Is it permissible to sever family ties (qat' ar-rahim) due to existing evils such as handshaking and intermingling (ikhtilat), and is it sufficient to maintain ties with them by phone if the young man is shy about speaking with them and fears ridicule?

The status of maintaining kinship ties (Silat al-Rahim) is great in Islam, and severing them is one of the greatest abominations. It is incumbent upon a Muslim to maintain kinship ties through whatever means are possible, and he must endure hardship in doing so, for the outcome will be good, Allah willing. And any shyness that prevents maintaining ties is religiously condemned.