hand shaking between men and women

Among South Asian Muslims, it is unusual to see men shaking hands with women. Most women do not feel comfortable shaking hands with men. The general rule for men is, wait to see if the lady extends her hand. If not, greet her without shaking her hand. Women in public positions are especially keen not to shake hands in public view because that might infuriate the more conservative section in society.

So I was surprised to see, on a number of occasions, men shaking hands with women here in Saudi Arabia. May be, I thought, the men are mahram--fathers, brothers, sons, grandsons etc.

I was even more surprised to see the picture published in The Arab News in its 22 April 2009 edition. The picture shows King Abdullah of KSA shaking hands with the visiting Bangladeshi Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, who is not wearing an abaya, the black dress every woman here has to wear in the presence non-mahram men. Mullahs in Bangladesh, if they ever see this picture, would be in a fix. They would feel the urge to lambast the PM for touching a man who is not related to her. But criticising her would mean indirectly criticising the man in question, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and the leader of a country that strictly adheres to Islamic principles.

I'm sure they will ultimately find out a way to skirt the issue. May be they would discover a genealogical link between Hasina and King Abdullah. Hasina, after all, she has the title 'Sheikh' dangling in front of her name. Now wait till she shakes hands with Manamohan Singh or Barack Obama.

Photo credit: SPA, Arab News

happy new year!

Mid-April marked the beginning of the Bengali year 1416. Last Wednesday there was a small party in Dammam attended by Bengalis from both Bangladesh and India. The program was held inside a compound and we had dances, music and recitation of poetry. I was told to either sing or read a poem. I opted for the latter because that would be a lesser torment for the audience. We had a sumptuous feast--biriyani, tandoori chicken, beef rezala, etc. I enjoyed my first Bengali New Year in the Kingdom. On Friday, the Indian Bengalis had a day-long program at Jubail and some Bangladeshis arranged a mela (fair) at Azizya. I attended neither, but was glad to know that Bengalis here organize so many events to celebrate their culture.

Happy New Year!

family reunion

I had been unable to post anything in this blog for some time. My wife and two children arrived exactly a month ago, and I had been busy with buying furniture, enlisting their names in my residence permit, getting the kids into a school, and trying to make them get used to life here without feeling bored. The last task, fighting boredom, is still a challenge, especially as far as my better half is concerned. To break the monotony of staying at home, I take them to shopping malls and restaurants, and sometimes to the Corniche or to meet friends. But now the monotony breaking routine itself has become monotonous, and I don't know where else to take them or what else to do. Luckily, some of our neighbours (from the subcontinent) are very social and call on us from time to time. They have made the adaptation process of my family much easier.