Today to successfully conduct business and make money we must deal with all sorts of people and their respective religion. Of course you can remain totally ignorant about your prospective partner’s traditions and way of life, but then the chances of failure are much higher. Today let’s review some basic traditions of Islam in the context of business etiquette.
Today Islam, by many, is viewed as a religion that supports terror in the name of the faith. Actually Islam is a peaceful religion and only a bunch of radical fundamentalists use it to justify terror. It is horrible no question about it, bet lets remember what some Christian countries did in the name of God to the natives of the both American continents. So let’s not judge the whole religion just by the acts of some of its followers.
According to Islam a real Muslim caring and peaceful and lives his life according to the will of God. A true Muslim would never harm he’s fellow man, not by words nor actions.
Most of the mayor Muslim countries are located in the Near East, but the largest Muslim country is actually situated in Asia, namely Indonesia with a population of more than 200 million.
Business in Islamic countries is usually done by men, but there can be some exceptions in some of the more liberal Muslim countries. Women in Islamic countries are protected from the public view. The only physical contact between men and women in public can be a handshake. Eating traditionally is done with hand and only with the right hand which is considered ”clean” by Islam. Remember that Muslims do not eat pork and drink any alcohol. Muslims pray five times a day and during the prayers everything stops no business is conducted shops close and every Muslim fully devotes himself to the prayer. Take that in mind scheduling a business meeting. Small gifts are not necessary but appreciated. If a Muslim has invited you into his house you can feel completely safe as no harm can be done while inside the house.
One more thing, although you may use a international English greeting it is considered more polite to use the traditional greeting – salaam alaykum and one answers such a greeting with alaykum asalaam.
This is of course only a tiny bit all Islamic traditions, but it is always to know at least something than nothing at all.
