Did Indonesia minister shake US first lady's hand?
Did Indonesia minister shake US first lady's hand?
U.S. first lady Michelle Obama speaks to students during a visit to the National Handicrafts and Handloom Museum in New Delhi, India, Monday, Nov. 8, 2010. President Barack Obama and the first lady are on a three-day visit to the world's largest democracy. (AP Photo/Mustafa Quraishi)
U.S. first lady Michelle Obama speaks to students during a visit to the National Handicrafts and Handloom Museum in New Delhi, India, Monday, Nov. 8, 2010. President Barack Obama and the first lady are on a three-day visit to the world's largest democracy. (AP Photo/Mustafa Quraishi) (Mustafa Quraishi - AP)
U.S. President Barack Obama, right, smiles as he looks at an Indonesian female officer greeting first lady Michelle as Obama arrives at Halim Perdanakusumah airport in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2010.
U.S. President Barack Obama, right, smiles as he looks at an Indonesian female officer greeting first lady Michelle as Obama arrives at Halim Perdanakusumah airport in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2010. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana) (Tatan Syuflana - AP)
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, left, introduces members of his staff to U.S. President Barack Obama, center, and first lady Michelle Obama during the official arrival ceremony at State Palace Complex-Istana Merdeka in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2010. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, left, introduces members of his staff to U.S. President Barack Obama, center, and first lady Michelle Obama during the official arrival ceremony at State Palace Complex-Istana Merdeka in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2010. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) (Pablo Martinez Monsivais - AP)
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The Associated Press
Tuesday, November 9, 2010; 10:12 AM
JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Once the wait for President Barack Obama's return was over, Indonesian anticipation turned to another question: Would a conservative Muslim government minister shake the first lady's hand?
He says he did, but not by choice. Footage on YouTube shows otherwise, sparking a debate that has lit up Facebook, Twitter and the rest of the blogosphere.
"I tried to prevent (being touched) with my hands but Mrs. Michelle held her hands too far toward me (so) we touched," Information Minister Tifatul Sembiring told tens of thousands of followers on Twitter.
While Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world, the vast majority practice a moderate form of the faith. But Sembiring has flaunted his piety, making a point of avoiding contact with women who are not related to him.
The minister was among the dignitaries in a receiving line that greeted the Obamas as they arrived in Jakarta on Tuesday - a homecoming of sorts for the president who spent part of his childhood here. 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 footage of the official welcome, Sembiring appeared to share his countrymen's enthusiasm. He smiled broadly as he shook the president's hand and then reached with both hands to grasp Michelle's. But later he said she forced their contact.
His denial was in a response to Tweets from Indonesians who noted the handshake, saying it called into question his long-standing claims that, as a good Muslim, he restricts his contact with women.
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Many posts had a "gotchya" quality to them.
One female journalist - who said the minister had refused to shake her hand - gleefully noted that now he would no longer be able to wriggle out of it.
Sembiring has often tweeted controversial comments, including blaming natural disasters on a lack of morality and joking about AIDS.
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