Culture of Qatar

           Upon your arrival in Doha you will be given a book called Don’t They Know It’s Friday by  Jeremy Williams.  This book is a cultural guide to living and working in the Middle East.  Until you receive this book please familiarize yourself with the topics below.  

Dress Code

            Qatari national men usually wear a thobe, a long white shirt over loose pants. They also wear a loose headdress, called a gutra, in white or red and white cloth, held on with a black rope known as the agal. Qatari national women usually cover their heads with a black scarf called a shayla and, their body with a long black dress called an abayah. The national dress for both men and women is a traditional custom that many Qatari’s respect and seek to preserve.
           However, expatriates are free to wear whatever they like and feel would be appropriate within the society and its customs. They are expected to remain sensitive to the Islamic culture and not dress in a revealing or provocative manner. Men generally wear long pants and a shirt in public. Women’s attire should cover shoulders and knees. Shorts and short skirts are considered inappropriate, although casual dress is becoming increasingly flexible. Western bathing attire is worn at hotels, clubs, swimming pools, and beaches, and in private gated housing communities. Topless sunbathing is not permitted. For business, suits are the most common dress for men at work (At Carnegie Mellon you’ll typically see anything from suits to slacks and a golf shirt). Working women tend to wear items similar to those they would wear in their home country.

 Social Customs

             The Arabs as a people are hospitable and courteous and although some of their social conventions are rather elaborate, they will not generally be offended by a social mistake stemming from ignorance. Do note that most Qataris adhere to the relatively strict Sunni observation of Islam, and this affects not only the social and religious behavior of the locals, but also the majority of the population living in Qatar. Only those Muslims habitually familiar with western life or with whom relations are extremely close will bring their wives in response to invitations. Similarly, invitations from Muslim friends do not include wives unless specifically mentioned, although wives are frequently welcomed separately to the homes of Muslim ladies.
            Meals served by Qatari hosts are likely to be served at a table in the western manner, but you may have occasion to attend a traditional meal served on a large mat on the floor. A foreigner will usually be provided with a fork or spoon, although the Arabs are likely to eat with their fingers. Never use your left hand. The right hand only is used when eating with one’s fingers or when offering a guest food, drink, or cigarettes. Arab hosts will pile excessive amounts of food on your plate and it is not impolite to leave a large part of it. To finish everything would imply that the host did not offer enough. Finally, when seated, a guest should not stretch out his legs so that the soles of the feet point at anyone. Also, crossing your legs is considered impolite.

Business Customs
       
             Arabs do not expect to rush into business talk. Conversations normally begin slowly with exchanges or greetings, moving onto business only after refreshments have been served. It is quite common for conversations to be interspersed with periods of silence, which Arabs do not regard as embarrassing.  It is also impolite to refuse an offer of food or drink – allow it to be served, but you do not have to consume it. Arab coffee is served at almost every meeting and it is polite to drink at least one of the small cups. When you have finished, if you hold it out with your right hand, it will be refilled. If you hold it out and shake it, the cup will be taken away. 

 Ramadan and Eids
          
            Ramadan Al-Mubarak (The Blessed) is the ninth month of the Hijri year. It is singled out for acts of worship and fasting because the first verse of the Qur’an was revealed to Mohammed, The Holy Prophet, in the month of Ramadan, during a period of meditation and solitude in a cave near Mecca.
             The Muslim year is comprised of 12 lunar months and the calendar begins with the year 622 AD, when Mohammed and his followers left Mecca and went to live in Medina. This event is called the Hijra (migration). As there are only 354 days in 12 lunar months, the Muslim year begins 11 days earlier every year, according to the solar calendar.
             For Muslims, Ramadan means four weeks of total abstinence from food, drink, and smoking and continence in all other aspects from dawn until sunset. It also calls for more prayers and meditation, coupled with increased tolerance towards one’s fellow countrymen. Only the sick, the infirm, nursing mothers, pregnant women and travelers are exempt, but they are expected to make up the lost days at some other time. Alternatively, they can feed another hungry soul. Muslims who, for one reason or another, do not fast, tend to show self-restraint and modify their habits in private as well as public.
             Ramadan is also a month of charity and compassion. Alms are given to the poor, and relatives and friends are entertained into the small hours of the morning. Special food and sweetmeats are prepared for breaking the fast each evening throughout the month.
             Ramadan as a spiritual exercise in endurance and self-discipline imposes considerable strain on those who fast, especially in the hotter weather. It is therefore important for those who are not required to fast to understand the significance of this religious occasion and appreciate the social and religious implications associated with it. It is important that the Ramadan values and practices be understood by all non-Muslims in the community. They must adopt and maintain a considerate attitude towards the local way of life, and make every endeavor to reciprocate the high degree of genuine tolerance that is always shown to non-nationals in Qatar.  
             During Ramadan one should take particular care with modest dress. Also, store hours will be altered, usually opening later in the morning and with evening hours extended until quite late. Driving can get a little erratic, particularly just before the breaking of the fast. There is a distinct drop in morning traffic, but the late afternoon and night time traffic becomes unmanageable at times. Restaurants will not sell liquor during this time and most are closed during the daylight hours, except in some of the hotels.
 
Cultural Do’s and Don’ts

http://qatar.cmu.edu/testhr/?q=node/36