Sunday, August 1, 2010

The beach sex scandal has had many of us thinking about the level of respect you should show as an expat in another country.
But sometimes insensitive behaviour is as much about ignorance as it is a simple lack of respect. So what are the cultural sensibilities we should be worrying about here in the UAE?
We spoke to UAE national, Ali Al Saloom from the informative web site ask-ali.com to see if he could help answer our questions.
Ali is a fountain of knowledge on local cultural matters; not only does he have his every own television show on City7 TV, ‘Ask Ali’, he also responds to people’s questions via his web site ask-ali.com. It doesn’t stop there - he is also a prominent culture consultant for Embrace Arabia, a company that runs cultural awareness and understanding programmes.
One issue that often tends to cause confusion in the UAE is the matter of alcohol. Although it is sold in bars and restaurants, the local attitude towards drinking and getting drunk is not the same as perhaps in European countries.
 So what does Ali advise?
“People should understand that Muslims should not drink. We do however allow people to drink, so in respect to our culture the least we ask is for visitors or expatriates in our country to respect our rules regarding alcohol,” says Ali.  
“That means no drinking and driving, and no drinking and going out onto the streets drunk and causing trouble in public places.”
Clothing can also be a cause for concern in the Middle East. The problem often being that people are told to dress modestly, but nobody actually explains exactly what is meant by modest.
In Ali’s interpretation, when nationals say to dress modestly, that doesn’t have to mean ugly, he says.
“We basically mean try not to dress too skimpy. If you’re a lady that means dresses and shorts not shorter than the knee and sleeves covering bare shoulders.
“If you have short sleeves then simply carry a scarf or shawl to put on in public places.
“Drooping tops showing off cleavage is also something that should not be on display.
“For men, a shirt, trousers or shorts is fine. Many men are now wearing  revealing vest tops, but this is not appreciated as an appropriate form dress for public places.”
Sex in public is an offence in most countries, but when it comes to perhaps tamer affectionate behaviour, such as kissing or holding hands, how would the local people of the UAE prefer expatriates and visitors to act?
According to Ali public displays of affection are not appreciated in malls and public areas.
“One of the things that many local people do not appreciate is the way some couples walk together and they might have their hands in each other’s back pockets.
“Even if they are married, this way of walking together is not considered nice. Yes, holding hands is fine, but do it modestly,” says Ali.
“A kiss on the forehead is fine, I would kiss my other in this way, but couples kissing on the lips is not good.
“And it should be remembered that the word couple in the UAE refers to married couples. Couples do not mean boyfriends and girlfriends.”
Ali also gives advice on how even when it comes to matters of business, certain codes of conduct are greatly appreciated by the local culture. Even though Dubai may be hectic, that doesn’t mean that your attitude toward business needs be the exact same.
“Handling a phone call or meeting can be done according to local manners,” notes Ali.
“In Western culture it is more common to get straight to business, but for us it is considered important to greet each other properly, not rush and ask after the health and family of the other person before getting to business,” says Ali.
He also points out that Middle Eastern people often talk with a passion that forces them to use their hands and body to explain things to others, but this is completely natural behaviour he comments.
“Whenever you see two people speaking loudly or pointing at each other, relax and remember they are probably just chit chatting and having a good time,” explains Ali.
In order to build better cultural understanding Ali believes that it would be very beneficial if all expatriates attended a cultural understanding programme when they arrive in the UAE.
“Very few companies or individuals take the time to immerse themselves in cultural awareness programmes in the UAE.
“If every company in the UAE did one week of cultural awareness courses, it would be very beneficial all round,” he says.
To help further develop cultural understanding, Ali and his team of professional consultants at Embrace Arabia offer a unique depth of knowledge about the Arabian Gulf region and its customs, lifestyle and business practices.
“At Embrace Arabia we passionately train and guide newcomers to the Gulf. We immerse them in the Arabian culture and help them build friendly bridges with local people which helps to enhance intercultural understanding.
“We offer them a cultural visa to Arabian hearts, minds and lifestyles,” says Ali.
 If you have any questions you would like to direct to Ali Al Saloom simply visit www.ask-ali.com.
Or visit www.embracearabia.com.