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I cannot shake your hand, sir. I'm a Muslim and you're a man
20th January 2007
A Muslim woman police officer has sparked a new debate by refusing to shake hands with Britain's most senior police chief for religious reasons.
The incident happened at a passing-out parade where Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair was inspecting a line-up of 200 recruits. In addition to refusing a traditional congratulatory handshake from Sir Ian, the WPC - who wore a traditional Muslim hijab headscarf - also declined to be photographed with him as she did not want the picture used for 'propaganda purposes'.
The woman had earlier insisted that it was contrary to her religious teaching for her to touch a man. Now The Mail on Sunday has learned that her gesture has sparked top-level discussions at Scotland Yard. Some officers argue that her attitude towards men might impede her ability to detain offenders. However, it is clear that she is happy to come into contact with men, just not shake their hand or kiss them.
An inquiry has now been launched and the unidentified WPC - described as 'a non-Asian Muslim' - could face the sack if it is considered that her strict religious beliefs prevent her performing as an effective police officer.
However, senior commanders are worried that dismissing her would deepen the atmosphere of mistrust between the police and the Muslim community.
Excerpted
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=430249&in_page_id=1770
Cotabato City, Philippines - An abandoned car rigged with about 200 kilos of improvised explosives was recovered by police and military operatives in the southern Philippines, an armed forces spokesman said Sunday.
Lieutenant Colonel Julieto Ando, a regional military spokesman, said the car bomb was recovered on Saturday parked at the side of a road in Datu Saudi Ampatuan town in Maguindanao province, 960 kilometres south of Manila.
The car bomb was found as the military braced for retaliatory attacks from the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf rebel group for the death of two top leaders - chieftain Khadafi Janjalani and main planner Abu Solaiman - in separate clashes with government troops.
Ando said residents in the area tipped off the police about the car, which was allegedly parked on the road since late Friday. 'The explosives were wired onto each other and it was fitted with alarm clock as a timing device,' he said. 'The car bomb was intended for a major attack.' Security forces also found in the car an 81-millimetre mortar shell, three 60-millimetre mortar shells and one live shell of shoulder-fired recoilless 90-millimetre anti-tank weapon.
Investigators were still determining the identities of the people who left the car in the area. On January 10, three explosions allegedly perpetrated by Islamic militants rocked three cities in the southern region of Mindanao - General Santos, Kidapawan and Cotabato - killing seven people and wounding more than 30 others.
"I cannot shake your hand, sir. I'm a Muslim and you're a man"
I haven't read this article Oorang, but I have read of incidents like this before online.
It is shocking.