| Etiquette In The Middle East |
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As expectations regarding good manners differ from person to person and vary according to each situation, no treatise on the rules of Etiquette nor any list of Faux Pas can ever be complete. As the Perception of Behaviors and actions vary, Intercultural Competence is essential. However, a lack of Knowledge about the Customs and Expectation s of people of the Middle East can make even the best-intentioned person seem rude, foolish, or worse. THE MIDDLE EAST ''Middle East'' defines a cultural area, so it does not have precise borders. The most common (although highly arbitrary) definition includes: ISLAM and are applicable everywhere in the world where Muslims are plentiful. Shown here is a woman in Afghanistan wearing a Burqa .]] Many matters of etiquette in the Middle East are connected to Islam as it is revealed in the Qur'an and how it has been traditionally understood and practiced throughout the centuries. The Muslim world As such, many points discussed in this article are applicable in other regions of the Muslim World such as such as the state of Kelantan in Malaysia or certain communities in North India . This holds especially true in Muslim Majority countries outside the Middle East including: Heterogeneity Among Muslims in the Middle East and elsewhere, the most drastically difference of opinion about etiquette and propriety may exist between Conservative Muslims and Progressive Muslims . For example, a Wahhabi scholar in Riyadh and a Bartender working in a Gay Club in Istanbul might both be Sunni Muslims with a great deal of Faith in Allah , but they assuredly possess different Belief Systems regarding what is acceptable and what offends. Expectations about manners and etiquette will also vary along ethnic lines, especially in cases where people are the inheritors of different linguistic traditions. For example, Iranians are an ethnically and linguistically diverse people, most of whom are not Arabs and would not practice customs that are distinctly Arabic. Customs might also vary along Denominational lines within Islam, such as those divisions which exist between Shi'ites , Sunnis, and Alawites . OTHER RELIGIONS The Middle East is home to many people who follow faiths besides Islam. Most notable among them are various Jewish Denominations , the churches of Eastern Orthodox Christianity , Copts and other adherents of Oriental Orthodoxy , Maronites , Melkites , Zoroastrians , and Baha'is . All these people possess customs, traditions and beliefs distinct to their own cultural legacy and differing from those of Muslims, including ideas about what is good etiquette and what offends their sensabilities. In some cases, however, Muslims and non-Muslims in the Middle East will share characteristics, whether it is the prohibition against Pork ordained by both Kosher and Halal dietary restrictions, a preference for the beverage widely known elsewhere as " Turkish Coffee ", or knowledge of how to conduct business in a crowded Souk without being cheated. As coexistence, rather than conflict, has been the norm between people in the Middle East throughout much of history, it is a place where people with different beliefs often share the same traditions. POINTS OF ETIQUETTE in Iran .]] Although the Middle East is a large expanse of geography with a variety of customs, noting the following points of etiquette can be useful when dealing with people around the world who have been raised according to the traditions of the Middle East or, in some cases, Muslim societies elsewhere.
wears a Niqab , a variety of Headscarf popular throughout the Middle East.]]
as “ Turkish Coffee ”, grinding fresh-roasted Coffee Beans to a fine powder, dissolving Sugar and carefully regulating the heat to produce a result that meets exacting standards.]]
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