Expatriates living in Qatar must be familiar with how they address people and that is sayed for men and sayeeda for women while the common greeting is Salam alaykum (‘Peace be upon you'). Arabs are friendly people and usually do not want to engage in business conversation right away. They like to engage in a little personal, exciting talk before proceeding with business.
An expat in Qatar should know that the mode of dressing, especially for women, is rather conservative. Revealing or sexy clothes are not allowed. Living in Qatar is very convenient for expats, given that they show a genuine willingness to adopt the local culture or, at least, show respect. Expatriates in Qatar should not engage in living together outside marriage, especially for homosexuals. Homosexuality is not welcome in this country at all and even heterosexual partners who are not married yet are not allowed to stay under one roof.
When eating or receiving something as a gift, the right hand should always be used. For Qataris, who are commonly Muslims, the left hand is considered unclean and strictly for toilet purposes. Also believed to be unclean are the soles of one's feet which should never be shown in public, lest one is branded as rude. Of course, as Muslims, pork and pork-derived products will not even be allowed in the country.
Some people say Qatar is a very sensitive society because of its inherent conservatism, but for expats who know how to respect the local culture, getting along with the Qataris is barely a problem.
More Expat Resources
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