(AP)
WASHINGTON — Who made the first move?
A conservative Muslim government minister in Indonesia admits he shook hands with First Lady Michelle Obama, but claims it wasn’t his choice.
The minister, Tifatul Sembiring — who avoids physical contact with women outside of his family — said he tried to avoid shaking the first lady’s hand on an official receiving line when the Obamas arrived in Jakarta, but it happened anyway.
“I tried to prevent [being touched] with my hands but Mrs. Michelle held her hands too far toward me [so] we touched,” Tifatul wrote on his Twitter account after the incident.
But footage of the handshake on YouTube tells another story: The awestruck minister can be seen eagerly reaching out both of his hands to grasp the first lady’s hand while flashing a huge smile.
That sight prompted a wave of sarcastic comments in the blogosphere from critics who were shocked by the unexpected glad-handing in the euphoria over the Obamas’ visit.
One female journalist who said Tifatul had refused to shake her hand wrote that he would no longer be able to wiggle out of it in the future.
Tifatul, who is married with seven children and has a degree in computer engineering, has attracted attention before for some of his tweets, including one where he made a joke about AIDS.
In a land that has suffered from tsunamis and volcanoes, he has also blamed natural disasters on a lack of morality.
Once active in numerous Islamic organizations, Tifatul has proposed screening the Internet for “negative” content, but his proposal was shelved in early 2010 in the face of widespread opposition. His plan would have created a blacklist of offensive material to be monitored by a special task force.
The minister previously quoted Adolf Hitler on his Twitter page, posting “the union between two children, when both of them complete each other, this is magic — Adolf Hitler.”
The arrival of the first couple is big news on the island nation, the world’s fourth most populous country, which also has the largest population of Muslims.
At a state dinner yesterday, Michelle Obama wore a brown and black designer dress.
But her most vibrant display of the trip occurred while visiting Mumbai, when first lady joined in a festive dance during a Diwali celebration with Indian children, waving her arms and dancing.
She also played hopscotch and joined a drum and tambourine circle with kids.