Is it normal it upset me that a Muslim wouldn't shake my hand?

I just asked my friend. He says he wouldn't shake hands with you either. I didn't quite understand the reasons but he says it's a kind of intimacy that's inappropriate. Your feeling of being rejected romantically shows that maybe there is some subtext to men and women shaking hands (the whole holding hands thing, maybe).

My friend says he'll shake hands with men because there's no chance of it being seen as a step to a romantic relationship.

It isn't a rejection, though. It's a way of preventing misunderstanding and of keeping things modest.

Shia are less than 15% of whole muslim population so there opinion simply doesn't count I think

I've never heard of the "if you shake your hand, you're committing an aposty in Islam" rule. I'm a Muslim and I do shake hands (heck I'll even hug random people) with anyone who offers it. You could also consider other aspects of the dude. Maybe he was taught culturally to not shake hands with women (he's not married or related to). I can't confirm the ritual purification thing because I'm not a Shia. But so far, I've never heard of it before lol.

Haha. I'm a muslim, and no, shaking hands with you does not make me impure, the same way our prophet used to shake hand and have deals with his uncle, who died as a non-muslim. This believe of not shaking hand with women who are not related to u, and that u r not married to comes from some not so sure sources that the prophet had forbidden the act. Some half of the scholars say u should not, the other say the sources are weak, and it's ok to shake hands with women. Am with the latter group, i shake women's hands, and I think it's ok. However, I believe you should not take it personal if some muslim refused to shake hands, it is out of his devotion, and doesn't mean to insult. A lot of muslims here don't shake hands and we don't normally shake hands between a man and a woman by the norms only. Hope u got it. All respect from jordan ;)

I don't think that thing about Shias is true, the only time you need to do ritual purification is if you were unconscious, pooped, farted, ejaculated, fell asleep, had your periods, or are now dead. Same as the jewish cleaning
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikveh" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikveh</a>
taharat is the Arabic term similar to the jewish taharah

I also second what dappled says
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bereavement_in_Judaism#Preparing_the_body_.E2.80.94_Taharah" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bereavement_in_Ju...</a>

touching you will not make him impure unless you were in contact with something impure, like an impure animal or substance, say you touched a pig or a dog and touched him or if you spilt alcohol on him, then he'd have to do "wazu" before prayer again. you need to do wazu before prayer regardless.

the reason he didn't touch you is either company policy, or that he didn't touch you out of respect, you can't touch unrelated women under fear of disrespecting them, being lecherous.

there are 2 types of purification.
wazu is the one that you do if you fall asleep, go to the bathroom, touch something impure and before prayer.

taharat is when you fall unconscious, had intercourse have died and some other stuff.

It's pretty much the same stuff
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ritual_washing_in_Judaism" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ritual_washing_in...</a>

I'm not a Muslim, but I do know they have some very strong convictions! Like not touching pork or alcohol, and not being allowed to own dogs (exceptions for working dogs only).

There was a Muslim store clerk who made a big deal of people not coming through their checkout line if they were buying pork or alcohol because even touching the packages would taint them. That was a bit extreme, from what I understand many find it OK to use gloves in that situation since it's in a package as well.

They considered strapping packages of pig lard inside some public places and buses to stop suicide bombers, because if the pork touched them, their mission would be futile...you know, the point of a suicide mission is to become a martyr so that wouldn't happen if the pork got on them. I don't know if they ever did that, I remember it was several years ago that I heard about that.

The hand shaking thing has roots in sexual temptation, it goes right along with women being covered up with clothing.

I do admire their devotion, honestly. They don't half-ass it.