Greeting strangers in islamic countries
Feb 13th 2008, 5:44 am
#46
The Brains
Joined: Oct 2005
Location: Dubai / Hervey Bay
Posts: 886
Re: Greeting strangers in islamic countries
It is customerary even in business to take a few minutes to enquire about family (generally, not personally) before getting down to business. If offered hospitality by a local it is polite to accept, even if you only take a few sips of any drink offered.
Madam Medusa clearly does not have many dealings with local business here in Dubai.
Feb 13th 2008, 5:48 am
#47
The Brains
Joined: Oct 2005
Location: Dubai / Hervey Bay
Posts: 886
Re: Greeting strangers in islamic countries
Rule 1: NEVER EVER even offer a handshake to a woman in Saudi Arabia.
Rule 2: NEVER EVER even offer a handshake to a woman in Saudi Arabia.
There are exceptions who will shake hands - but let THEM take the initiative. I have THREE who work for me. I'm literally known as 'Mr Mixed Office' because I was the one who insisted on employing the three ladies because they were..... (takes a deep breath) .... the best candidates.
Only recently would we have been able to do this - five years ago, they would have been required to sit the other side of a glass screen. (We might have ended up dancing, you see....... remind me to tell you that joke sometime)
And of course Mr Mixed Office confirms that it's the 'Snappy Nicknames' capital of the world........
..... or if you end up in Afghanistan, when you and a woman shake hands, it counts as adultery, so she will get lashes followed by a stoning.
Welcome to the region.
Rule 2: NEVER EVER even offer a handshake to a woman in Saudi Arabia.
There are exceptions who will shake hands - but let THEM take the initiative. I have THREE who work for me. I'm literally known as 'Mr Mixed Office' because I was the one who insisted on employing the three ladies because they were..... (takes a deep breath) .... the best candidates.
Only recently would we have been able to do this - five years ago, they would have been required to sit the other side of a glass screen. (We might have ended up dancing, you see....... remind me to tell you that joke sometime)
And of course Mr Mixed Office confirms that it's the 'Snappy Nicknames' capital of the world........
..... or if you end up in Afghanistan, when you and a woman shake hands, it counts as adultery, so she will get lashes followed by a stoning.
Welcome to the region.
DO NOT go or be anywhere with a Saudi female on your own. It will be seen as having elicite relations by the religious police and you could both end up in jail. In reality women do not work in Saudi and in a family gathering it is with males only and segregated.
Feb 13th 2008, 1:22 pm
#48
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 23,434
Re: Greeting strangers in islamic countries
There was a report in last weeks paper about a woman holding a business meeting in a coffee shop with a male who was not a relative and she was thrown in prison for having a relationship with a non relative.
DO NOT go or be anywhere with a Saudi female on your own. It will be seen as having elicite relations by the religious police and you could both end up in jail. In reality women do not work in Saudi and in a family gathering it is with males only and segregated.
DO NOT go or be anywhere with a Saudi female on your own. It will be seen as having elicite relations by the religious police and you could both end up in jail. In reality women do not work in Saudi and in a family gathering it is with males only and segregated.
