IRAQ

LANGUAGE, CULTURE, CUSTOMS AND ETIQUETTE

1. TAMMIKUUTA 2016 OMAR SALAH

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Iraq - Language, Culture, Customs and Etiquette

Location: Middle East, bordering the Arabian Gulf, between Iran and Kuwait

Capital: Baghdad

Climate: mostly desert; mild to cool winters with dry, hot, cloudless summers; northern mountainous regions along Iranian and Turkish borders experience cold winters with occasionally heavy snows that melt in early spring, sometimes causing extensive flooding in central and southern Iraq

Population: 28,221,180 (July 2008 est.)

Ethnic Make-up: Arab 75%-80%, Kurdish 15%-20%, Turkoman, Assyrian, or other 5%

Religions: Muslim 97%, Christian or other 3%

Government: parliamentary democracy

Language in Iraq

The official languages of Iraq is Arabic and Kurdish.

Many other languages are spoken by a variety of ethnic groups, such as Turkmani, Syriac language, Assyrian language and Chaldean language.

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Iraqi Map

Iraq history at a glance

Although Iraq was formed as a nation-state only in the early twentieth century, it has a long history going back over five thousand years. Iraqis are well aware that it was in the rich valleys of Mesopotamia along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers that the first sedentary civilization known as Sumeria came into being around 3000 B.C.E. For the next three millennia Iraqi lands were at the heart of or were part of several empires and civilizations known to history as the Akkadian, Babylonian, Kassite, Assyrian, and Sassanid. It was the arrival of the Arabs in the seventh century, however, that was to have the most long-lasting impact.

In the 630s Iraq became part of the Arabic Muslim world which within a few decades, under the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates, encompassed the entire Middle East and lands as far east as the borders of India and westward across northern African to the Iberian peninsula of Europe. It was during this early development of the Arab caliphate that Iraq became the scene of an event that was to divide the Islamic world. After the death in 661 of the fourth caliph, Ali, who was the son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad, the leaders of the Umayyad dynasty claimed they were the rightful successors of the Prophet. Ali’s son, Hussein, fled to Iraq and led an unsuccessful revolt against the Umayyads that ended in his assassination in 680. Hussein’s death initiated a religious schism in Islam that lasts to this day between the Shiites (followers of Ali) and the Sunnis, or

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Orthodox Muslims, who recognize the first four caliphs (successors to the Prophet Muhammad) but attribute no special role to Ali.

The legitimacy of the Umayyad dynasty was continually challenged until its collapse in 747. It was succeeded by the Abbasid dynasty, the so-called “golden age of Islam,” which lasted for over five centuries (750– 1258) and was centred on Baghdad, the present-day capital of Iraq. The economic and cultural wealth that characterized Muslim society on Iraqi lands came to an end with the invasion of the Mongols in 1258. For nearly three centuries the region experienced political instability and further invasions. In the sixteenth century the Ottoman Empire annexed Iraqi territory and ruled it uninterruptedly until the end of World War I. Ottoman rule sustained the already existing cleavages within Iraqi society between the Sunni and Shiite Muslims, the urban and rural populations, and the Arabs and Kurds.

With the collapse of the Ottoman Empire after World War I, the victorious Allies established in 1920 the kingdom of Iraq as a League of Nations mandate under the authority of Great Britain. The new kingdom gained its full independence in 1932. While still a mandate, Iraq was plagued by border disputes with Turkey and Saudi Arabia and, in particular, by an armed struggle with the Kurds, who still hoped to create their own independent state which they had been promised at the conclusion of World War I.

In 1958 Iraq experienced a bloody revolution that toppled the monarchy. Since that time, Iraq has been a republic in which the army has often played a decisive role in political decision making. A military coup in 1968 brought to prominence Saddam Hussein, who gained full reins of power in 1979. As head of the ruling Iraqi Baath party, Hussein was proclaimed president for life in 1990.

Under Hussein, Iraq has witnessed an enormous increase in population and enjoyed a degree of economic growth helped most especially by revenues from the export of oil. At the same time, the country has suffered years of war and internal repression of all political dissent. During the 1970s, the Kurds stepped up their military campaign for self-rule. Between 1980 and 1988, Iraq carried out a long and inconclusive war with Iran. Then, in 1990, Hussein ordered the invasion of Kuwait, which prompted retaliation by an American-led international armed force that within two weeks virtually annihilated the Iraqi armed forces at the cost of an estimated 100,000 military casualties and 90,000 civilian deaths. Almost immediately, civil war broke out as Shiite Muslims in the south and Kurds in the north revolted against Saddam Hussein’s rule. The ongoing external and internal conflicts since the 1970s have forced tens of thousands of Iraqi citizens, most especially among the minority Kurds and Shiites, to flee the country in search of temporary or permanent refuge.

Iraqi Society and Culture

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The People

The Iraqi population includes a number of ethnic groups, about 77% of whom are Arabs, 19% Kurds, and the rest a variety of different groups, including Turkomens, Assyrians, and Armenians. There is also a distinct sub-group of Iraqi Arabs, called the Ma'dan or Marsh Arabs, who inhabit miles of marshy area just above the point at which the Tigris and Euphrates join together.

Kin Groups. Large kin groups are the fundamental social units, and are of higher importance than ethnic, social class, and sectarian lines. Familial loyalty is considered an essential quality, and the family is mutually protective of each other. The kin group usually is organized through descent and marriage and involves three generations, many of whom live together. They often cooperate in areas such as agriculture and land ownership. If some family members live in nuclear families, they keep up practices such as depending on one another and asking the elders for advice. Individual status within the group is determined by the family's position and the individual's position within that group. Infant Care. Children are the mother's responsibility, and in extended domestic units other female members also take care of the children. Children normally imitate older siblings, and obedience and loyalty to elders are of vital importance. Boys and girls have different upbringings, and a boy's birth into the family is usually celebrated. The boy is thought to be more valuable to a family, given his potential to work, while the girl is considered more of a dependent. At puberty girls are separated from boys and have much less freedom than boys.

Child Rearing and Education. The family holds an important role in teaching values, and they consider it their duty and feel responsible for other family members' behaviors. A good child is loyal, obedient, and does not question authority. The most important value impressed upon young girls and boys is premarital chastity. In addition, girls are taught ideas of weakness, naïveté, resignation, and passivity, while boys go with men at an early age to learn the worth of authority and dominance.

In urban settings, more authority is found in schools rather than with the family. Schools teach about religion and values that stem from it. One present problem, however, is that differing values are taught in schools than are taught in families. State schools tend to emphasize national sovereignty, Arab unity, economic security, and socialism, while families usually focus on such values as love, people, generosity, and religion. Many families also fear that their children acquire violent views and habits such as spying while in school.

Higher Education. Prior to the Gulf War higher education was greatly prized, and the state used to pay for all of it, even literacy classes for adults. In the 1980s the literacy rate was about 80 percent, and there were several plans to build new universities and expand existing ones. During the Iran-Iraq War the government refused to recruit or draft university students, claiming that they would ensure the future of Iraq. However, the situation has gravely changed

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since the Persian Gulf War. No current literacy statistic is available, but in 1995 the rate was estimated to be 42 percent, a sharp drop from the previous decade. Also, there is no indication that the universities were ever expanded. Fewer women than men receive the highest levels of education.

Religion

The majority of Iraqis are Muslims regardless of ethnicity.

The Shia and Sunnis are similar in over 95% of ways. The differences are not as acute as one would think. Major differences between the two occur in jurisprudence (i.e. how to pray, how to marry, inheritance) and minor elements of faith.

Regardless of orientation Islam prescribes a way of life and it governs political, legal, and social behavior. It organizes one’s daily life and provides moral guidance for both society and the individual. The rules of Islam derived from the Quran and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (known as “hadith”).

Deep belief in God. Iraqis usually believe that many, if not all, things in life are controlled by the will of God (fate) rather than by human beings. What might appear as fatalism at first, is more deeply a belief in God's power, sovereignty, active participation in the life of the believer, and authority over all things (business transactions, relationships, world events, etc.)

Five Pillars of Islam:

There are five basic religious tenets to Islam, generally called the Five Pillars of Islam:

1) Shahadah (testimony)

The profession of faith: 'I testify there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.

2) Salah (prayers)

The faithful must turn towards Mecca and recite a prescribed prayer five times daily at dawn, just after midday, Asr (mid afternoon), just after sunset and before midnight. The most important prayer is the Friday prayer, delivered from a pulpit of the mosque by a prayer leader. In many Muslim countries, Friday is a holiday, with banks and shops closed all day. Respect a Muslims need to perform this duty and do not walk in front of someone praying. Do not attempt to enter a Mosque (Moslem house of worship) unless invited. If visiting with permission, remove your shoes before going in, speak only in whispers and do not take photographs, unless you have been given permission to do so.

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3) Zakah (Alms / Charity)

A compulsory payment from a Muslim's annual savings. It literally means 'purification‘. Zakah can only be used for helping the poor and needy, the disabled, the oppressed, debtors and other welfare purposes defined in the Qur'an and Sunnah.

4) Fasting Ramadan

All Muslims are required to fast during the Holy Month of Ramadan (a lunar month of 29 or 30 days, which falls 11 days earlier each year, depending on sightings of the moon). All Muslims abstain totally from food, drink, sex and tobacco from dawn to sunset. Non-Muslims should respect this practice and wherever possible avoid infringing these laws in front of Muslims, since this would be considered an insult. Straight after sunset most, if not all, Muslims will break their fast, and little business or travel will be practical for the visitor at this time.

5) The Hajj

The pilgrimage to Mecca. Every Muslim who can afford it and is fit enough must make the journey once a lifetime.

Rituals and Holy Places. Muslims gather at the mosque every Friday for afternoon prayer. Ramadan falls in the ninth month of the Muslim calendar, which is on a lunar cycle and thus falls during different times of the year. The month entails a period of fasting from all food, drink, and activities such as smoking and sexual intercourse during daylight hours. At night the fast is broken, and on the first day of the tenth month there is a celebration, Id al Fitr, to acknowledge the end of the fast. During Id al Adha, on the tenth day of the twelfth month, there is a sacrificial festival. Both this and the one following Ramadan last for three or four days, and people dress up, visit each other, exchange gifts, and also visit cemeteries.

Death and the Afterlife. Funerals are very simple and somber events. People are buried on the day following their death, and are wrapped in a white cloth and placed in a plain box, if available. Whether the person is rich or poor, funerals are generally the same for everyone.

Hospitality

Hospitality is an Arab and Muslim tradition deeply engrained in the culture. Visitors are treated as kings and must always be fed and looked after. Arabic tradition actually stipulates someone is allowed to stay in your home for 3 days

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before you can question why they are staying and when they will leave, Invitations to a home must be seen as a great honor and never turned down.

Family and Honor

Iraqis consider family and honor to be of paramount importance. The extended family or tribe is both a political and social force. Families hold their members responsible for their conduct, since any wrongdoing brings shame to the entire family. Loyalty to the family comes before other social relationships, even business.

Nepotism is not viewed negatively; in such a culture is naturally makes more sense to offer jobs to family as they are trusted.

It is common for large extended families to live in the same house, compound, or village. In urban areas, families do not necessarily live in the same house, although they generally live in the same street or suburb at least.

Family versus self. Arabic communities are tight-knit groups made up of even tighter family groups and most often, apart of tribes. Most Westerners pride themselves on personal accomplishments instead of the typical Arab whose focus is on family pride and honor.

Public vs. Private – Iraqis exercise a clear division between the public and private areas of their life, creating two distinct personas and modes of behavior.

In a social context, you will generally find that your Iraqi counterparts place a great importance on friendship and developing close relationships with his friends.

Traditional Iraqi culture states that a man’s household and family are private matters. Therefore, it is inappropriate and disrespectful to ask after another man’s wife.

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Etiquette and Customs in Iraq

Meeting People

The most common greeting is the handshake coupled with eye contact and a smile. Use your (Right Hand) Don’t Offer your left hand to an Iraqi.

The standard Arabic/Islamic greeting is "asalaamu alaikum" ("peace be with you"), to which the response is "wa alaikum salaam" ("and peace be unto you").

After opening the main home door, a short greeting and welcoming words exchanged at the door step, a visitor should not attempt to enter right away, should wait until the host to let him/ them inside, this few seconds of waiting allows the women inside homes to cover their hair (( wearing Hijab )) if they are not ready yet.

Good friends of the same sex may greet each other with a handshake and a kiss on each cheek, starting with the right. To express worm greeting and missing fillings a hug is one common way too.

Always use the appropriate title or call the person after his elder son’s name (i.e. Abu Ahmed) to respect the hierarchy until they ask you to do otherwise.

You cannot beg off for having no time to talk early into a visit, either when invited or when hosting. This is paramount to refusing hospitality and friendship and will cause serious insult.

If only females are at home and a male Iraqi comes to visit, you are obliged to tell him politely on the porch there are no men at home and ask if they could come another time.

Men should wait to see if a woman extends her hand, if not do not extend yours, and just raise your hand to your chest and greet verbally.

A man should not hug or kiss a woman. (Exception to a very close family members).

Some conservative families they have separate women and men saloons, so women to gather and sit in a separate room than where the men are sitting together, unless they are close relative families, this applies on dining too.

Men should not establish long side talks with women excluding the family head ( Husband / Father ).

Men should not stare or joke with a women, it can be interpreted as flirting attempts.

Expect to be introduced to each person individually at a small social function. At a large function, you may introduce yourself.

Always begin the conversation by asking about their well-being, their family, their work, etc. Do not get ‘down to business’ too soon. This is rude.

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* If your hosts excuse themselves to pray, or pray right in front of you, carry on watching TV or whatever quietly until they finish. Just don’t walk in front of them while they are praying.

Gift Giving Etiquette

If you are invited to an Iraqi’s home, bring a box of cookies, pastries or a box of chocolates. A fruit basket is also appreciated.

Flowers are being given to hospitalized ill person or on personal occasions such as (Mother’s day, to a lover on Valentine’s Day ... etc.)

If a man must give a gift to a woman, he should say that it is from his wife, mother, sister, or some other female relation.

A small gift for the children is always a good touch.

Gifts are given with two hands.

Gifts are generally not opened when received.

If your gift is edible, make sure the ingredients are free of any ((Alcoholic and pork products)).

Dress code

For men: avoid revealing clothing (e.g., no tank tops, no shorts), short sleeves shirts are okay.

For women: avoid revealing, transparent or body curves describing clothes.

(e.g., loose fitting clothing that does not show bare arms, legs or neck is best). Head scarves may be appropriate at certain times and places, such as at a mosque). Iraqi women tend to dress modestly, but nicely.

Dining Etiquette

The culture of hospitality means Iraqis like to invite people to their homes. If you are invited to a home:

Check to see if you should remove shoes.

After entering the main house door into the inner house, the host will guide you to the reception room, don’t choose your seat and wait standing until the host will aim with his hand to the place he wants you to sit.

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Dress conservatively and smartly.

Iraqi table manners are relatively formal.

Prior serving the dinner, you will most likely be shown to the sink – wash your hands.

Rice, red meat, chicken, fish, cereals, and vegetables are considered the main ingredients of the Iraqi dishes / cousin.

Use the right hand for eating and drinking.

If the meal is on the floor, sit cross-legged or kneel on one knee. Never let your feet touch the food mat.

It is considered polite to express how delicious was the food when you have finished eating.

Tea, Fruits, and perhaps sweets to be served after having the main course finished.

Social & Religious occasions:

Fairly strict and formalized rules of behavior and politeness. Iraqis have a strong sense of formal social occasion and protocol.

Eid (Al Fitr)

Also called Breaking the Fast Feast, is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting. Eid al Fitr lasts for three days.

Eid (Al Adha)

Also called the Sacrifice Feast, on this day all Muslims sacrifice a lamb or a goat or a caw and in some countries they sacrifice camels on any of the Eid days which lasts for four days. It is the second religious holidays celebrated by Muslims worldwide each year. It honors the willingness of Abraham (Ibrahim) to sacrifice his son, as an act of submission to God's command.

The day of Ashuraa

Is on the tenth day of Muharram in the Islamic calendar, and Shi'a Muslims maintain Ashuraa is a day of great sorrow due to the tragic events of Karbala.This day Sunni Muslims also celebrate it by fasting.

The Islamic (Hijri) New Year

Is on the first day of Muharram, the first month in the lunar Islamic calendar

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The first year was the Islamic year beginning in AD 622 during which the emigration of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina, known as the Hijra.

The Prophet’s birthdays

Also its called ( Mawlid ) it is the observance of the birthday of the Islamic prophet Muhammad which is celebrated often on the 12th day of Rabi' al-awwal, the third month in the Islamic calendar.

Mawlid is recognized as a national holiday in most of the Muslim-majority countries of the world.

Communication Styles

Due to the hierarchical nature of Iraqi society the head of the family does most of the talking and decisions for his family.

Displays of anger are a serious no-no. If you must show disapproval it is always best to do so in a one-to-one, quietly and with tact.

Always keep your word. Do not make a promise or guarantee unless you can keep it. If you want to show a commitment to something but do not want to make caste iron assurances then employ terms such as “I will do my best,” “We will see,” or the local term “insha-Allah” (God willing).

Iraqi people are not afraid of asking blunt and probing questions. These may be about you, or your intentions.

All actions and said words will constantly be weighed in comparison to tradition and religious standards.

Expect interruptions during meetings when phone calls may be taken or when people start discussing irrelative matters driven away of the main discussion point. At some point a smart and polite dialogue management is recommended.

Iraqis often have several side discussions taking place during a meeting. They may interrupt the speaker if they have something to add. They can be loud and forceful in getting their point of view across.

Indirect way of communication of non-linguistic hints can lead to misunderstanding or not delivering the main message.

Often Iraqis take any mention/suggestion of help, even casually, as a promise, and will express much disappointment if you fail to follow through. “Just tell the truth if something will be difficult.” Be polite, but don’t mince words!!

Communicate openly and honestly: express clear opinions & provide reasoning behind them (tell what you think and the reasons which led you to think that way)

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Usually when an Iraqi meets you for the first time, he must know your social, professional and academic background, as well as age, before he conducts any business (so he can know your influence and how well connected you are).

A comfortable distance for Finnish to converse is about a couple arm's length or a meter. For Iraqis it is about 12 inches. It is said that the Arab likes to feel your breath in their face. As you back away, the Iraqi will continue to move forward. This is known as the "diplomatic shuffle."

More about Iraqi refugees:

• "Honor" is one of the most important and least understood concepts in the Arab world. It is cherished and protected above all else.

• Arabs in general, especially Iraqis are very proud, and public appearance is extremely important.

• Rise to show respect when an esteemed person enters the room.

• Learn a few common Arabic greetings.

• Feel free to return a hug or kiss on the cheek initiated by an Arab man (these are signs of friendship and acceptance and are traditional Arab greetings).

• Never sit with your feet up on a desk or some other piece of furniture. The bottoms of the feet are the dirtiest part of the body and it is extremely rude and insulting to show or point them towards an Arab.

• Avoid giving your back to someone when sitting in a gathering, adjust your seat to face all.

• Public displays of affection between the sexes are unacceptable.

• To kiss the forehead, nose or right hand of a person who is being greeted shows extreme respect.

• Be aware that there are some sectarians amongst refugees, especially those who have served various sectarian armed militias back in Iraq, or those who have massive hatred and malice based on their shallow and poor religious understandings. It is not recommended to discuss with them the issue, however reminding them with the possible legal consequences for being sectarian is the best way to control them.

• Young Iraqi males can be instantly sexually moved with minimum feminine appearance, it has a magical effect on them as they might lose their control due to what they think of as an irresistible attraction, although it could be considered as a modest dressing for others. Thus its highly recommended to female workers to pay extra caution when it come to their dress code, and the way they hold a conversation with young Iraqi males, what it seems to be a friendly talk, it can be interpreted as an

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acceptance and a promising start of having affair relationship. Be formal and polite without the need of being so friendly to avoid misconception.

Remember!

• Observation is an interpretation affected by your values, world views, beliefs, theories and memory – you observe issues important to you.

• You automatically ignore information challenging your earlier information – it is very difficult to get rid of stereotypes.

• Power relations affect to how different people can be seen – some people have more power to define how things are. That is why it is important to know who you are and where you stand!

• Indirect way of communication of non-linguistic hints can lead to misunderstanding or not delivering the core main message.