(Tehran) At the Cannes Film Festival, President Gilles Jacob kissed the actress and the prize jury member Leila Hatami on the cheek in which to thank her.
Well, in Iran, where kissing men is preferable to kissing women, this hasn't gone down well.
Iranian deputy minister of culture, Hoseyn Nushabadi, said that Hatami's appearance in Cannes was "in violation of religious beliefs".
The conservative Young Journalists' Club, operated by the country's state broadcaster, wrote that "extending her (Hatami's) hand to Jacob was unconventional and improper behaviour".
And the bBC's Sebastian Usher (the BBC's World Service Middle East editor), said Hatami was wearing a scarf around her head but her neck was uncovered. Both her dress and the kiss "are unacceptable in the Islamic Republic of Iran".
Just what is it about Islam (and plastic Muslims) where it expresses horror at giving equality and freedom to women.
Well, in Iran, where kissing men is preferable to kissing women, this hasn't gone down well.
Iranian deputy minister of culture, Hoseyn Nushabadi, said that Hatami's appearance in Cannes was "in violation of religious beliefs".
The conservative Young Journalists' Club, operated by the country's state broadcaster, wrote that "extending her (Hatami's) hand to Jacob was unconventional and improper behaviour".
And the bBC's Sebastian Usher (the BBC's World Service Middle East editor), said Hatami was wearing a scarf around her head but her neck was uncovered. Both her dress and the kiss "are unacceptable in the Islamic Republic of Iran".
Just what is it about Islam (and plastic Muslims) where it expresses horror at giving equality and freedom to women.
