(Reuters) Afghan-born Sakandar Khan, 30, was among the first nine new Danish citizens who shook hands with Denmark’s immigration minister under a new law that makes a handshake the final step in the naturalization process.
“This is a huge thing for me. I am thrilled,” the former practicing Muslim dressed in shirt and tie said with a smile.
For Khan, who fled Afghanistan with his family in 2001, shaking the hand of the minister, who happens to be female, was not a problem. But the law has been criticized for breaching freedom of religion, as some observant Muslims and Jews avoid touching unrelated members of the opposite sex.
The government says the handshake is an important part of Danish culture and values, and no one who refuses can be Danish.
