This over-the-top reaction to a harmless act epitomizes the fear and anxiety that characterizes relations between men and women under Sharia, and that leads to all sorts of pathologies.
“Hugging someone of opposite gender forbidden in Islam: UP imam,” by Nazar Abbas, TNN, June 23, 2018 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):
MORADABAD: The district imam has pronounced as “illegal and un-Islamic” the act an unidentified girl hugging youths outside a shopping mall in Moradabad on the eve of Eid. A video of the girl hugging youths was widely shared on social networking sites. The girl hugged almost 50 youths who waited in a queue for their turn.
Traditionally, in Muslim society, women and girls are not permitted to hug or make any physical contact with male strangers, regardless of whether it is a festive occasion or not.
After facing flak for her act, the girl who had uploaded the video on YouTube apologized through social media.
The cleric also criticized the youths who hugged the girl and said they too violated Sharia laws.