German police are investigating a female teacher after a Muslim Imam refused to shake her hand - and then filed a complaint against her for harassment and discrimination.

Imam Kerim Ucar had been called in to see the female teacher at a school in Berlin over complaints about his son's behaviour.

But when the teacher welcomed him into her office and offered him her hand, he reportedly refused to shake it.

Upset at the rejection, the teacher reportedly attempted to explain why it was important and when he repeatedly refused to shake hands, she decided to end the meeting.

But although the teacher made no formal complaint, the Imam went to police and filed a criminal complaint against the teacher at the Platanus School in Berlin, citing religious discrimination and xenophobic behaviour.

Imam Kerim Ucar has filed a criminal complaint against a female teacher who asked him to shake her hand

The Imam, a member of the conservative Shiite sect, said that the criminal complaint was justified because he had made it clear at the start of the conversation that he had no interest in shaking the hands of a woman as it was against his religion.

He said he had generously offered to place his hands on his chest as a sign of greeting, and was offended when she told him this was not enough.

He added: 'I was certainly very calm about the whole thing, after all, I waited for a whole week for her to apologise. It was only when that did not happen that I instructed my lawyer to file a criminal complaint.'

His wife Dilek Ucar has meanwhile removed the children from the school. She told German broadcaster Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg: 'I no longer have any confidence that they will teach the children in a correct way.'

Mr Ucar said he had generously offered to place his hands on his chest as a sign of greeting to the female teacher but she refused

The Imam has filed a criminal complaint against the teacher at the Platanus School in Berlin (pictured)

According to local media the Imam has lived in Germany for 15 years and speaks numerous languages, however he does not speak German.

When asked why, he said: 'Because of my enormous workload as an Imam, I have simply not found the time yet.'

The female teacher who was not identified told local media that she believes he should be more ready to adopt local laws, cultures and customs.

As the row worsened, the school finally issued a statement on the subject, saying: 'The bilingual English-German Platanus School is characterised by a great diversity and respectful coexistence. Out of respect for the children and their parents, we will not comment on any in-school situations in order to protect the other students, as well as the teaching staff.'