A Muslim asylum seeker in Ireland has been denied an award for his volunteer work after asking organizers that he not shake the hand of the woman presenting the award. Instead, the judges at the National Consultive Committee on Racism and Inter-culturalism decided that someone else should receive the award. The man, Alinoor Ahmed Sheikh, is a Somali Muslim based in a asylum hostel in Tralee, was to receive an award for his efforts to raise funds for Amnesty International. Sheikh said that he received assurance from the organizers that his request be respected; but five minutes before the announcement of the prize, his name was crossed out and the prize was instead given to an absent volunteer.
