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                     ARAB MANNERS AND CUSTOMS

Greeting

      Shake hands whenever you meet an Arab or leave him.    Shake
hands with both hands in order to symbolize that your intentions
are peaceful  (no hidden daggers).  Upon entering or leaving a
room, shake hands with everyone.   Greet the oldest and most
important individuals first.   Guests should rise, out of respect,
when an esteemed person enters a room.   Rise also when shaking
hands.

      Arabs exchange a variety of pleasantries and love to chat.
Learn some of the common Arabic greetings, both verbal and
gesture, and use them yourself.   Do not initiate them if you are
unsure of how to.   A fully body embrace, accompanied with
hugging, should n6t be initiated until you are sure that the Arab
is a close friend.   If the Arab initiates it, participate and
consider yourself honored and/or accepted.

      Two men kissing each other's cheeks ewhen greeting with
hands on each other's shoulders is a sign of friendship.     This is
only used, however, by two close friends who have not seen each
other for more than a month.

Status

      Arabs obtain status by birth into the right family instead
of, as Americans do, through their personal achievements.     Upward
social mobility remains limited in the Middle East.     Therefore,
Arabs are very conscious of their status and will go the extremes
to protect their respect, authority and power, and ultimately,
that of their family.   It is very important for an Arab to
preserve his personal dignity and appearance to the rest of the
world.   Most Arabs are very modest, particularly in their own
countries under the eyes of other Arabs.   Do not place an Arab
into an embarrassing situation in public, for instance, through
undue attention or criticism (whether deserved or in jest) which
may cause him to lose `1face1' in front of others.   Egually
important in the Arab world is the fact that anyone of
importance,  including Westerners of prominence, does not
personally undertake manual labor, whether at home or at work.
Labor is considered demeaning and can result in the loss of
status and influence.

Conversation

      In any contact with Arabs, it is never appropriate to
display impatience or undue haste because these traits are
normally interpreted as evidence of insincerity or a lack of
self-control.   Conversation is opened with small talk and
pleasantries, centered on the health and well-being of the
participants and their respective families.   However, avoid


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