On January 3, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot travelled to Damascus to meet with Syria’s interim leader Ahmad al-Sharaa. The visit came less than a month after the sudden downfall of one of the most violent regimes in the Arab world – the Baathist dictatorship of President Bashar al-Assad.There are a myriad of issues on the agenda of Syrian-European relations, not least regional stability, economic recovery, post-war justice and reconciliation, the refugee crisis and so on.
And yet, Western media chose to focus on al-Sharaa’s decision to greet Baerbock with a nod and a smile instead of extending his hand to her, in observance of Muslim religious norms. Western media pundits characterised the incident as “a scandal” and a “snub”.
A Politico editorial went as far as suggesting that trivialities like shaking hands should become the new “litmus test” on how “moderate” a Muslim leader really is. In the name of inclusivity, the Politico piece implied that devout male Muslim leaders like al-Sharaa should be forced to shake women’s hands – regardless of what their religion instructs – or else, it should set off “alarm bells” in the West. The old adage “when in Rome, do as the Romans do” has be …
