Well, baz, you learn something new every day. There is a pamphlet produced by the Department of Trade & Industry (in collaboration with the Muslim Council of Britain) entitled “Muslims in the Workplace - a good practice guide for Employers and Employees.”
http://www.mcb.org.uk/faith/approved.pdf
Here’s an extract :
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be aware that certain routine conduct at interviews may conflict with acceptable practice according to the applicant’s religion or belief, such as shaking hands with the opposite sex
Example
An employer at an interview puts his hand out to shake the interviewee’s hand who is a Muslim lady. She refuses to do so. The employer does not understand why and considers her to be extremely rude, which affects her application. Employers could instead wait for the employee to initiate the handshake if they are unsure.
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So people in the UK are expected to be aware of something which is culturally alien to them and more than this they must recognise the religion of somebody who they may never have previously met. Oh - and they must not take offence when their offered handshake is declined AND they must wait to have a handshake offered to them (and hence risk being seen as rude themselves).
Yes Andy, you are quite right. Religion is far more embedded in the DNA of people of some faiths than others. But we are constantly being told in the UK that we must adapt, move on, modernise, embrace others’ cultures. But I see no sign of other cultures being asked to do likewise. I don’t see, for example, in the pamphlet I quoted above a mention that some people are offended by having their handshake declined (as I would be) and so perhaps Muslims could consider suspending their religious requirements to avoid offending their new boss. After all, they are not going to die or contract some life-threatening disease as a result (though that’s the impression I would get if somebody refused to shake my hand when I offer it). Muslims need to make some adjustments too. They need to lighten up in order to fit in with the majority behaviour in their home nation. But it seems there is no encouragement for them to do so.