Berlin imam files complaint against teacher who insisted on handshake

A conflict between an imam and a female teacher at a Berlin private school over a handshake has escalated into a legal complaint against the woman, German media outlet RBB24 reports.

A conflict between an imam and a female teacher at a Berlin private school over a handshake has escalated into a legal complaint against the woman, German media outlet RBB24 reports.

The preacher, Kerim Ucar, was initially called in for a conversation over his sons’ involvement in brawls at the Platanus School in the Berlin district of Pankow. 

The female teacher tried to greet the father with a handshake, but Ucar rejected the gesture citing religious reasons.

According to RBB24, the imam, a conservative Shiite who’s been living in Germany for 15 years, instead placed his hand on his heart, saying that was the highest possible way for him to greet a woman.

The teacher however insisted on a handshake, claiming the imam should “adapt to the German culture.”