Is there any truth to the claim that a man may not shake hands with a woman because she menstruates and is therefore unclean?

Australian former politician Bronwyn Bishop was recently quoted as saying: > When I hear the Department of Education saying it’s OK for a boy to put his hand on his heart instead of taking a woman’s hand, **it’s totally unacceptable because the belief behind that is that a woman is unclean because she menstruates**. -- Bronwyn Bishop fires up over Islamic ‘insult’ to women, Starts at 60 I'm shocked to hear this, and I doubt it's true. But perhaps there's a grain of truth to this that I'm unaware of. **Question**: Is there any truth to the claim that a man may not shake hands with a woman because she menstruates and is therefore unclean? I try to avoid shaking hands with men, as part of avoiding all physical contact with men. I have, on occasion, outright refused (especially when they're Muslim and they should know better). I just assumed it was an aspect of hijab.