Yes, it's the first time. It's not that usual here in the Netherlands, not even in Rotterdam. In fact, it was part of a big controversy in politics here the Netherlands, where our Minister for Integration (yes, we used to have one of those...) was refused a handshake by a Salafistic imam.

There may be many Muslims in Rotterdam, but Hijab-wearing is not standard as far as I understand, certainly not in women with a higher level of education. And I know no-one with a Niqaab. I may have seen a handful during my years in Rotterdam. My piont is: I have interacted with many Muslims in my life, but none were really conservative. Well, except for one, but he was more of a giant <insert bad word> of a man, than a true conservative. He participated in a debating contest years ago and refused to eat lunch with the other contestants (including his fellow students), because "you Dutch people smell and I get ill when I have to smell what you call food." I was nearly convinced he was making a joke.

My new colleague came from Iran, which might explain a few things for some, were it not that we already have 7 Iranians working here, and none of them are as conservative as this colleague. None even wear Hijab.

I think the issue for me may not be the handshake itself, it's working with a religious conservative. I'll have to find a new way of interacting with my colleagues and I'm not sure how comfortable I feel about that. I was raised atheist and if my father had his way anti-theist. I'm much more tolerant than him, but it does influence you. As I mentioned to ADG: that says more about me, my preconceptions and my views, than it does about my new colleague.

I did tell my wife that we will now know about the start and end of Ramadan again. During our years in Rotterdam, this was part of normal life, but when we moved here we were surprised to hear Eid al-Fitr had been a week before. My wife seriously felt robbed of nice things to eat.