
More Muslim supremacism.
gravenimage says
Thanks for that link, Hugh.
Watto35 says
I cannot believe that people here actually discussing the finer points on whether people, Christians, Jews muslims or aliens from Pluto should or shouldn’t shake hands. Shaking hands is a European tradition. It originally showed you were not carrying a sword or a dagger and you were extending the ‘weapon’ hand to show trust. If these immigrants, who are living here and accepting our charity, do not abide by our traditions, then they shouldn’t be here. Simple.