Mourning

It was only when I mentioned the words, "she'll be mourning for fourty days" to a westerner and they didn't know what I was talking about did I become aware I'd taken on some of the Gulf/ khleej [KH-lee-jee] thought processes.

When in mourning the customs between the west and the Gulf are enormous and I'll try to shed some light on the differences; when someone dies in the Gulf, funerals are held on the same day.  Always.

The body is washed, wrapped in a shroud or thin white cloth (perfume can be put over the body if wanted) and then laid in the ground facing Mecca.  Only men will attend the graveyard to bury the body.


Mourning: 3 days
The initial mourning lasts for three days during which time the body is buried and the female family members gather in one house to share their loss, the males will gather in a specified mosque ~this is something I have never understood, or had adequately explained, why when you've lost someone you care for can you not share that grief with your male relatives?~


Mourning: 40 days
On the fourtieth day the family will once again receive visitors and condolences in the house. It is a key time during the mourning process.


Mourning: 4 lunar months & 10 days
Widows observe an extended mourning period [idd-dAH] of four lunar months and 10 days, as stated in the Qur'an (2:234). This is enforced to ensure the lady in question is not pregnant with the dead man's baby (al-Talaq 65:4).and so consequently she can not marry during this time.  Obviously this ruling doesn't apply to men.


Funerals
In Arab society as soon as someone dies, they are buried; often within hours but always on the same day. I always put it down to the fact that it was just so hot here and decomposing bodies are not good in any sense of the word.

I remember waiting to bury my grandfather in England and having to wait 17 days from the day he died until the day of the funeral. It felt in-human and it was only then I began to understand the other reason for burying a body so quickly, to allow the mourning and healing process to begin.

The entire body of the deceased is wrapped washed, scented and wrapped in a thin white cloth and taken to the cemetery where the body is placed in the ground with the head facing Mecca and a passage from the Koran is recited by all the men present. Women are not allowed to attend the ceremony at the graveyard even if it is a woman being buried, they will mourn seperately at the family house.

During the three days of mourning [azz-za] which follow the death, the family members sit with each other and come to terms with what has happened. As an aside, the more religious Muslims believe mourning shouldn't occur as the dead are now in heaven.

Everyone, who knows the person who died or one of their relatives, comes to pay their respects. In the house food and drinks are provided at all times for all visitors and so consequently, with big families and a strong sense of duty, the houses are stuffed full of food, drinks, people and chairs. There are now specialist companies providing chairs, catering and waiting staff to grieving families.


Arguements
Visiting the family at this time is an absolute must, even if the deceased and one of the family members weren't speaking to each other.  Everyone who is still alive must go to pay their respects to the wife or husband of the deceased.  Should it be impossible to visit the family members a telephone call offering condolences is an acceptable alternative.


Graveyards
Sunni and Shi'ites have separate graveyards, in a similar fashion which seperates Catholic and Protestants in death, but neither puts headstones at the top of the grave, all graves are unmarked. Cards are not sent and flowers are not put on the grave.


Time off Work
Notices of the death are often posted in the local newspapers and the Government allows all workers three days leave following the death of a close family member (to the third degree).


Personal Recollection
When I received a text message telling me to go to a specific mosque to give condolences to a friend whose father had died, I naturally went to the mosque. When I arrived I realized I’d obviously got it wrong. Mosques, when condolences are involved, are for men only. As a woman I was supposed to visit my friend’s house. Luckily a man who knew the family was standing outside the mosque and asked me if I needed help; he phoned the family to tell them where I was and that I was on my way.

So I got in my car and started to drive to my friend’s sister’s house, as I got closer I realised they’d thoughtfully put up notices at junctions to direct mourners to the house. It was easy to spot the house once I was in the right road. There were endless cars and streams of women going in and out of the house entrance. I parked the car, put on my abiya and hijab and walked to house {see wgaw blog archive: o5/o1}.

Before I was able to enter the house or even get to the door I was greeting women who had paid their respects and were leaving. Once inside the house I met my friend, said my condolences and then had to kiss a lot of women I didn’t know. This involved the same problem I have encountered many times at weddings; in which direction do I start kissing and how many kisses am I supposed to give? This time I was pleased that I knew enough Arabic to ease my way around this situation.

My friend’s house is big, and when I arrived there must have been 150 women dressed from head to toe in black although not all had hijabs on – this was not a conservative family and I was welcomed with an open heart. The women were all sitting on chairs throughout the three lounges making up the downstairs of the house. Many of them were praying, many were having a chat with friends they hadn’t seen for a long time and many like me, were meeting lots of people for the first time.

You sit, you chat, you remember the deceased and then you leave. And you come back the next day and then you return once again on day three.

2
Many years ago when I first came to the Gulf I was driving through the suq and I remember being held up in traffic whilst we waited for a group of mourners to pass. The deceased was wrapped in white cloth and was being carried, with no coffin, on the shoulders of the mourners. This no longer happens, bodies are now taken to the cemetary in cars.

Alcohol

It is said the English word alcohol originally comes from the two Arabic words, ‘Al Cohol’. In addition, the words carafe, cork, and jar also originate from Arabic {see wgaw blog archives: A , B&C}

I think most people will know alcohol is a banned substance in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Sharjah (one of the seven states of the UAE). However, I'm not sure everyone will know the rest of the GCC countries (Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and the UAE) allow the sale of alcohol in specially designated 'booze shops' (as long as you're a non-Muslim expatriate) and/or restaurants.



A Dilmun Seal showing drinkers on a boat.  Approx. 1,000 - 2,000 years old, made in Bahrain which was known at the time as, 'Dilmun'. Image taken from: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3282/2968786711_e5dc8a09f4.jpg?v=0


In the UAE a permit is given to expatriates and states the ammount of alchol which can be bought in a month. You can not go over this ~pretty generous~ limit. In Bahrain alcohol can be bought in any ammounts, as long as you're a non-muslim, whilst in Qatar and Oman alcohol is available in restaurants located within a hotel.


Booze Shops
The advertising of alcohol in any form is banned throughout the entire GCC which means no images, or explanations on the windows of the booze shops. If you do want to buy alcohol you'll need to be shown the shop location by someone who already knows where it is.

I can't imagine anyone would pass a Gulf booze shop and understand what it was if they'd never seen one before. In many cases you simply can not drive by, the shop is located in a cu-de-sac and you need to park your car and walk.


Alcohol in Saudi
In Saudi Arabia and Kuwait the tipple of choice is Johnny Walker (US$ 110/bottle) or a local colourless liquid, often inhabiting the cupboard under the sink, called Sadeeq' [saa-deek] or to translate, 'my friend'.


Qura'nic Quotes
For Muslims alcohol and alcohol derivatives (e.g. gripe water and rubbing alcohol. Items such as deodorants and grapes for the more austere) are not used/consumed because of the following verses in the Koran:

2.1 The Cow 2:219
They ask you about drinking and gambling. Say: 'There is great harm in both, although they have some benefit for men; but their harm is far greater than their benefit."

2.2 Women 4:43
"Belivers, do not approach your prayers when you are drunk, but wait till you can grasp the meaning of your words."

2.3 The Bee 16:67
"And the fruits of the palm and the vine, from which you derive intoxicants and wholesome food. Surely in this there is a sign for men of understanding."

2.4 The Table 37:47
"Belivers, wine and games of chance, idols and divining arrows, are abominations and devised by Satan. Avoid them, so that you may propser. Satan seeks to stir up enmity and hatred among you by means of wine and gambling, and to keep you from the rememberance of God and from your prayers. Will you not astain from them?"

2.5 That Which is Coming 56:6
"They shall recline on jewelled couches face to face, and there shall wait on them imortal youths with bowls and ewers and a cup of the purest wine (that will neither pain their heads nor take away their reason)."

2.6 The Unjust 83:22
"The rightous wil surely dwell in bliss. Reclining upon soft couches they will gaze around them: and in their faces you shall mark the glow of joy. They shall be given a pure wine to drink, securely sealed, whose very dregs are musk (for this let all men emoulously strive); a wine temperedith the water of Tasnim, a spring at which the favoured will refresh themselves."


Alcohol Ban
All sales of alcohol are banned during the Holy Month of Ramadan {see wgaw blog archive: banned} throughout the GCC.

Bahrain currently has the most liberal laws governing the sale of alcohol, but this ruling is subject to change, depending on the parlimentarians. There is also a rumour Gulf Air, the national carrier of Bahrain, will be banning alcohol onboard in the near future.


Urban Legends
1
One day whilst coming back into the country a friend stopped at the duty free shop to buy supplies. She was stopped in her tracks as she watched about 10 Saudi women, covered from head to toe in black, lifting up their niqabs [nic-qaabs] to read the whisky labels. Every single one of them bought a bottle of whisky and hid it in the bags they had with them.

2
All Gulf expatriates get to hear this particular urban legend during their stay in the Gulf.  One embassy was importing various crates and boxes from their home country and they were stuck in customs for some reason.  The embassy received a phone call from a customs official who asked them to, “Come and collect your piano, it is leaking.”

3
Years ago a friend of a friend knew someone who had his own illegal source of booze and would open shop during Ramadan. He was so brazen about his ability not to be caught he even gave away tee-shirts with his beer. It doesn’t happen any more, the authorities cracked down on such blatant disregard to the rules.

4
A student in a friend’s class was telling her he didn’t eat grapes. She was interested to know why and asked him for the reason. His reply was that, “grapes make alcohol”. She said, “But grapes don’t make alcohol by themselves.” To which he disagreed, according to him, grapes make alcohol and so he couldn’t eat them.

Defining Cultures; Trompenaars & Al Faleh

Please note this post follows on directly from {wgaw blog archieve: o2/o4, 12/o5}

Trompenaar proposes an additional three ideas to those proposed by Hall and Hofsteede, that cultures differ in the following ways:
1. universalism/particularism (one theory works for all)
2. neutral/affective (expression of feelings)
3. achievement/ascription (social status)


1. Universalism / Particularism: One theory works for all
Universalism is when a person believes one idea or theory works in all circumstances, no matter what. Cultures with high universalism believe rules and standards can be applied to everyone, in every situation and use contracts, formal systems, and procedures to convey what they expect from others.

People who believe the opposite, that one idea can never work for everybody, are low in universalism and high in particularism. These people will work on contacts and relationships rather than formal systems and procedures.


2. Affective: Expression of Feelings - high or neutral
In highly affective cultures people tend to talk about their feelings openly. In highly neutral cultures emotions are not expressed openly and naturally. People from highly affective cultures are more likely to smile, talk loudly when excited and greet each other enthusiastically. People from highly neutral cultures experience the same emotions but will express them subtly.

I believe Arab culture is both a highly affective culture and a neutrally affective culture, depending on the circumstances and the sex of the people involved in the communication exchange. When people meet they react in a highly affective manner. When there are some difficult emotions to be expressed it will always, always, ALWAYS be done at home, in private and within the family.


3. Achievement / Ascription (Social Status)
In highly achievement-oriented cultures social status often comes from a person's achievements. In highly ascription-oriented cultures social status is largely derived from personal attributes such as age, experience, social connections, or gender. In organizations, a person's status is reflected in his or her privileges such as access to resources and perks, deferential treatment, and input in decision making.


Al Faleh
Having talked about what Hall, Hofstede and Tropenhaar ~all old white men~ I would like to include Al Faleh in this particular discussion, simply because i believe the cross-cultural experts mentioned so far will ultimately find it impossible to reach the inner-most thoughts and desires of a non-European culture.

Al Faleh is an Arab with expertise within the cross-cultural business context and he says, “Islamic beliefs influence Arab management. Arab executives are more person-orientated than work-orientated and more susceptible to pressures from families, friends and the wider community. These pressures influence their decisions and behaviour practices.”

Al Faleh found Arab management had the following characteristics:

1. Organisation members are motivated by friendship and power needs, rather than by performance objective
   
2. Social formalities are extremely important
   
3. Mangers rely heavily on kinship ties to get things done
   
4. Nepotism is regarded as natural and acceptable
   
5. Punctuality and time constraints are much less concern than in western cultures
   
6. Subordinates act with deference and obedience to those above them in the hierarchy
   

How to Read & Write Arabic 11: Raa

This week we'll be looking at the letter 'raa', an easy letter to pronouce and also to find in writtten text. Raa is another non-connector and so only occurs in two forms, connected and independent and looks like this:


Independent




Connected



The Sound of Rrrrrr
The letter 'raa' is very similar to the sound of the English 'r', but is always rolled. Roll your r's and you'll have the correct Arabic sound. No roll, no Arabic raa!

Practice making a whirring sound by flapping your tongue against the roof of your mouth and make the rrrrrrrrrr sound. If you say it loud and high, and cup your mouth, you'll have the sound of fun at girls parties in the Middle East!


All forms
In this photo for the sign to the hamlet of Ras Abu Jarjur (which is a tiny little village in the middle of Bahrain) you'll find a connected and an independent raa. And you'll find you can read most of the other Arabic letters in the photo ~YEE HA~



Medial/Final
In the signs below you'll find at least one example of raa in it's connected form. Look carefully at the fonts - even though the font is written in slightly different ways in each of the photos, the basic form will always stay the same, just like the difference between Times New Roman, Lucida Sans, Courier New or Ariel in English typography.










Independent
The photos below show what the independent form of the letter raa look like:








Hide and Seek
Look at the photo below and try to find all the raas. Once you've found them, decide in which form they appear. Decide which other letters you also know and in which form they appear:






Practice/ Homework
Should you wish to practice writing the letter 'raa':

1.
Complete the hide and seek activities in the article above

2.
Using lined paper write the letter 'raa' in its two different forms, as many times as you can; final and independent. Because 'raa' is a non connector you'll have to write one of the other letters you already know before the 'raa' in order to connect it. A minimum of 20 repetitions is suggested, always remembering to write the lines first, then the dots.

3.
Re-read the previous wgaw blog posts or wgaw subject/ labels 'How to Read and Write Arabic} and try to find as many raas as you can in the postings. Then decide if raa is in its independent or final format.


Overview
1. The nineth letter of the Arabic alphabet is called, 'raa'
2. The are two forms of the letter 'raa'; independent and final
3. Raa is one of the six non-connectors and never-ever-ever connects with the letter which follows it, even if it occurs in the middle of a word.


What's Next?
Next week we’ll look at the next letter of the Arabic alphabet, 'zaay', another non-connector.

Sami Yusuf CD Giveaway

On my desk in front of me I have four copies of the Sami Yusuf CD, 'al-mu allim' which I'd like to share with the readers of this blog :-)



I've been having a clear out of the office and found multiple copies in one of the more remote corners.

So if you'd like a copy of the CD (dusted, unused and still in the plastic wrappers - I'll pay for postage and packing), leave your email addy or full address at: wgaw.blog@gmail.com or in the comments box below.  Deadline is: Friday 27th March, 2009. 




FYI: Sami's biography, as posted on www.bestuff.com


Biography
Sami Yusuf was born in July 1980 in Tehran, Iran, but he grew up in London, UK. Sami is a practicing Muslim who sees songs as a means of promoting the message of Islam and encouraging the youth to be proud of their religion and identity.

Sami learned to play several instruments at a very young age and gradually began to show a keen interest in singing and composing. He studied under several composers who had graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in London.

As Sami mentions in his interviews, at the age of sixteen, he was spiritually awakened. He wanted to leave music and do something for Islam. He even thought about joining Law School as an alternative, but his friend Bara Kherigi persuaded him otherwise.

In 2003 he started working on Al Mu`alim (The Teacher), his first album. Sami and his friends started their company or foundation by the name of Awakening which produces musical products all over the world.

Sami can speak fluent English, Persian and Azeri, Sami has also performed many songs in Arabic, Urdu and Turkish. His song "supplication" was used in the soundtrack of the film The Kite Runner.

Sami Yusuf has performed in the UK, Middle East, United States, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Azerbaijan, Sudan, Germany, France, Holland, Turkey, Belgium, Morocco, Algeria, Austria and many other countries.

He has also released six music clips.

How to Read & Write Arabic 1o: DHAAL

This week we continue the alphabet with a letter which looks very similar to last week's letter, daal; dhaal

'Dhaal' takes the same shape as the letter 'daal', but it has a dot on the top. However, the sounds you make when reading the two letters are very different.

The sound of 'dhaal' is like the English, 'th' in, 'other' or, 'then'. And as with the English 'th' sound, make sure to stick your tongue out of your mouth when you say the letter.

To remember the difference between daal and dhaal, just think of dhaal as being, 'the other daal'.

Like daal, the letter dhaal can be written in just two forms; as an independent and also as a connector with the previous letter, like so:

Independent Dhaal




Dhaal as a Connector 



So as a non-connector, as with daal and alif, there will always be a gap following the letter dhaal, even if it occurs in the middle of a word.


Examples
Here are some examples of the letter 'dhaal' when it occurs in a word.

Independent
This first example was taken in Oman near a ford, whilst the second was taken in Bahrain suq just near all the modernisation:






Final
Both these examples were taken in Bahrain. The first one, Adari park is a very old amusement park which has just been refurbished and the second is taken from the F1 notices outside the race track.






Hide and Seek
Look at the photo below and try to find one each of the two letters you have just learnt this week and last; daal and dhaal.  Once you've found them, decide in which form they appear.  You should also be able to find several alifs, as well as a 'Haa' and a 'Jiim':




Practice/ Homework
Should you wish to practice writing the letter 'dhaal':

1.
Complete the hide and seek activities in the article above

2.
Using lined paper write the letter 'dhaal' in its two different forms, as many times as you can; final and independent. Because 'dhaal' is a non connector you'll have to write one of the other letters you already know before the 'dhaal' in order to connect it. A minimum of 20 repetitions is suggested, always remembering to write the lines first, then the dots.

3.
Re-read the previous wgaw blog posts or wgaw subject/ labels 'How to Read and Write Arabic} and try to find the dhaals, in the photos, in those postings. Then decide if the dhaal is in its independent or final format.


Overview
1. The eighth letter of the Arabic alphabet is called, 'dhaal'
2. The are two forms of the letter 'dhaal'; independent and final
3. Dhaal is one of the six non-connectors and never-ever-ever connects with the letter which follows it, even if it occurs in the middle of a word.


What's Next?
Next week we’ll look at the next letter of the Arabic alphabet, 'raa', another non-connector.

Arabic - English Loan Words: D-G

Today's posting follows on from the previous postings on Arabic - English and continues the list of words whose roots are said to have been borrowed, or loaned from the Arabic.

Words in the list below start with the letters 'D' to 'G' and are listed in alphabetical order. The English word is followed by the root word in Arabic [xxx] and then the Arabic meaning. On the line below is the meaning in English.

If I needed help with the English definition I used: 'The Oxford English Reference Dictionary' ISBN: 0-19-860046-1


D

Damask
from Damascus
A figured woven fabric (esp. silk or linen) with a pattern visible on both sides

Dhow
A lateen rigged ship used on the Arabian Sea

Dinar
The monetary unit of Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman

Dirham
The monetary unit of the UAE

Dragoman
tarjama [tarr-ja-ma]
interpret An interpreter or guide, esp. in countries speaking Arabic, Turkish or Persian

Drub
daraba [dar-rra-ba]  beat, thump
Beat in a fight

Dura mater
al umm al jafiya [al umm al jaa-fee-ya]
hard mother, indicating the relationship of things
The tough outermost membrane enveloping the brain and spinal cords


E
Elixir
al iksir [al ik-see-rr] alchemy
A preparation supposedly able to change metals into gold

Emir
amir [aa-meer]
title of various Muslim rulers, interchangeable but different from a king [ma-lick]

Emirates

The rank, domain or reign of an emir


F
Falafel
Small round comet-like food, made from crushed chick peas and deep fried ~the national dish of Egypt~

Fakir
mean/tight
a poor man; A Muslim or Hindu ascetic or holy man, originally a mendicant dervish

Fatwa
instruct by a legal decision
An authoritative (usually written) ruling on a point of Islamic law given by a mufti or Islamic leader

Fedayeen
fidaiyin [fee-day-yeen] adventurer
Arab guerrillas operating esp. against Israel

Fellah
falaha [faa-la-ha] till the soil
An Egyptian peasant

Felucca
fulk [fulk] ship
Small Mediterranean coasting vessel with oars, or lateen sailsm or both

Fez
A flat topped conical red cap with a tassel, named after the city in northern Morocco and worn by men in North African countries

Fomalhaut
fum ul haut [fom al haut] mouth of the fish
The brightest star in the constellation of Piscis Austrinus, which is only briefly visible from the northern hemispheres


G
Garble
gharbala [gHaa-ba-la] sift
Unintentionaly distort or confuse (facts, messages, etc)

Gauze
Thin transparent fabric of silk, cotton, etc. From Gaza in Palestine

Gazelle
ghazal; a small graceful African or Asian antelope

Genie
jinni [jinn] bad spirits
Jinn are the bad spirits frequently mentioned in the Koran The word is also used in the story of the gene in the bottle in the book, “1001 Arabian nights”

Ghoul
gul; desert demon
Evil spirit or phantom, a spirit in Arabic folklore preying on travellers

Gibraltar
gebel al tarik [jh-bul al Tarr-rik] hill of Tarik (an 8th century Saracen commander)

Giraffe
zarafa [za-ra-fa]
extremely tall African mamal

Cats

Cats, known in Arabic as gatwa [gat-wa] or locally in slang as miaos [mee-owh] are probably the most popular pets within Arab households.

Not only are they popular as indoor pets, many Arabs have an outside cat – that is they feed them either through the kitchen window or put food outside for them, but they never put a paw inside the house.

In many areas you’ll see feral cats, and it seems that each dustbin area has different coloured cats (all black, or all tabby, or all white) living in it.



Urban Legend
I've always liked this story; Someone once told me the reason for tabby cats having the shape ‘M’ on their forehead, between thier two eyes, is because the Prophet Mohammed once touched a cat's forehead and from then onward his inital appeared on all tabby cats.

Amr Diab

Image:  Recent photo of Amr Diab

Amr Diab [Rr-merr dee-ab] is my favourite, favourite, FAVE (!) Egyptian singer and I believe, with those sing-along-able tunes and beats could easily become very well known in the west.   However, he isn't, maybe because all his lyrics are in Arabic.  He is a very Middle Eastern singer.

I discovered him quite by accident when Virgin megastores in Dubai had his photo everywhere in the store and I decided to buy his album.  Enjoyment was instantanious and now every so often nothing else but Amr will do.

Out come all the Amr Diab albums, they're played over and over, and then over and over, and then ~I kid not~ over and over yet again until I'm full of Egyptian pop music and it's time to put them away until the next time. I've even got copies in my best friend's car in England so I can play the music when I'm there.

Hear This
Fabulously cheesy and one day I promise I'm going to look like one of the girls ~ha, ha~












Today's True Stories ...
1.
Whilst I was visiting Cario my driver asked me what I wanted to do, now we'd seen the Museum and the Pyramids. I jokingly suggested visting Amr Diab at home. Driver laughed, said nothing and dropped me off for lunch.

I'm sitting in the restaurant, munching away at pretty average food, when in the distance I see the driver running through the restaurant, right arm in air, with the phone in his raised hand. And whilst he's running through the restaurant he's pointing at the phone with his other hand, shouting,"Phone for you, phone for you".

I don't know that many people in Cairo ~I was on a work trip~ and the person I knew the most was sitting right next to me, eating her lunch. Anyway, I took the phone call.

A lovely man at the other end of the phone said,
"I'm very sorry madam, but Amr Diab is not in Egypt right now, he's in Dubai. Would you like me to arrange to meet him next time you're here?"

I'm like,
"Who are you?"
And he replies, "Amr Diab's secretary"

Well that well and truely shut me up because those Personal Account Managers at American Express really do know everyone.


Image: The cover of the first Amr album I bought

2
Six months later Amr Diab gave a concert in Bahrain and we managed to get front row tickets.  And although we were on Egyptian music time (concert started at 12 midnight and finished at 1am) I was very happy be literally six feet from the stage and sing every single word to every single one of the songs ~scary that~ MTV were filming and definately panned in at the only English woman at the front.


Image; Remembering the Concert


Links
I just like the music and really know very little about Amr. Other people are far more knowledgeable about his biography, so here's a couple of the most useful links:
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amr_Diab
www.amrdiablegend.com/NewV/

Wosta

Wosta (also spelt, woster/ waster/ waster but all pronounced in the same way, [wass-ter]) is an Arabic word which describes a polite form of corruption.

Wosta is the non-monetary method way of circumnavigating the prevaling system, or, short cutting the rules and getting what you want without waiting.

For example, say you need a job. What you will do is go visit your friend explain your situation, suggest they might be able to help and their friend goes and sorts you out a job.



Or you need a specific police report to disapear which mentions you attacked your wife.  You go to your friend in the police/ traffic department and there it is, gone.

An 'old boy's network' if you will.


Grammar Points
In English, the term 'wosta' is used as a noun, for example; "He's got lots of wosta."
You can not say, "He's wosta-ing" (verb) or "She's a wosta-ly girl" (adjective)

Urban Legends
1
A friend of a friend worked for a very large shipping company. One day he received a phone call from a man who was shipping lots of fireworks from China to the Middle East for the opening event of a festival.

The shipment was late and the man who was supposed to be supplying the fireworks was beginning to panic and the pressure was beginning to build.

He asked,
“Why hasn’t the shipment arrived yet?” to which he replied,
“Fireworks aren’t just any old shipment, they need lots of paperwork and clearance. Surely you were aware of this before you said you’d ship the consignment?”
The man replied,
“Do you know who these fireworks are for? They are for xxxx, now do something.”
My friend had heard it all before, and so replied,
“I'm sure they’re not bothered in Hong Kong or Singapore about xxxx, they want the paperwork. And that’s why your shipment is stuck in Beijing.”



2
Years ago, whilst in an Australian railway station a friend was getting a cup of coffee when the Gulfie man ~man from the Gulf~ behind the counter spotted some Arabic writing on one of her posessions. He struck up a conversation and found out she worked in the Middle East and immediately suggested she find him a job.

3
A friend of a friend had an accident in her car and had the car fixed at the dealership garage. Several years later when she wanted to sell the car, someone went to the garage to make sure the car’s history would not be divulged to anyone who might come along and ask.  The car was now accident free.



Some Background Information
Al-Faleh (1987) found the Arab management style has the following characteristics:
1. Organisation members are motivated by friendship and power needs, rather than by performance objective
2. Social formalities are extremely important
3. Managers rely heavily on kinship ties to get things done4. Nepotism is regarded as natural and acceptable
5. Punctuality and time constraints are much less concern than in western cultures
6. Subordinates act with deference and obedience to those above them in the hierarchy





The Images
The Images on today's posting come from a variety of Arabic blogs including:
www.blog.sweetestmemories.com
www.alarcheef.com
www.mab3oos.com
www.assennara.net

Defining Cultures: Hofsteede

This post continues on from {wgaw blog archive: 1o/o3 and o2/o4}

Hofsteede theorized people from one culture can be compared with people from another culture using just five parameters and stated it was, "the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one human group from another"


1. Individual or Group; High or Low Collectivist

“Do I act on our own for my benefit, or do we act as a group for all our benefits?”

In highly collectivist cultures the group always comes before the individual and people think of themselves as being part of a, “we” rather than an, “I”. The continuation of a relationship is essential, along with the politeness and hospitality needed to maintain integrity and honour.

In low collectivist cultures the individual comes before the group and sometimes there isn’t a group. In many cases the individual will think of themselves as “I”.

General thought ~with which I would agree~ states Arabs are a highly collectivist culture and as such,
“The power of relationships can never be underestimated and success is dependent on connections which are inherited or acquired through hard work.”


2. Male or Female/  Patriarchal or Matriarchal / Feminine or Masculine

Hofsteede suggests male societies define very specific roles for men and women, whereas female societies mix the roles and at times the roles are ambiguous.  Values in masculine societies usually involve competition and the winning or loosing, whereas in the more ‘feminine’ cultures the values of importance involve harmony and nurturing.

From my experience Arabs are a patriarchal society. Personal recollections include;
“I feel much better now I’m in charge again.”
“The louder I shout, the more they shut up and listen to me.”

3. Power Distance;  Vertical or Horizontal, Low or High

To define if your culture has high or low power distance you can ask, “How is power shared in this community; vertically or horizontally?” "How much distance is there between you and the decision makers?" and then, "What possibility is there of you meeting with them and influencing their decisions?" With a vertical power distance there is a small ruling elite, a large underclass and a very small middle class.

Key words in a high power distant culture include: favoritism, bureaucracy, inequality and hierarchy.
With horizontal power distances the triangle becomes a three way rectangle:

1. Power distance - 2. Ruling Elite - 3. Majority of Population
and the power distances are far smaller. Key words here include teams, sharing


4. Risk Avoidance: Low or High Uncertainty Tolerance/Avoidance

I belive the wording for this aspect of culture sometimes makes it difficult to comprehend and usually the term avoidance is used. However the term ‘low uncertainty avoidance’ is a double negative, and means you like excitement and new things. I’ve used the term ‘tolerance’ to avoid the confusion.

How do you (as a group or individual) feel/ think/ act when dealing with an abnormal or a difficult to understand situation?  If you like new things and experiences then its likely you have a high uncertainty tolerance. If you prefer things to remain the same then it's very likely you'll have a low uncertainty tolerance.

Cultures with a high uncertainty tolerance are comfortable with events and people that are unpredictable. They are comfortable with risk taking and nonconformist behavior. Cultures with low uncertainty tolerance often have formal and informal systems to control their environments and have strict behavioral norms.


5. Time;  Long or Short Term Orientation (LTO)

High LTO indicates respect for tradition – change is slow

Low LTO indicates changes are not hindered by long-term traditions

How to Read & Write Arabic 9: DAAL

As today is Thursday we'll return to learning the alphabet and will contemplate the eighth letter of the Arabic alphabet, 'daal'.


In the very first posting for, 'How to Read and Write Arabic' we stated there are six letters in the Arabic alphabet which are non-connectors. Daal is the second non connector you have come across in this series and both letters, daal and alif never, ever, ever connect with any letter which follows them.

So, the letter daal looks like this:



Writing the Letter Daal
Writing daal is easy (no dots, nothing under the line you write on), just an acute angle and a single line.  Daal is written like this:



The photograph above shows daal in its 'independent' form.  When you write a daal which joins with the preceeding letter it's written in its 'final' form like this:




Because daal is a non-connector these two forms shown above are the only forms of daal which can be written.

There is no medial form (because it never joins with the following letter) and there is also no initial form (because it never joins with the following letter).  If a 'daal' does occur at the beginning of a word, it always takes the independent format.

Making the Daal Sound
Daal has a very similar pronunciation to the English 'd' in 'dentist' or 'do', but not at all like the 'd' in 'puddle'. Say the two words, 'dentist' and 'puddle' one after the other several times and you'll begin to hear the difference between the two.

When you say the 'd' as part of the word, 'dentist' your tongue is at the top of your mouth and the sound is hard, whereas when you say the word, 'puddle' you'll find your tongue is located towards the bottom of your mouth and the sound is softer.


Final
The three photos below show the letter 'daal' in its final form.

TASK
When you've found and contemplated the daals, see how many and in which format the letter 'baa' occurs.

Independent

The following photos show daal in its independent form:

Hide & Seek

1.  
Look at the two photos below and find the two daals in each photo.  Each photo has one connecting daal and one independent daal.
2.  
In addition, try and work out how many 'alifs' and 'Haas' occur in each photo:

Practice/ Homework

Should you wish to practice writing the letter 'daal':

1.
Complete the hide and seek activities in the article above

2.
Using lined paper write the letter 'daal' in its two different forms, as many times as you can; final and independent. Because daal is a non connector you'll have to write one of the other letters you already know before the daal in order to connect it. A minimum of 20 repetitions is suggested, always remembering to write the lines first, then the dots.

3.
Re-read the previous wgaw blog posts {wgaw subject/ labels 'How to Read and Write Arabic} and try to find all the daals, in the photos, in those postings. Then decide if the daal is in an independent format or a final format.

Overview

1. The eighth letter of the Arabic alphabet is called 'daal'

2. The are only two different forms of the letter daal; independent and final

3. Daal is one of the six non-connectors and never-ever-ever connects with the letter which follows it, even if it occurs in the middle of a word.

What's Next?

Next week we’ll look at the letter 'dhaal' a letter very similar to daal in both shape and sound.  And maybe because it is so similiar, it's unsurprisingly another non-connector.