An Infidel's Saying "Hello" Offends Moslem

Via this posting at Jihad Watch:

When the landlady of my Toronto apartment building said an outraged neighbour had filed a complaint about me over an apparently inappropriate hallway interaction with his wife, my mind raced through the countless conversations I've had with fellow tenants, none of which seemed a possible source of offence.

It turns out, it wasn't a salacious transaction that had caused the complaint, but rather a neighbourly and -- to me -- entirely forgettable greeting, little more than a brief "good morning" as I passed my neighbours on the way to work.

An infidel's wishing a good day to a Moslem apparently isn't a courtesy. Rather, it is an insult.

The article in the National Post (via Jihad Watch) continues:

Still, it was enough of an affront for the man -- once a doctor somewhere in the Middle East, my landlady clarified -- to feel I had broken a cultural taboo. The incident started an awkward feud which has involved warnings not to repeat my indiscretion and one face-to-face shouting match, which included allusions to my impending death.

I expect the battle will wage on, as we appear to be stuck at an impasse.

His Muslim upbringing has ingrained in him a sense of entitlement to demand I not speak directly to his wife; and my prairie upbringing has ingrained in me a duty to strive for polite cohesion with my neighbours....

Here in Northern Virginia, we have a lot of Moslem bank tellers, many wearing hijabs. You may note the same in your locale. If so, infidel gentlemen, watch your step!

Robert Spencer also notes the following:

The funny thing about this is that if this man did start ignoring his neighbors, never holding the elevator for them, never greeting them, etc., onlookers would think him "xenophobic" and say that his coldness was the kind of thing that made Muslim immigrants feel alienated and lash out in terrorist acts.

To greet or not to greet? That is the question.

(Crossposted to Infidel Bloggers Alliance)