Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad kissing the hands of religious clerics
Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad kisses the hand of his school teacher in Tehran on Tuesday ahead of Iranian teachers’ day. (AFP)No, it is no about the Shilpa Shetty kissing incident, rather it is the hype created by the media over a respectful kiss by the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on his teacher's hand.
"Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stood accused of "indecency" on Wednesday after he publicly embraced and kissed on the hand an elderly woman who used to be his school teacher. The elderly woman, who was not named, wore thick gloves along with a headscarf and long black coat, meaning that Ahmadinejad avoided any skin contact. "The Muslim Iranian people have no recollection of such acts contrary to sharia law during Islamic rule," since the 1979 revolution, seethed the ultra-conservative Hezbollah newspaper on its front page.
This controversy which was picked up by the agencies raises eyebrows as to who is adding to the hype? One paper airing their views in Iran does not reach a global audience until the agencies pick it up and distribute it world wide.
Hand-kissing is a ritual of greeting and respect. It is initiated by the person receiving the greeting by holding out her/his hand with the palm facing downward. The person kissing bows towards the offered hand and (symbolically) touches the knuckles with his lips, while lightly holding the offered hand. The gesture is short, lasting less than a second. (Wikipedia)
Once common, it has largely disappeared as a common greeting habit in Europe, although it can still be observed in Central Europe, especially Austria, Hungary, Poland, Turkey and Romania. In Turkey hand-kissing is the common way to greet old people of both genders. After kissing the hand, the greeter will draw the hand to his own forehead.
Even in religious circles, clergy members are kissed on hand if there is no ring. "The hand kissing is used quite prominently in The Godfather series, as a way to indicate the person who is the Don." (Wikipedia)
In an age of leaked scandalous videotapes and televised paternity battles, kissing the hand of your elderly school teacher out of respect is neither a crime or hardly a news item to be hyped by the media. When the rest of the world seems to have forgotten this mode of respectful greeting and does not acknowledge their teacher's, it is sad to see they missed the greater story of respect and gratitude expressed by a president to his aging teacher. The agencies should also take a good hard look at their shortcomings in under-reporting incidents of significance from Iran rather than trivial gossip mongering.
George Pell, pictured kissing the hand of Pope John Paul II on his appointment as a cardinal, says radical change is unlikely. (AFP)
President Chirac of France kissing the hand of Amercian First Lady Laura BushRelated Links:
Iran prez kiss raises heat - Times of India
Hand-kissing - Wikipedia
1 comment:
well, i had to comment on this one! if 'some people' have teething troubles at IRI's nuclear case, it necessarily doesn't mean that IRI is victimized on such petty matters like this.
evidently, the president did so out of respect for his teacher. insofar as his religious laws are concerned, he did what was absolutely permissible in accordance with his religion that is: there was no direct contact between him and the lady.
now, do we expect infatuation at this age for the duo?
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