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Greeting Muslims

darkendless

Guardian of Asgaard
Hello,

Ok it is very likely i will be working in the UAE very soon. As a muslim country, i was wondering whether it is appropriate to address muslims as a non-muslim by saying things like;

"may the blessings of Allah be upon you"

and other things of that sort. If not, can i please ask what is appropriate, as i do not want to appear ignorant of arabic culture?

Thanks a lot :)
 

Sahar

Well-Known Member
Well...good luck there :)
I guess Dubai is like London where you can find nationalities from everywhere and maybe the Arabs are a minority there. Traveling to Dubai is like traveling to Europe more than a Muslim country I believe.
Hmmm...as for your question, in my opinion, you don't have to say such stuff. I personally would consider it a nice gesture but you don't have to.
In the Islamic occasions like Eid, it would be really nice to say "happy Eid"...you know in the occasions but in ordinary situations it's not necessary.
 
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Cordoba

Well-Known Member
I visited Dubai some years ago

It is a very open city

They have a major problem with traffic jams, so be prepared

The vast majority of local people have a very high standard of education, and are very familiar with the west, so don't worry

In many aspects you will find Dubai similar to Australia. It's when you go to other Emirates like Al-Shariqa, where you will find a more conservative culture and society
 

K.Venugopal

Immobile Wanderer
When I was in the Gulf (Oman), the Arabs greeted everyone, including non-Arabs, with a "Salaam Alaikum" and an "Alaikum Salaam" response was appreciated. I understand some Muslims believe only Muslims must be greeted thus and they should not respond with the traditional reply if non-Muslims greet them with a "Salaam Alaikum". These may be individual opinions and may not account for much. But sometime back there was a sort of campaign by South Asia's biggest Islamic organization - Jamaait Islami – through their magazine “Radiant” to this effect. Recently when I greeted several of my Muslim acquaintances (in Mumbai) over a period of time the traditional Islamic way, they did not respond in the traditional way, knowing that I am not a Muslim. I do not know whether they have gone the Jaamait Islami way or is indicative of the recent heightened Muslim-Hindu tensions due to a variety of reasons, largely political.

May I also add here, based on my long stay in Oman, that Arabs are fine folks and very hospitable.
 

darkendless

Guardian of Asgaard
Thanks for the responses.

My main motivation for posting is i did not want to appear ignorant of their culture and i have to confess my knowledge of Islam and customs of the UAE is severely lacking. I do not want my superiors who will most likely be locals to have to reach out to me to communicate. I want to be able to communicate with them and to greet them accordingly.

Once again thank you :)
 
Thanks for the responses.

My main motivation for posting is i did not want to appear ignorant of their culture and i have to confess my knowledge of Islam and customs of the UAE is severely lacking. I do not want my superiors who will most likely be locals to have to reach out to me to communicate. I want to be able to communicate with them and to greet them accordingly.

Once again thank you :)

if you want to gain some basic knowledge about islam i can recommend this small 25 paged booklet :

http://www.kalamullah.com/Books/Islam_Is.pdf
 
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