When doing business in the Middle East, one must seek to understand Islamic business practices. To do so, one must first understand what the word Islam means. “Islam is an Arabic word that means surrender or submission to Allah or God. A person who follows the teachings of Islam and follows its prescribed behaviors is called a Muslim” (Moran & Abramson, p. 298). When studying the Islamic culture, you will often see Islam and Muslim used interchangeably. There are variations of Muslim religious practices, but having a basic understanding is essential when conducting business in the Middle East and beyond. Given the growth of Islam, this understanding may prove ever more important as time goes on.
Today, “Islam is the world’s fastest growing religion. Experts predict Islam will surpass Christianity as the largest religion by the end of the century” (Editors). Many individual that work within a business founded in the United States or other Western culture feel that religion has no place in the workplace. However, religion plays a vital commercial role in the Middle East, with divine guidance at the forefront of the Islamic economic system. This differs from the Western business culture we are accustomed to, which “isolates divine principles from guiding economic activity” (Moran & Abramson, p. 300). It is more typical for Westerners to allow a profit and loss statement guide their business decisions rather than give god consideration first.
The “divinity aspect of economic activity of a Muslim businessperson sets him/her apart from a Western businessperson whose main criterion in his/her involvement in business is to maximize benefit and self-interest” (Moran & Abramson, p. 300). It is important to understand that Islam promotes a belief system that is geared towards a shared brotherhood, not one that looks out for his/her individual best interests or goals. This belief system is evident when evaluating Islamic leadership. Within the Islamic culture, there are two types of leadership; the servant-leader and the guardian-leader, both which “require the leader to set aside/his her self-interest in favor of social goods” (Moran & Abramson, p. 307). This is notably different from Western leadership, which is focused on a positive economic outcome and often achieved by individuals with a self-serving mentality.
The study of Middle Eastern business etiquette is essential to a successful business trip to the Middle East. Followers of the Muslim religion pray multiple times per day. This will need to be taken into consideration when scheduling meetings. Although Islamic dress is not required by women visiting the Middle East (unless visiting a religions site), conservative attire should be worn in order to avoid offending anyone in attendance. Men attending meetings in the Middle East should “acknowledge and greet the most senior person in the room first – doing so is a sign of respect in the Muslim culture” whereas females “being introduced to a Muslim man should wait to see if he extends his hand. If not, refrain from initiating a handshake. If you’re meeting another woman, wait for her to greet you” (Danisewicz, 2014). Trust is also important when conducting business in the Middle East, so spend time building relationships prior to entering a business conversation.
Although many of these concepts are unfamiliar from a Western business perspective, we can all agree that the Middle East has become a large player in the commodities market, namely oil. For those that work for an international company within that industry, having a basic understanding of how religion influences business is essential.
References
Danisewicz, C. 2014, June 25. Business Etiquette Around the World: United Arab Emirates. On Call International. https://blog.oncallinternational.com/business-etiquette-around-world-united-arab-emirates/
Editors. 2019, August 19. Islam. History. https://www.history.com/topics/religion/islam#:~:text=throughout%20the%20world.-,Islam%20Facts,Arabic%20is%20known%20as%20Allah
Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing Cultural Differences (9th ed.). Routledge.