It didn't take long for first lady Michelle Obama to woo Indonesian officials. In fact, one conservative Muslim government minister admits she had him at hello. But that very hello landed Obama in the grip of controversy shortly after she landed Tuesday in Indonesia. Information Minister Tifatul Sembiring admits he shook hands with the president's wife to welcome her. But he insists the handshake was against his will.

"I tried to prevent (being touched) with my hands but Mrs. Michelle held her hands too far toward me (so) we touched," Sembiring broadcast on Twitter. YouTube footage cast doubt on that claim, sparking a debate in the blogosphere about who offered a hand first.

Many conservative Muslims don't shake the hands of the opposite sex, emulating the practice of the Prophet Muhammad, who didn't touch women besides his wife, said Ghulam Haider Aasi, an adjunct instructor at American Islamic College. In 5th century Arabia, shaking the hand of a woman implied an untoward allegiance or violation, he said.

In an address to University of Indonesia students, President Barack Obama urged the audience to embrace the tolerance he said he had encountered in the Muslim-majority island nation. "As a Christian visiting a mosque on this visit," he said, "I found it in the words of a leader who was asked about my visit and said: 'Muslims are also allowed in churches. We are all God's followers.'"It's unclear if the First Lady was even aware of the handshake hullabaloo. But she did don the appropriate attire and wore a headscarf when she and the president visited the Istiqlal Mosque.

Conservative Muslims are not the only ones who view handshakes between the opposite sex as verboten. Some Orthodox Jewish men don’t shake women’s hands either, in part to respect the woman’s space and avoid embarrassment. Stuart Matlins, co-author of “How To Be A Perfect Stranger,“ said when in doubt, the best way to handle the hands is to keep them by your side until a hand is extended.

“It’s the same protocols as dealing with the Queen of England,” Matlins said. If a hand doesn’t jut out, he said, “just say hello.”Have you been caught in a similar situation? What have you done?