Talking about manners lol.
Sometime ago I was at Hamad Hospital to visit someone and i was sitting with the foot of my right leg above my left knee, basically showing the sole of my shoe to someone and this local guy comes up to me and starts yelling at me saying I dont have manners... I was laughing by neck off and he got even more pissed off and then he left lol. The reason why I was laughing was because I remembered how some people drive with their foot stuck on the ac and no one says anything to them, where as when I do something like this he got offended as if I was cursing at him or something lol. God bless this country and show the spoilt people the right path, things r getting worse in this country, people have no shame and they have lost respect for others... they don't look at their mistakes, but they want to correct others. It's ironic.
By that definition though, It includes you also because you are Lebanese !
britexpat, generalization is done based upon statistics and the both of us know what the statistics say.
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You know, that you are screwed, when ur phone rings, while you sneak into your own house like a thief and your wife is asleep at 3 am in the morning... Perhaps that would be the last time you enter your own house lol.
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"My family taught me how to be a man, not an arab.'.
That's rather a generalization and a condescending statement.. Surely, each nation / group has its good and bad.
ok he shouldn't have yelled at you, but u shouldn't have laughed either. good manners on your part would have been to respectfully apologize, even if the guy was an a**hole
"Living with fear isn't living at all"
Really funny..
Allanreeves, u could be right.
Azzi, Just cuz I'm born here and raised here, doesnt mean I am one. My family taught me how to be a man, not an arab.
You know, that you are screwed, when ur phone rings, while you sneak into your own house like a thief and your wife is asleep at 3 am in the morning... Perhaps that would be the last time you enter your own house lol.
Thexonic..
Everythin is allrite... But are u sure tht he is a local... Cause what i found here is that.. Neighboring arabs dressed like Locals (qataris) are the ones rude and problematic... U know, Qataris mostly,, they just mind themselves rather than creatin a absurd scene as in ur case...
Neways... some customs and HABITS are illogical but its also advised that we expatriates must respect their cultures !!! LOL !!
Should a man help an old lady cross the street? Is this halaal even though he would be touching a non-mahram woman?What about helping a woman on the street with carrying a heavy item(s)?...
I consider it as a "habit" by the driver in question and nothing to do with culture nor customs.
But hey...I'm just stating an opinion...nothing more.
in all Muslim/Arab countries/state? So, everyone knows this...sort of GOOD MANNERS & RIGHT CONDUCT kinda thing, don't you agree.
Canarybird is right, because before I came to qatar, i took the time to know the DO's and DONT's and this is mentioned in all the books (and websites) i read it from.
THEXONIC, I thought you were born and raised here in Qatar? You should know these little things by heart.
May I suggest another example of traditional manners?
I think it is bad manners to talk with food in your mouth. dw does it sometimes. When I used to mention it, she got upset. Now I don't mention it and keep quiet.
Is this a common manner to be concerend with?
It's the foot too. But don't worry about it too much if you do it by mistake. It's not a major gaffe in most people's eyes. Especially if an expat does it, as we are particularly forgiving of you ;)
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so always try to make sure about no sitting that my sole might face someone, but I have noticed that many locals do this practice, however they take their shoes off first.
Diamond is it only when the shoe sole is pointing at you or the foot too?
Gypsy, i have also not managed to grip the eating and not taking anything with my left hand. However my family don't seem to have this custom and I have noticed my boss taking food and eating with his left hand. So I try not to feel to bad about it.
It is written im many guidebooks and on many sites what are the traditions and culture of Qatar.
As we always say when in Rome do as the Romans do". Something in that don't you think??
On the other hand taking the drivers into consideration -you put yourself on the same level.
I agree, I'm sure that the older generations of the world are shaking their heads in disapproval at what their younger ones get up to.
Who knows the mindset of the man who told you off so rudely. Not I or you certainly.
Just take the good out of the situation. You learned a cultural nuance.
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Diamond girl, I accept it, its your culture and I respect that. But my argument is why don't they teach their younger generation manners first then go and correct others. And noticing the amount of racism in this country, he probably was being rude cuz I am not a local or I'm not a westerner. How would I know, Its not only me who thinks like this, but alot of people do, a part of the reason is the image that spoilt locals have created in ones mind. I'm not even gonna go that far, cuz u know what I am saying and u know I am right. U r probably one of the 300,000 locals that is different. But trust me, u r the 3rd person out of like thousands that I've met in the 10 years, that is different and humble.
fear karma, it bites u in the butt.
I think you're being overly critical. He's not respnsible for the etiquette level of all his countrymen in the same way that you are not for yours. He thought what you were doing was rude. He told you. OK, his delivery was rude. He was rude to you. We get it.
It's been pointed out politely to you on this thread by several that it is considered rude in Qatar to point the sole of your foot towards someone. Can't you just accept that what you unwittingly did was considered offensive? It's not a particularly big thing, just an etiquette practice.
You are now coming across as someone who has little experience of different cultures and little desire to make any effort to taking basic cultural practices into consideration. You are so focused on how he told you. WHAT he told you is much more important.
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I'm not comparing the two acts, I am giving an example of driving with foot stuck on the ac. He should talk to his own people first about manners then come and talk to me. It's like ur own house is dirty but u go to clean others lol.
Una palabra no dice nada, Y al mismo tiempo, Lo esconde todo
They way you think I don't :-P
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feet towards Kabbah. Plus, do ya think that other religions care wether they point any parts of their bodies towards Bethlehem or wherever jesus was born...Personally i think not.
I guess the old guy could have quietly reminded thexonic about his feet, not just exploded into anger.....
Oh well, not to worry
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Now you are mixing two different thing !
Driving car with lifting a leg is a different attitude ...
But pointing your shoes (foots) towards someone is really a Bad attitude .... example of a Mosque ?
Why do Holy Prophet (pbuh)taught us not to sleep or sit in that direction where our feet points to Kabbah (House of Allah) or even where Quran is kept !!! Islam teaches us decency.
Brother think before you act !
Since I have called you my brother it's my duty to advise you ;-)
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thexonic, you are always looking for trouble....
http://www.qatarliving.com/group/ql-kairali
YOU DONT KNOW ME, DONT EVEN TRY !!!
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Good joke Salax haha
Una palabra no dice nada, Y al mismo tiempo, Lo esconde todo
The thing is, I didn't know that it was rude. I didn't even pay attention to it. But yea i'll keep that in mind.
Secondly, about putting the feet on dashboard and driving, thats like a tradition, every local of between 18 to 30 years of age that I've seen, drives like that, so I'm not generalizing, just talking about what I see everyday.
Una palabra no dice nada, Y al mismo tiempo, Lo esconde todo
Err...that's a worldwide phenomenon along with the noisy eaters and cell phone users while people are trying to watch a movie.
BTW, Rchard Bach rocks, especially Jonathan Livingston Seagull and One :)
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...they don't sit properly.
Talk about respect from one another 'custom'...
"Everything in this book may be wrong." Illusions: The Adventures of The Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach
it is a bad manner but the the guy should to politely.may be Speed not meant it it was just a mistake..
Time Changes Everything
where my foot is, i just put it down since i feel it's is a bad habit specially when someone is elder then me.
Also Islam teaches the same manners.
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slightly off topic, the only two cultural customs I could never quite adapt to are: not eating with my left hand (keep forgetting) and the one I could just never do, not blowing my nose at dinner in Korea. Sorry, I just couldn't let it run down my face. eeww.
Visit www.qatarhappening.com
It's is extremely rude to show the sole of your foot to someone. I also thing it's rude to laugh in someone's face.
@Mr. Paul, I've also seen loads of people give dirty looks at those types of people in Bahrain.
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so the rule shall be: If you're in Rome, you do what the Romans do.
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Everything happens for a
reason.
Perhaps the man did not ask you politely to stop pointing the sole of your foot towards someone and that annoyed you.
However it is considered rude so you can remember that in future. I'm sure you're not the type of person who would make a point of being rude.
Some people find it rude and some don't. I think it is mentioned in most etiquette/guide books in the Gulf. Personally I try not to offend and make myself aware of local customs on my travels.
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showing, either by crossing their legs or sitting like thexonic was, and NO ONE says anything.
Practise what yer preach springs to my mind.
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your assuming this bloke is one of those guys that sticks his foot on the dashboard, its just generalising, whilst some do, not everyone does that and maybe this guy doesnt do that..Personally i dont find this offensive but like Brit said, its a custom here not to do that and should be respected..
britexpat has the right of it. You are a guest in their country. Their customs rule here.
It is considered very rude to point the soles of your feet at someone in arab culture. That is true any where in the Middle East.
hehehe...yeah right....just the same when you are driving, if you were causing the delay in the traffic,they will blow their horn very hard, but if they were the one made the mistake...and you blow your horn..they will be more upset than you...hehehe...
In the culture here it is rude to point the soles of ones feet at someone..
You may not like it, but its reality and should be respected.
Ya your right
Many things in this country very bad
One weekend iam in the souq crossing the road the police treated me bad
he thinks expats are slves for them
The AdMan
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