All Muslims are not Arabs and all Arabs are not Muslims.
Muslims follow the holy book called the Qur’an which combines both the temporal and the spiritual.
The prophet/messenger of Islam is Mohammad [PBUH = peace be upon him].
The Qur’an covers all areas of life including the religious, political, economic, legal, and social spheres.
Some examples:
A- The Qur’an does not allow the consumption or the undertaking of any business involving alcohol and ham related products because they are forbidden [Haram]like and non kosher meat and insists upon (Halal = licit/kosher) i.e., in accordance with Islamic principles.
B- The Qur’an outlaws the practice of ribaa (usury) rates in any transaction (refer to: “Islamic Banking. Microfinance and the CAMELS[Capital, Assets, Management, Equity, Liquidity, Sensitivity] Principles” Hacene, 1998.
The concept of honor
The Arab society is built upon Sharaf or honor mostly related by famous Arab Poets. It is considered as “a shame society” in which everyone must behave according to the accepted local norms and internalize his own feelings in the system of group behavior.
The code of honor is strictly enforced. The transgressor may be quarantined especially in small towns and villages.
Honor is the most important supreme value in Arab life, more important than life itself. A man without honor is considered dead. Hence the saying, “It is better to die with honor than live with humiliation.” A man’s place in the tribe, as well as the tribe’s place among the tribes, was according to the measure of his word and honor concluded with a handshake with had the value of a contract.
Sharaf [I swear = bisharafii = on my honor] and`ird ( honor as good repute for a woman, dignity Anaa fii ‘irdik: I rely on your generosity, have mercy upon me).
Woman, the guardian of ‘ird grows up with her honor, and her most important role is to preserve it. The moment that a woman’s honor is lost, it cannot be restored, and a man’s honor is severely wounded. Indeed, Muslim society is based on abstinence.
Generosity and Hospitality, a trademark
Giving shelter to a stranger is also another way to promote honor – generosity – hospitality.
Poets played a key role in society. They have praised or humiliated rulers based upon the level of charity [someone whose hands are always open = generous; if the hands are close = less respect]
The concept of time* *physical-atomic time accepted throughout the world, and represented by clocks.
Western culture emphasis:
the “here and now”
the demand for more time to complete tasks.
For Arabs, time is used lengthily and wisely to complete tasks. Patience leads to the right end-product; as the saying goes: “fil ‘ajaalah annadaamah = haste is waste [haste leads to regrets].
The abundance of time
In Arab culture, time is abundant.
In popular culture people jokingly and humorously talk about “the IBM culture InshAllah (God willing), Bukra (tomorrow), Ma`lish (it is nothing; it’s OK; don’t panic!).
By contrast, the business culture is based upon reliability and the sanctity of the word given [equal to a promissory note/contract] and the deal is finalized by a firm handshake. Failure to respect the deal would result in soiling and affecting the person’s business reputation. It will be very difficult to recover as other partners always refer to the breach of promise and show reluctance to conduct business with the deal breaker.
Time during negotiations: lack of speed in agreeing to accords, and tendency to relax while dealing with complex problems. Aggressive negotiations are suspect and lead to a walk out. Businesspeople want to check the reliability, LOYALTY and the sincerity of the person “concept of sadaaqah = trustfulness. One should not hurry, since haste is the work of Satan (al-`ajalah min al-shaytan). Reliability is based upon references from other individuals known for their fairness.
Reliability comes from truthfulness itself based upon family reputation, neighbors’ input, probity and honesty [practicing one’s faith]; referrals from friends and businesspeople. This acts like a personal credit report.
The impact of Arab expansion
The Arab expansion took place in the 7th and 8th centuries [7th-14th century] and produced two momentous and enduring effects:
(1) the creation of a new world state extending from Spain, to the Persian empire in the east. Thus, covering Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, and Turkey)
(2) This expansion brought about the development of a new world culture within this state.
The need for a new social and cultural order
The fact and vision of empire created both the need and the setting for a new social and cultural order.
Within the new empire, the diverse cultures (Spaniard, Greek, Egyptian, Syrian, and Persian) were shaken out of their regionalism and forced into a new pan-islamist interaction.
The Arab conquerors themselves quickly responded to contact with the civilizations they encountered. Before the end of the first Arab dynasty the Umayyad [Syria] , classical works were being translated into Arabic, impressive buildings inspired by classical designs were being built, and Arab scholarship in grammar and literature, influenced by Greek patterns, began to flourish.
