The Middle East area is further divided into sub-areas as follows:
• The Levant
• The Arabian Peninsula countries and Yemen
• North Africa (Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Libya, Algeria and Sudan)
• Others (Turkey, Iran, Somalia, Eritrea…)
• Palestine/Israel
Religions that exist in the Middle East are as follows:
• Sunni Islam
• Shia Islam
• Alawite
• Druze
• Christianity, with several branches: Maronite, Chaldean, Assyrian and Coptic,
which are region-based versions of Christianity
• Judaism
• Other minority religions
During Muslim holidays or Ramadan, life is affected by ceremonies and everyone is expected to respect those ceremonies while in public. Office hours and business dynamics change in many Middle Eastern countries during the month of Ramadan. It’s highly recommended that one belongs to a formal religion when in this part of the world as well as avoiding engaging in a religion-based discussion or analysis. Such an interaction can immediately lead to animosity or distance. The best attitude to have is to just be a listener and a learner when it comes to religious conversations.
To illustrate how religions are used to identify and organize society, religions and religious sects in Lebanon have been assigned quotas for job openings, and high level positions in the government are required to be filled by certain religious followers. For example, in Lebanon the president must be a Maronite Christian, the prime minister must be a Sunni Muslim, the minister of foreign affairs is usually an Orthodox Christian, etc. In other countries in the Arab world, Christians are not authorized to hold many key positions.
History:
The history of the Middle East has been marked by the flow of empires for thousands of years going back to the ancient world.
History is an extremely important point to every Middle Eastern community, as many communities can point to a time when their ethnicity controlled large areas of land.
The history of the Middle East can be understood through three aspects: the concept of empire, the growth of Islam, and the influence of colonial powers. History is a key part of understanding the present day conflicts afflicting the region as the same territories are the subject of debate for religious, economic, historical, and territorial considerations.
Various peoples have built empires throughout the Middle East and this was understood as the dominant form of government for thousands of years; an incomplete list for historical purposes would include the Assyrian Empire, the Persian Empire, Egyptian empire, Macedonian empire, Arab empire, Mongol empire, and Ottoman empire.
Since the 7th century, Islam became the driving force in the life philosophy of the people and their leaders who converted to Islam, and spreading Islam became a force that expanded the reach of the Middle East and its peoples all the way
from Spain to Indonesia in the present day.
In recent history, colonial influence has introduced new systems of government which in general are considered alien to the culture and unnatural, such as the concept of the nation and democracy. Outsiders to the area such as the European crusaders, Mongol invaders, and colonial powers of the last 100 years have introduced much violence and left the impression on the people of the area that foreign governments are not to be trusted and are there to harm the people.
The present day Middle East is a mixture of very old cultures and very young nations that were organized by European colonial powers after the defeat of the Central Powers which led to the end of World War One and fall of the Ottoman Empire. By knowing which country was subsequently the colonial power in an area of the Middle East after World War One, one can learn much about the culture, social system, military and dynamics of every society. Lebanon, Syria and Iraq were bound by Ottoman rule for over 400 years, and this affected the culture very much, however Lebanon was left under French mandate and Iraq under British mandate after World War One that greatly affected the political structure of both countries. Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria were occupied by the French for a long time and there is a great amount of French influence in this part of the
Middle East and Northern Africa as well. American and British energy interests became greatly involved in Saudi Arabia and Iran and major events in the history of these two countries has often had something to do with an American or Brit.
The French and British also left a lasting influence in Egypt and Lebanon, and this is why Lebanon is part of the Francophone countries and French is the genteel language in Egypt. Napoleon’s Army landed in Egypt in the 19th century and his army’s artillery practice targeting the Sphinx caused the Sphinx’s nose deformity. During World War One, the British Army along with an Australian contingent fought the Gallipoli campaign against the Ottomans in which hundreds of thousands of soldiers were killed or wounded on both sides. Catholic Missionaries from Europe and more specifically French ones have also had a lasting influence on the education system in Lebanon and throughout the MENA.
In the present day, most countries in the Middle East maintain a great deal of cultural influence and economic ties with western nations on top of a powerful Islamic culture and life constitution, on top of an even longer history of empires. The culture of the Middle East is thus understood only by learning about the history of the region and the forces that have influenced the growth and demise of controlling powers.
Major languages spoken in the Middle East are:
• Arabic
• Turkish
• Farsi
• Assyrian
• Armenian
• Kurdish
• Turkmen
• Hebrew
• English
• French
Dining Etiquette:
One area of importance in cross cultural awareness is the differences in dining etiquette around the world. Understanding dining etiquette can help people visiting the Middle East and Northern Africa polish their conduct for the purpose of building better relationships.
Dining etiquette, whether Western style or Arab tribal style involves considering the following points:
• Seating
• Eating
• Body
• Conversation
• The food
• Home/restaurant
Here are some important points to consider while dining in the Middle East:
• Conversations are animated and loud. “Breaking bread” is an important event in any relationship building.
• The head of the family or honored guest is normally served first.
• The eldest person has priority in being served food.
• If you are enjoying the food, express yourself. It is considered as a compliment.
• If invited to a restaurant the host is usually the one that pays, it is common
that others attempt to do so and it is common and expected that you resist and not accept, if hosting.
Here are some rules to follow if dining within a tribal environment:
• Guests are honored with the exclusive parts of the sheep (eyes, tongue, head, etc.) per Arab tradition.
• Eat with your right hand only, when no cutlery is used. You may ask for cutlery if this is your custom, it is no longer an offense.
• Food is served by grabbing it by hand and putting it on your plate.
• Do not be afraid of making a mess, like everyone else.
• You will be served more food every time your plate is emptied. This is another expression of Arab generosity.
• Complimenting the host on the food is recommended and shows understanding and acceptance of the culture.
Depending on the situation you may want to combine elements of the two dining etiquette options explained above.
Alcohol Consumption:
Since most of the Middle East is Muslim, one should not consume alcohol or ask for it. The exception applies when you are interacting with non-Muslims or Muslims who offer you alcohol first. As general advice, stay behind your Muslim host in the amount you are drinking and learn about their own micro-culture when facing such a situation.
Dress Code:
Wearing conservative western dress is the best way to go in most countries. In some countries, you might be expect to wear an "abbaya"- woman's black robe.
Gift Exchange:
People like to express their gratitude, sorrow, love, friendship and other forms of emotion by giving gifts. However, keep in mind:
• If you accepted a gift, you have to wait for an opportunity to return the gesture.
• It is offending to talk about the monetary value of a gift received or given.
• A gift should be wrapped; packaging and looks are important.
Masculinity/Femininity:
A man’s role is important in the Middle East region and men take pride in their masculinity and who they are. From a cultural point of view, women are meant to raise a family and are considered protected property. A man’s duty is to protect women and provide them with food, shelter and security.
The Koran is a base to understanding male and female social roles in this part of the world. Needless to say, this entire philosophy is drawn from the Koran and a foreigner should refrain from criticizing or attempting to change its roots.
A man living in this part of the world should avoid expressing any feminine appearance like wearing earrings, having long hair, being dressed in an eccentric way with a feminine style, etc. As far as attitude and body language the same applies. A man is expected not to cross his legs while seated. Serving meals, doing laundry, housework and cleaning is usually considered as a female job or a lower-class job for a man, so in either case try to avoid doing it yourself if you are male. If you are a female and a guest, you should also not offer to assist in preparing the meal or cleaning up. Attempting to interfere in this part of the housework may also offend the females who are keeping the home. Make sure you don’t look down on your host for having servants or treating his wife as a servant. Ensure that you respect the social classifications in your host culture.
The Concept of Time:
In the Middle East, time is a perception. A meeting scheduled for 10 a.m. in this part of the world will start sometime after 10 a.m. “Inshallah” (by God’s will). Precision is not to the minute and you should not let this reality build negative energy in you. Even in the case that the meeting did begin at 10 a.m., the first part of it will be socializing and no business on the agenda will get discussed anyways. As a rule, a westerner should plan on allotting a little more time than usual. Someone from East Asia or a Latin country will have an easier time dealing with the perception of time.
Major taboos of the region:
The Middle East, as a whole, has various taboos.
To name some, the aboos in the regiion are:
Sex before marriage, Death, Private family matters, Financial situations, and War.
Sex before marriage is a new world concept that is greatly unaccepted in many Middle Eastern countries. It is what resembles everything bad in the Western world to the Middle East so the idea of it being an open topic is beyod intolerable.
Death is something that you do not speak of because there is superstitions associated with speaking about death along with the idea that you want to live each day without worrying about what could happen.
Family is though of to be a very private institution that is kept on mute terms when in the presence of other people.
Financial situation are much like family matters in that Middle Eastern families are extremely prideful and so to ask for financial help or to disucss financial matters is considered taboo.
The Middle East is a war torn area filled with corrupt leaders and occupied territories. Not only do you not talk about war, you could be killed or imprisioned if you act upon your frustration and anger towards it.
(n.d.).
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