Tehran - An Iranian reformist justified and defended
Mohammad Khatami, the reformists' top candidate for June's
presidential election, for having shaken hands with a European woman
during one of his trips abroad, the Fars news agency said Thursday.
Shaking hands with women in public is forbidden in Iran,
especially for officials because, according to Islamic regulations,
men are not allowed to touch strange women.
A picture has circulated on the internet in which Khatami is
shaking hands with a European woman during a trip abroad, reportedly
two years ago in Italy.
Reformists said they fear that the photograph might be used
against Khatami in his election campaign against President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad. Ultraconservatives argued that a cleric shaking hand
with a foreign woman would not be fit to run in the presidential
election of an Islamic state.
'If necessary and if national interests are at stake, then shaking
hands with foreign women is no issue and not even opposed by Islamic
jurisprudents,' said Mostafa Koakabian, the head of the reformist
party Mardomsalari.
'What Khatami did was out of expediency, and there should be no
ballyhoo [by the ultraconservatives] over the issue,' the reformist
added in a meeting with students in Semnan in north-eastern Iran.
While foreign diplomats in Iran are familiar with the Islamic
regulations and avoid shaking hands with the opposite sex, the
situation gets more delicate for Iranian officials abroad, where
foreign officials and especially ordinary people often do not know
about the regulations and hence consider the rejection of the
handshake as rude.
'Shaking hands with German Chancellor Angela Merkel is necessary,'
Koakabian said. '... If Merkel reaches out her hand, it should not be
rejected as we are dealing there with national interests.'
Khatami and Ahmadinejad are to face each other in the June 12
presidential election. While Khatami is the candidate of the
reformist and moderate wings, Ahmadinejad is supported by
ultraconservative and the clergy.
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