Avoiding embarrassing situations
1-Social Life
2-Business Meetings
3-Interaction with the Opposite Sex
4-Entering Mosques
5-Matters of Faith
Social Life
-If invited to an Egyptian’s home, you can take along
some sweets, pastries or baked goods you can also buy
Flowers especially when visiting the sick and newly wed.
Remember alcohol is forbidden in Islam, so bringing a
bottle of wine to your host’s house is not a good idea
and probably will not be allowed into the house.
-The most common greeting you will hear is “Asalamu
alaikum” which means Peace be upon you. Friends and
family will also kiss on the cheek.
All people also shake hands but many are not comfortable
with shaking hands with the opposite sex, so when you
see someone from the opposite sex greet him/her verbally
and don’t stretch your hand till you see if he/she
stretches his/her hand first.
-Although Western workplace may involve a socializing
culture of the office, where typical business culture
involves after work socializing in pubs or restaurants,
Muslims do not drink any alcohol and places such as
pubs, bars and discos are not considered suitable venues
for relaxation, then Muslim staff may politely decline
such offers. This should not be interpreted as bad
manners of unfriendliness, but rather a difference in
cultures that should be respected, Muslims usually
gather in restaurants and coffee shops.
-Muslim men and women may also find close physical
contact between sexes very uncomfortable. Unless you
know otherwise be sure to leave a good deal of personal
space.
-Showing the soles of your shoes in the face of someone
is extremely offensive so don’t spread your feet in the
face of others and also avoid sitting with your legs
wide apart.
Business Meetings
-When doing business in Egypt you will notice the love
of titles. The hierarchical nature of Egyptian society
means that status is always an issue. Common titles are
doctor (for both a medical doctor and an academic),
bashmuhendis (engineer) and sheikh (religious scholar),
the word Ustaz means Mr and it is always good to use it,
for women you just add an a at the end of the word so it
is bashmuhandisa, Sheikha and Ustaza.
-If you plan to arrange some meetings in Egypt do so
only a few weeks in advance. Confirm the meeting prior
to leaving for Egypt and also upon arriving. Things
change rapidly so it is best to ensure you are at the
forefront of their minds.
-The key to doing business well in Egypt is patience.
This is especially true in negotiations. Business
meetings will be slow and lengthy affairs as you move
from chit-chat to business and people whom you just knew
can be very friendly asking you about your health and if
you are married and how many children do you have.
-When planning team building trips or exercises or team
outings always bear in mind some Muslim members of staff
may feel uncomfortable if the venue is a pub, bar or
even a restaurant serving alcohol. It is always best to
check with that staff member first. Try to think of
alternative venues where all staff will be comfortable
-In Muslim countries all meat is halal and don’t contain
any alcohol ingrediants, so you do not need to ask about
that in public places that serves it.
-Remember that the working day in Ramadan is very short
as people go to work late and leave around 3 P.M. to
avoid traffic and be at home before sunset when they are
supposed to break their fast.
-With the opposite sex avoiding long eye contact means
is a sign of modesty not negligence.
“Your wife is beautiful” is considered an insult, not a
compliment.
-Dating, kissing and hugging, patting, being alone in a
closed place with the opposite sex, dirty jokes, &
talking openly about sexual matters in the presence of
the opposite sex are all against Egyptian customs &
Islamic religion .
Entering Mosques
Taking off shoes in prayer hall
Wearing modestly (no shorts , or mini skirts, or tight
clothes)
Women covering their hair is recommended
Pets aren’t allowed in.
Matters of Faith
Allah is an Arabic word that means “the one true God”,
Arab Christians and Jews call the Deity Allah as well as
Muslims.
Respect that Muslims believe in the Oneness of God
Denying His existence is very offensive for all Muslims
The Call to Prayer or the Azhan
It is announced on loud speakers 5 times a day. Devout
Muslims may go quiet in the middle of a discussion, to
listen to it & repeat the call. Showing impatience or
frustration is very offensive.
Prayer
Muslims have 5 daily obligatory prayers, the first one
is at dawn, the second is at noon, the third is in the
afternoon, the fourth after sunset and the fifth is in
the evening. They should be practiced on time, each
prayer takes only 5 – 10 minutes, so give your Muslim
employees the chance to practice them on time or else
they may be distracted by being worried about their
prayer time getting expired.
For Muslims in your company it is a good idea to
allocate a neutral space for them to use for their
prayers. This can be a dedicated prayer room or simply
access to a seldom used office or medical room. Such a
space will make your Muslim staff feel at comfort
knowing they have somewhere private and clean to
practice their prayers.
If you see a towel size rug in the office of a Muslim
colleague, then it is his/her prayer rug, don’t step on
it with your shoes.
Holy Quran
The Quran is the word of God and is very much respected
by all Muslims, Muslims need a certain purification
process before holding the Quran, so when you see the
Arabic Holy Quran in the place of a Muslim avoid holding
it, putting any other books on top of it or lay it on
the ground while you can freely hold the translations of
the Quran to all languages as they are not regarded as
Divine by Muslims.
Ramadan
Ramadan is the ninth month in the lunar calendar ,
Muslims fast from dawn till sunset in Ramadan, it is the
month of worship, Muslims spend most of the night in
prayers, and they try to discipline themselves to become
more patient
-It is recommended not to eat or drink in the presence
of Muslims by day time.
Messengers
Muslims respect all Messengers of God, they do not utter
their names except followed by (Sallalahu alayhi
wassalam) which means peace be upon him. This includes
Prophets Muhammad, Jesus son of Mary, Moses and Abraham.
Even though Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) the most beloved
person by Muslims, not one Muslim worships him, as they
only worship God
Muslims are not used to laughing at religion, not their
religion nor anybody’s religion, accusing any messenger
of committing sins is very offensive
Palestine is the land of the Prophets and is considered
Holy for all Muslims
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