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Info4Migrants
IRAQ Country prole
Project number: UK/13/LLP-LdV/TOI-615
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437,072 km2
36,004 mlnPOPULATION
GDP per capita
CURRENCY
$6,900
Languages ARABIC, KURDISH
Iraqi dinar (IQD)
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Ocial name: Republic of Iraq (Al-Jumhuriya al-Iraqiya).
Locaon: Iraq is located in the Middle East at the northern-
most
extent of the Persian Gulf, north of Saudi Arabia, west of Iran,
east of Syria, and south of Turkey.
Capital: Baghdad
Climate: mostly desert; mild to cool winters with dry, hot,
cloudless summers; northern mountainous regions along Ira-
nian and Turkish borders experience cold winters with occa-
sionally heavy snows
Ethnic Make-up: Arab 75%-80%, Kurdish 15%-20%,
Turkoman, Assyrian, or other 5%
Religions: Muslim 97%, Chrisan or other 3% (Chrisan 0.8%,Hindu
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IRAQ FACTS
LanguageAccording to the constuon of 2005, the two ocial lan-
guages of Iraq are Arabic and Kurdish, which is ocial in
regions with a Kurdish majority. Turkmen and Assyrian neo-
Aramaic also are ocial languages in regions where they are
spoken. The two main regional dialects of Arabic spoken in
Iraq are Mesopotamian (spoken by about 11.5 million) andNorth Mesopotamian (spoken by about 5.4 million). Other
languages in Iraq are Armenian, Azeri, and Chaldean Neo-Ar-
amaic.
ReligionThe constuon of 2005 guarantees freedom of religion
but species that no law may be enacted that is contrary
to the teachings of Islam, the state religion. Some 97 per-
cent of Iraq’s populaon is Muslim. Of that number, 60 to
65 percent is Shia and 32 to 37 percent Sunni. Although
the Shias have constuted more than half of Iraq’s pop-
ulaon throughout the tweneth century, unl 2005 all
governments excluded them from proporonal polical
power. The Sunni regime of Saddam Hussein systemacal-
ly repressed the Shias. In 1991, a Shia revolt in southern
Iraq brought mass execuons and further alienaon, and
in the post-Hussein era, the Shia–Sunni split remains akey polical factor. The Kurds are predominantly Sunni
but ethnically dierent from the Arab Sunnis and of a less
militant religious orientaon.
FlagThe ag of Iraq consists of three equal horizontal bands
of red (top), white, and black with three green, ve-point-
ed stars centered in the white band. The phrase “Allahu
Akbar” (“God Is Great”) also appears in Arabic script in
the white band with the word Allahu to the le of the
center star and the word Akbar to the right of that star.
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CapitalThe populaon of Baghdad, as of 2011, is approximate-
ly 7,216,040, making it the largest city in Iraq, the secondlargest city in the Arab world (aer Cairo, Egypt), and the
second largest city in Western Asia (aer Tehran, Iran).
Located along the Tigris River, the city was founded in the
8th century and became the capital of the Abbasid Caliph-
ate. Baghdad evolved into a signicant cultural, commercial,
and intellectual center for the Islamic world. This, in addi-
on to housing several key academic instuons (e.g. House
of Wisdom), garnered the city a worldwide reputaon as
the “Center of Learning”. Throughout the High Middle Ages,
Baghdad was considered to be the largest city in the world
with an esmated populaon of 1,200,000 people.
The city was largely destroyed at the hands of the Mon-
gol Empire in 1258, resulng in a decline that would linger
through many centuries due to frequent plagues and mul-
ple successive empires. With the recognion of Iraq as
an independent state in 1938, Baghdad gradually regained
some of its former prominence as a signicant center of
Arab culture.
IRAQ FACTS
5
Family and HonourIraqis consider family and honour to be of paramount im-
portance. The extended family or tribe is both a polical
and social force. Families hold their members responsible
for their conduct, since any wrongdoing brings shame
to the enre family. Loyalty to the family comes before
other social relaonships, even business. Neposm is
not viewed negavely; in Iraqi culture, it naturally makes
more sense to oer jobs to family as they are trusted. It
is common for large extended families to live in the same
house, compound, or village. In urban areas, families do
not necessarily live in the same house, although they
generally live on the same street or suburb.
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Saddam HusseinSaddam Hussein (1937 – 2006) was the h President of
Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 unl 9 April
2003. A leading member of the revoluonary Arab Socialist
Ba’ath Party, and later, the Baghdad-based Ba’ath Party –
which espoused ba’athism, a mix of Arab naonalism and
Arab socialism — Saddam played a key role in the 1968 coup
(later referred to as the 17 July Revoluon) that brought
the party to power in Iraq. Saddam formally rose to power
in 1979, although he had been the de facto head of Iraq for
several years prior. He suppressed several movements, par-
cularly Shi’a and Kurdish movements, seeking to overthrow
the government or gain independence, and maintained
power during the Iran–Iraq War and the Gulf War. In 2003,
a coalion led by the US and UK invaded Iraq to depose
Saddam, who was accused of possessing weapons of mass
destrucon and having es to al-Qaeda. The trial of Saddam
took place under the Iraqi interim government and he was
sentenced to death and executed on 30 December 2006.
IRAQ FACTS
HospitalityHospitality is an Arab and Muslim tradion deeply en-grained in the culture. Visitors are treated as kings and must
always be fed and looked aer. A tradion within Islam
actually spulates someone is allowed to stay in your home
for 3 days before you can queson why they are staying and
when they will leave. Invitaons to a home must be seen as
a great honour and never turned down.
6
CuneiformThe oldest known wring system developed in Iraq around
3200 B.C. Known as cuneiform, it used about 600 signs in-
stead of an alphabet. Each sign stood for a word or a sylla-
ble.
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1 January: New Year’s Day
Iraq takes part in the interna-
onal celebraon of the rst
day of the Gregorian calendar.
Moveable date in winter:
Milad Un Nabi
It is the observance of the
birthday of the Islamic prophet
Muhammad
6 January: Armed Forces Day
This day marks the anniversa-
ry of the acvaon of the Iraqi
Army on 6 January, 1921.
21 March: Nowruz (Iraqi
Kurdistan only)
Nowruz marks the rst day
of spring or Equinox and the
beginning of the year in the
Persian calendar.
9 April: Liberaon Day
On this day the country was
freed from the Saddam Hus-
sein regime.
17 April: FAO Day
Food and Agriculture Organi-
zaon Day (FAO) is celebratedin Iraq to mark the organiza-
on’s goal of assuring food
security.
1 May: Labour Day
May 1 is considered as the
Labour Day by almost all the
naons of the world, and Iraq
is not an excepon.
14 July: Republic Day
14 July 1958 is the day the
Hashemite monarchy was
overthrown in Iraq by popular
forces led by Abdul Karim Kas-
sem, who became the naon’s
new leader.
Moveable date in summer:
Eid al-Fitr (3 days)
The holiday celebrates the
conclusion of the 29 or 30
days of dawn-to-sunset fasng
during the enre month of
Ramadan.
27 July: 1991 Shiite Rebellion
This day commemorated the
Shiite upraisal against the
Hussein regime in 1991.
8 August: Ceasere Day
This day marks the end of the
Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988) also
known as the Imposed Warand Holy Defense in Iran and
the rst Gulf War in the Arab
World.
Moveable date in autumn:
Eid al-Adha (4 days)
It honors the willingness of
Ibrahim to sacrice his prom-
ised son, Ismail, as an act ofsubmission to God’s com-
mand.
3 October: Naonal Iraqi Day
In 1932, in accordance with a
treaty between Great Britain
and Iraq, Iraq gained indepen-
dence and joined the League
of Naons.
Moveable date in autumn or
winter: Hijri New Year
The rst Islamic year begin-
ning in 622 AD during which
the emigraon of Muhammad
from Mecca to Medina took
place is known as the Hijra.
Moveable date in autumn:
Ashaura
For Shi’a Muslims the Ashura
is a day to make pilgrimages,
wear mourning clothes and
avoid any entertainments. For
Sunni Muslims it is a day of joy
and celebraon with familyand friends of the victories of
Allah.
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
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HISTORY IN BRIEF
• Formerly a part of the Ooman Empire, Iraq was occupied by Britain during World War I.
• In 1920, it was declared a League of Naons mandate under UK administraon. In
stag¬es over the next dozen years, Iraq aained its independence as a kingdom in 1932.
• A “republic” was proclaimed in 1958, but in reality a series of strong polical leaders
ruled the country unl 2003. The last was Saddam Hussein.
• Territorial disputes with Iran led to an inconclusive and costly eight-year war (1980-
1988).
• In August 1990, Iraq seized Kuwait, but was expelled by US-led, UN coalion forces
during the Gulf War of January-February 1991. Following Kuwait’s liberaon, the UN Se-
curity Council (UNSC) required Iraq to scrap all weapons of mass destrucon and long-
range missiles and to allow UN vericaon inspecons. Connued Iraqi noncompliance
with UNSC resoluons over a period of 12 years led to the US-led invasion of Iraq in March
2003 and the falling of the Saddam Husain regime. US forces remained in Iraq under a
UNSC mandate through 2009 and under a bilateral security agreement thereaer, helping
to provide security and to train and mentor Iraqi security forces.
• In October 2005, Iraqis approved a constuon in a naonal referendum and, pursuant
to this document, elected a 275-member Council of Representaves (COR) in December
2005. The COR approved most cabinet ministers in May 2006, marking the transion to
Iraq’s rst constuonal government in nearly half a century.
• In January 2009, Iraq held elecons for provincial councils in all governorates except forthe three governorates comprising the Kurdistan Regional Government and Kirkuk Gover-
norate. Iraq held a naonal legislave elecon in March 2010 – selecng 325 legislators
in an expanded COR – and, aer nine months of deadlock, the COR approved the new
government in December 2010. Nearly nine years aer the start of the Second Gulf War in
Iraq, US military operaons there ended in mid-December 2011.
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INTERESTING FACTS
9
• Approximately half of Iraq is covered by
inhospitable desert Tradionally, marriag-
es in Iraq are arranged, though more and
more Iraqis are choosing their own spous-
es, especially in larger cies.
• The famous children’s story Ali Baba and
the Forty Thieves was wrien in Iraq about
1,000 years ago
• In Iraq, as in many predominately Muslim
countries, it is oensive to use one’s le
hand while eang because the le hand is
considered to be unclean.
• Women in Iraq tradionally had more
freedom than in other countries in the
region. However, since the Gulf War, their
situaon has become increasingly worse.
Religious groups try to force women to cov-
er up and threaten women wearing West-
ern-style clothes.
• According to the UNHCR’s 2010 report,
Iraqis were the second largest refugee
group in the world, with 1.8 million Iraqis
seeking refuge in neighboring countries.
The largest group was from Afghanistan,
with 2.9 million refugees.
• According to the Bible, Abraham was from
Ur, which is in Southern Iraq. Isaac’s wife,
Rebekah was from Nahor, which is also in
Iraq. Addionally, according to legend, Iraq
is the site of the Biblical Garden of Eden.
• Mountains make up about 20% of Iraq.
The two main mountain chains are the
Taurus, on the border with Turkey, and the
Zagros, on the border with Iran. The moun-
tains are the only parts of Iraq that sll have
forests.
• One of Iraq’s disncve plants is licorice,
which has been used for thousands of years
for its health eects.
• Iraqis have been keeping bees for 5,000
years. Honey is an important source of food
and income for many Iraq families.
• Sand and dust storms rage for 20 to 50
days each year in Iraq, mostly during the
summer. Sandstorms can reach heights of
15 meters.
• Iraq once had one of the highest quali-
ty schools and colleges in the Arab world.
However, aer the 1991 Gulf War and the
United Naons sancons, today only around
40% of Iraqis can read and write.
• Iraq has been home to some of the great-
est urban centers in the world, including Ur,
Babylon, Nineveh, Ctesiphon, and Baghdad.
• The Iraqi desert is home to the dangerous
saw-scale viper. Many sciensts consider it
the most dangerous snake in the world.
•Ancient Iraq was the birthplace of some of
the world’s most important invenons, such
as the 60-second minute and the 60-min-ute hour, the wheel, wring, the rst accu-
rate calendar, the rst maps, and the rst
schools.
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Hospitality is considered a highly admired asset to the Iraqis. Iraqis are known for being
very generous and polite, especially when it comes to mealme. Meals are more oen
a fesve, casual experience than a formal one. Many Iraqis were raised to feed their
guests before themselves, and to feed them well. Most Iraqis hosts feel that they are
failing in their role as hosts if their guests have not tried all of their dishes. In fact, prop-
er appreciaon is shown by overeang.
The cuisine of Iraq reects this rich inheritance as well as strong inuences from the cu-
linary tradions of neighbouring Persia, Turkey and the Syria region area. Like the Turks,
Iraqis like to stu vegetables and eat a lot of lamb, rice, and yogurt. Like Iranians, they
enjoy cooking fruits with beef and poultry.
Contemporary Iraq reects the same natural division as ancient Mesopotamia, which con-
sisted of Assyria in the arid northern uplands and Babylonia in the southern alluvial plain.
Al-Jazira (the ancient Assyria) grows wheat and crops requiring winter chill such as apples
and stone fruits. Al-Irāq (Iraq proper, the ancient Babylonia) grows rice and barley, citrus
fruits, and is responsible for Iraq’s posion as the world’s largest producer of dates.
Kubbat mousel is a at disc of two layers of burghul (a cereal food made from the groatof several dierent wheat species, most oen from durum wheat) with a thin layer of
minced meat mixture in the middle. It originated in the city of Mousel, 240km north
of Baghdad. Kubbat Mousel is sold frozen in the Arab world and in most Arab shops in
west¬ern countries. This allows for more frequent consumpon of this delicious dish than
in the days when it was made at home from scratch.
Fesenjān (Chicken in pomegranate and walnut sauce) is most likely Iranian in origin. Ithas come to Baghdad from the cies of Najaf and Karbala, where a number of Iranians
visit the holy shrines and oen stay for a period of me. Also, there are nu¬merous mar -
riages between Iraqis and Iranians, which is another way for some of the Iranian dishes to
reach Iraqi kitchens.
Masgouf is a tradional Mesopotamian dish made with sh from the Tigris. It is an open
cut freshwater sh roasted for hours aer being marinated with olive oil, salt, curcuma
and tamarind while keeping the skin on. Tradional garnishes for the masgouf include
lime, chopped onions and tomatoes, as well as the clay-oven atbreads common to Iraqand much of the Middle East.
IRAQI CUISINE
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The main ingredient of Tepsi Baynijan, an Iraqi casserole, is aubergine, which are slicedand fried before placing in a baking dish, accompanied with chunks of either lamb/beef/
veal or meatballs, tomatoes, onions and garlic. Potato slices are placed on top of the
mixture, and the dish is baked. Like many other Iraqi dishes, it is usually served with rice,
along with salad and pickles.
Dolma is a family of stued vegetable dishes. The grape-leaf dolma is common, and zuc -chini, aubergine, tomato and pepper are commonly used as llings. The stung may or
may not include meat.
Koa is a family of meatball or meatloaf dishes inMiddle Eastern, Indian, and Balkan cuisines. In the
simplest form, koas consist of balls of minced
or ground meat — usually beef or lamb — mixed
with spices and/or onions. Vegetarian variees
include lauki koa, shahi aloo koa, and malai
koa.
Kleicha, a naonal cookie of Iraq, comes in sev-eral tradional shapes and llings, the most pop-
ular being the molded ones lled with dates. The
sweet discs are also favorites, along with the half
moons lled with nuts and sugar.
Qatayef dessert is reserved for the Muslim holi-
day of Ramadan, a sort of sweet crepe lled withcheese or nuts. It was tradionally prepared by
street vendors as well as households in the Le-
vant, and more recently it has spread to Egypt.
Drinks
• Arak, a clear, colorless, unsweetened aniseed-avored dislled alcoholic drink.
Arak is usually not drunk straight, but mixed with approximately 1/3 arak to 2/3 water,
and ice added.
• Sharbat, a chilled, sweet drink prepared from fruit juice or ower petals.
• Shinēna, a cold beverage of yogurt mixed with cold water, somemes with a pinchof salt or dried mint added.
IRAQI CUISINE
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Meeng and Greeng
• Men do not touch women unless they
are rst-degree relaves (wives, mothers,
daughters, or sisters), in which case they
greet with a handshake. A failure to shake
someone’s hand when meeng them or
bidding them goodbye may be seen as of-
fensive.
• These rules apply only to people of the
same sex; it is considered disrespecul for
a man to oer his hand to a woman unless
she extends it rst – and obviously women
should never be kissed. Touching the right
hand to the heart as a form of greeng
indicates respect or sincerity. In rural areas,
greengs between men include handshak-ing and kissing on the cheeks.
• A son may kiss his mother’s head as a sign
of respect. Children show respect by kissing
the hand of an elder.
• A typical greeng is Al-salamu ‘alaykum
(May peace be upon you). Young Iraqis
greet with a less-formal wave and the wordMarhaba (Hi).
Titles• It is considered impolite to address a per-
son by rst name unless the individual is a
close friend and from the same generaon
and social class.
• A man is commonly addressed as Abu
(Father of), followed by his oldest son’s rst
name. A woman likewise might be ad-
dressed by her oldest son’s name, as in Um
Abbas (Mother of Abbas). Even a husband
and wife refer to each other in this way,
both in public and in private.
• An individual with no sons is addressed
by his or her oldest daughter’s rst name,
and an individual with no children is called
Abu ghayib or Um ghayib (Awaing father or
Awaing mother).
Body LanguageBody language is a highly developed form
of communicaon in Iraq, and a multude
of gestures are commonly used in everyday
interacon. Men tend to use gestures more
than women, and the following list applies
largely to men.
• When engaged in conversaon, Iraqis tend
to stand a short distance from one another
and use a good deal
of physical contact. Body language is an im-
portant method of expression.
• To express respect, especially to an elder,
a person will avoid eye contact during con-
versaon. Likewise,men and women will not
maintain eye contact with each other.• Eyebrows raised and head lted back
means “No”.
• Extending both open palms towards
someone signies enthusiasm or “excel-
lent”.
• Touching the outer edges of the eyes with
the ngerps indicates assent.
• It is oen considered impolite to wave
with the le hand. Poinng with the indexnder can also be seen as oensive - one
should use the whole hand.
IMPORTANT TIPS
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IMPORTANT TIPS
DressThe dress in Iraq is varied as many people
today wear western-styled clothing. Howev-
er, the majority of people connue to wear
more tradional clothing.
For men, this tradional dress is called a
dishdasha, which is a loose-ng garmentthat completely covers a person from the
neck down. In Iraq, this piece of clothing can
come in nearly any color, but tends to be in
black or browns. Women oen wear a dish-
dasha or an abaya; however, the decoraon
and detail of a woman’s dress tends to be
much more signicant than a man’s and the
women in Iraq tend to have very colorful
clothing, oen highlighted in golds.
Both men and women in tradional dress
cover their hair; women wear a cloth called
a hijab, which is wrapped around their neck
so only their faces can be seen, while men
may wear a keyeh, another head covering,
or leave their heads uncovered.
Today, some Iraqis have turned to west-ern-styled clothing with the tradional
headwear or a simple scarf. These clothes
are similar to what can be seen in much of
the world, but both men and women tend
to cover up with long-sleeved shirts and
pants.
Foreigners in Iraq should dress conservave-
ly with both arms and legs covered. Some
women many feel more comfortable cov-
ering their hair in public, but even amongst
the locals this is a slowing dying pracce.
More importantly, due to the violence, it is
recommended that you wear nothing that
makes you stand out as a foreigner. Most
visitors to Iraq today go there with a larger
organizaon, whether that is the military or
a non-governmental organizaon, or anoth-
er group, and this organizaon is best suited
to assist in what and how to dress.
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IMPORTANT TIPS
Dining EqueeWhen eang in Iraq, there are a few e-
quee rules you must know and follow. If
you get invited to dine with the locals, the
rst two rules you must follow are to dress
conservavely. Second, in conservave
homes and towns, it is not acceptable to
eat with a person of the opposite sex un-
less it is your child, sibling, or spouse.
While this is somewhat uncommon today,
to some conservave Muslims this is im-
portant, so you should observe the situa-
on at the local restaurant and follow their
lead. Due to this, don’t bring a guest of the
opposite sex to any meal unless you are
specically invited to do so. In many restau-
rants there is a “Men Only” secon and a“Family Secon,” in which women and men
can dine together (there is no “Women
Only” secon), so before any woman goes
out to eat, be sure the restaurant or host is
willing to allow women to eat with men.
Try to arrive on me for a meal, and if eat-
ing in a local’s home remove your shoes at
the door if others have done so. Greet the
elders rst, but be sure to greet every per-son individually and shake their hands (al-
though some conservave Muslims don’t
believe men and women should touch, so
wait for locals to extend their hand rst if
they are of the opposite sex). Let your host
seat you and when sing be sure to keep
your feet at on the oor or pointed be-
hind you as poinng the soles of your feet
at another can be seen as oensive.Once the food is served, follow your host’s
lead as he or she may invite everyone to
begin eang at the same me, or may
request that either you or the elders be
served rst. Try a bit of everything oered
as turning down food is rude.
Eat as the locals eat; in most sengs this
means eang in the connental style (knife
in the right hand, fork in the le); on some
occasions and with some dishes, you may
eat with your hand, but only touch your
food with your right hand. Be sure to
only take a small amount of food at rst if
served family style, as you will certainly be
oered a second helping. Turn down the
rst oer of a second helping, but on their
insistence accept the oer. As you nish
your food, leave a bit on your plate to show
there was more than enough and place
your fork and knife together in the 5:00
posion.
DrinksAs a primarily Muslim country, Iraq has
lile alcohol available, although technically
it is legal. Obtaining alcohol is dicult andreligious radicals have been known to tar-
get alcohol vendors and consumers.
The tap water in Iraq should not be con-
sumed. Be sure to also avoid anything with
ice as it may have been made from the tap
water. Salads and fruits may also have been
washed with tap water, so you should be
careful with them as well.
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ETIQUETTE AND CUSTOMS
Humor
Irony, sarcasm and self-depreciaon are all
styles of humor that can easily cause mis-
understandings in Iraq. It is not unusual for
people who are communicang in a lan-
guage that is not their mother tongue to
take words literally, at least unl they know
the language – and you – very well.
Telling a joke at one’s own expense can be
confusing in cultures that are concerned
about status and saving face. The best poli-
cy is to be very careful about cracking jokes
or making sarcasc comments unl you
know your audience very well.
Gi Giving Equee
• If you are invited to an Iraqi’s
home, bring a box of cookies, pas-
tries or a box of chocolates. A fruit
basket is also appreciated.
• Flowers are being given more and
more but only to a hostess.
• If a man must give a gi to a wom-an, he should say that it is from his
wife, mother, sister, or some other
female relaon.
• A small gi for the children is al-
ways appreciated.
• Gis are handed over with two
hands.
• Gis are generally not opened
when received.
Table manners
If you are invited to someone’s home:
• Check to see if you should remove shoes.
• Dress conservavely and smartly.
• Do not discuss business.
• Iraqi table manners are relavely formal.
• If the meal is on the oor, sit cross-
legged or kneel on one knee. Never let
your feet touch the food mat.
• Use the right hand for eang and drink-
ing.
• It is considered polite to leave some food
on your plate when you have nished eat-
ing.
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General Rules
Do be prepared for people to smoke in dif -
ferent venues.
Do give women the opportunity to avoid
physical contact with men. Handshakes
between the sexes may be allowed; a
two-handed handshake is especially wel-
coming.
Don’t shake a woman’s hand (if you are
male) unless she rst oers it to you.
Do be respecul and express gratude for
hospitality and generosity.
Do repeat your oer of a gi two or three
mes unl your host accepts.
It is considered rude for a host to not oer
a guest something to eat and drink. This
custom applies to unexpected visitors as
well. It is polite to accept your host’s oer.
Don’t oend your host by refusing to entera room rst. There is a rank system where
the oldest or highest-ranking person social-
ly enters a room rst; women are usually
among the last to enter.
Don’t use your le hand for contact with
others, eang or gestures. It is considered
unclean.
Don’t expose the soles of your feet or
shoes.
Don’t point with your ngers. It is a sign of
contempt. Instead, point with your whole
hand.
Don’t slouch, lean, or appear disinterested
when conversing with an Iraqi man.
Don’t back away from an Iraqi during con-
versaon. Close personal interacon is cus-
tomary and distance is considered rude.
Don’t oer a Muslim food or drink or con-sume either publicly during Ramadan. Nev-
er oer a Muslim alcohol or pork.
DOS AND DON’TS
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Don’t engage in religious discussions.
Don’t make the “OK” or “Thumbs Up”
sign; they are considered obscene.
Don’t praise an Iraqi’s possessions too
much, he may give them to you and expect
something of equal value in return.
Everyday taboos
Most everyday taboos stem from Islamic
values. They apply throughout Kurdish and
Arab Iraq and to Muslims in other coun-
tries.
• No pork unless none of your dining com-
panions are Muslim.• No alcohol if you are with anyone who
may take oence. In general, it is best to
mirror the choice of your host.
• Do not use the le hand for giving and
taking “clean” items, especially at meals,
when handling business cards or accepng
tokens of hospitality.
• Do not show the soles of your feet to
others, including crossing your legs.• Do not wear shoes inside houses.
• Never touch Iraqi women, especially in
public.
• Never enquire aer an Iraqi’s man wife,
daughters or any other female family
member, Enquire generally about the
well-being of his family instead.
•Avoid talking about your pet dog as dogs
are considered dirty.
Recommended topics for
conversaon
You will always be safe if you compliment
your desnaon. Your hosts are very likely
to ask you how you like Erbil or Baghdad;
always answer posively, even if you are
in the midst of a sandstorm. Try to ndcommon ground in sport. Showing interest
in Islam and Islamic culture is appreciated,
but be natural and sincere in your conver-
saon.
Topics of conversaon to avoid:
• Quesoning Islam
• Asking your Iraqi colleague if they areSunni or Shi’a
• Directly declaring your atheism or agnos-
cism
• Making enquiries about local women
• Discussing Saddam Hussein
• Openly cricizing polical leaders, even
if Iraqis do
• Discussing any Israel/Palesne issues
• Making uninformed comments aboutIraqi polics or negave aspects of Iraqi
history
• Showing enthusiasc patriosm for your
own country, especially combined with an
atude that your way is the only way to
do things
• Indicang support for the American-led
“War on Terror”
• General references to Iraq as though itis somehow responsible for the world’s
problems.
DOS AND DON’TS
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BUSINESS ETIQUETTE
Meeng and Greeng• Iraqi businesspeople are relavely formal
in their business dealings.
• The common Arabic greeng is “asalaamu
alaikum” (peace be with you), to which you
should respond “wa alaikum salaam” (and
peace be with you).
• The most common business greeng is
the handshake with direct eye contact.
• Handshakes can be rather prolonged; trynot to be the rst person to remove your
hand.
• Men should wait to see if a woman ex-
tends her hand.
• Business cards are given out.
• It is a nice touch to have one side of your
card translated into Arabic.
Communicaon StylesThe need to save face and protect honor
means that showing emoons is seen nega-
vely. Displays of anger are a serious no-no.
If you must show disapproval, it is always
best to do so one-to-one, quietly and with
tact.
Always keep your word. Do not make apromise or guarantee unless you can keep
it. Iraqi business people are not afraid of
asking blunt and probing quesons. These
may be about you, your company or itsintenons.
Business MeengsDue to the hierarchical nature of orga-
nizaons or businesses, the leader of an
Iraqi team does most of the talking for his
company or department. Subordinates
are there to corroborate informaon or to
provide technical advice and counsel to the
most senior Iraqi. Decisions are generally
made at the top of the company, but this
will be based on recommendaons from
pernent stakeholders and technical ex-
perts who sit in on meengs.
Expect interrupons during meengs when
phone calls may be taken or people enter
the room on other maers. This should not
be seen negavely; one should simply re-
main paent and wait for maers to return
to them.
Iraqis oen have several discussions tak-
ing place on the side during a meeng.
They may interrupt the speaker if they
have something to add. They can be loudand forceful in geng their point of view
across.
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The family is the most important social unit in Iraq, and family loyalty is one of the
most important values. Honor, both personal and the family’s honor, is also veryimportant. It is considered a disgrace to speak badly about a family member, or tell
non-family members about bad things that have happened in the family.
PEOPLE IN IRAQ
A family consists of all related kin, and can
include hundreds of people. Rural families
live with or near each other, while urban
families stay closely connected through
other means.
The structure of Arab society is such that
nancial power is in the hands of the hus-
band, although the wife is not completely
without inuence.
Roles of the sexes are very clearly dened
in Iraq. In rural areas, this strict division
oen causes the sexes to be segregated,
except when eang and sleeping.
Most marriages are arranged by families,
but a couple must approve a match. Di-
vorce is very rare, even though it is fairly
easy under Islamic Shari’a (law).
Young children are adored and indulged,
though they are strictly punished for misbe-
havior. They are expected to obey their par-ents and grandparents. Iraqis believe that
wisdom increases with age, so the elderly
are deeply revered.
In the Iraqi culture, respect is a key com-
ponent, because everyone is so close that
they want things to remain peaceful in the
family and from a social perspecve. Chil-
dren respect their elders, men and womenrespect one another, and respect is expect-
ed in all social situaons.
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Cultural heritage
Iraq has one of the world’s oldest cultural
histories. Iraq is where the Ancient Meso-
potamian civilizaons were, whose legacy
went on to inuence and shape the civiliza-
ons of the Old World.
The country is known for its poets, and its
painters and sculptors are among the best
in the Arab world, some of them being
world-class. Iraq is known for producing ne
handicras, including rugs and carpets. The
architecture of Iraq is seen in the sprawling
metropolis of Baghdad, where the con-
strucon is mostly new, with some islands
of exquisite old buildings and compounds,and elsewhere in thousands of ancient and
modern sites across Iraq.
Unlike many Arab countries, Iraq embraces
and celebrates the achievements of its past
in pre-Islamic mes. What is now Iraq was
once the Cradle of Civilizaon in Ancient
Mesopotamia and the culture of Sumer.
Naonal Identy
Arab rule during the medieval period had
the greatest cultural impact on modern
Iraq. The dominang culture within Iraq is
Arabic culture, and most Arabs are Muslim.
Iraqi Muslims are split into two groups, the
Sunnis and the Shias (Shiites). The Sunnis,
a majority in Islam, are a minority in Iraq,and the Shias, a minority in the Arab world,
are the majority in Iraq. Between the Shia
and Sunni Muslims, loyalty to Iraq has come
to be a common factor. Though they have
diering views, both Sunnis and Shias hold
high leadership posions in the government
(including the Sunni Saddam Hussein), as do
some Chrisans.
The Arab culture, inuenced by the con-
querors in the 7th century, withstood many
changes of power throughout the centuries,
and managed to remain inuenal. In the
19th century, while the Ooman Empire
was focusing on the “Turkicaon” of its
people, rebels in Mesopotamia were build-
ing their Arab naonalist movement. They
were granted an opportunity to act during
World War I, when the Brish agreed to rec-
ognize Arab independence in Mesopotamia
if they helped ght against the Turks.
Though Iraq was subject to Brish mandate
rule following the defeat of the Ooman
Empire, Arab naonalism stood strong. For
the next few decades, even aer indepen-
dence from Britain, the government’s at-
tude wavered between being pro-Brishand Arab naonalist. Today Iraq stands rm
in its belief in pro-Arab naonalism.
Tribes
Tribalism is an important aspect of Iraqi so-
ciety. It has been esmated that up to 75%
of the populaon idenes themselves asbelonging to a specic tribe.
CULTURE AND SOCIETY
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Women in IraqDuring the Iran-Iraq War, with so many men ghng in the military, women were required
to study in elds and to work in posions normally lled by men. Female professionals,
such as doctors, are normally pediatricians or obstetricians, so that they work with only
women or children.
The General Federaon for Iraqi Women (GFIW) is a government organizaon for women
with eighteen branches, one in each province. Its stated goal is to ocially organize wom-
en, promote literacy and higher educaon, and encourage women in the labor force. The
federaon supported big legislave steps, such as a 1977 law that said a woman may be
appointed an ocer in the military if she has a university degree in medicine, denstry,
or pharmacy. However, it has had lile impact on issues that aect women as individuals,
such as polygamy, divorce, and inheritance.
Family lifeIn the past, arranged marriages were common. However, this pracce is becoming rar-
er, and a law was passed that gave authority to a state-appointed judge to overrule thewishes of the father in the event of an early marriage. The Muslim majority tradionally
views marriage as a contract between two families, as the family’s needs are considered
most important. In urban sengs, women and men have more opons in choosing their
spouses, though the proposed spouse must receive parental approval. Partners oen
come from the same kin group, and though marriage between dierent ethnic groups is
accepted, it is not too common. The ruling Baath regime considers marriage to be a na-
onal duty that should be guided and encouraged.
Couples can live in either of two ways: with the husband’s extended family, or as a nucle-ar family. At present, with economic hardships, families tend to live in extended house-
holds. The extended family unit consists of the older couple, sons, their wives and fami-
lies, and unmarried daughters. Other dependent relaves may also make up a part of this
group, and the oldest male is the head of the group. In this living arrangement, house-
hold and child-rearing tasks are shared among all female members of the larger families.
If the couple can aord to live in a nuclear household, women, even though they work
outside the home, retain all domesc and child-care responsibilies. Children normally
imitate older siblings, and obedience and loyalty to elders are of vital importance. Theboy is thought to be more valuable to a family, given his potenal to work, while the girl
is considered more of a dependent.
SOCIAL LIFE
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