Cultural Dos and Taboos
1. Handshakes are customary. Men will wait for a woman to extend her hand first before shaking it.
2. Stick to formal forms of address, complete with titles, unless invited to do otherwise.
3. If a Muslim man does not introduce you to his wife, though she may be standing next to him, do not assume the responsibility of introducing yourself to her.
4. Business meetings will not start until people have gotten a chance to know each other. This is a good time to establish a trust and rapport between both parties involved.
5. Visitors should expect to bargain in the market place. Bargaining in the market place is the traditional way of business. In fact, merchants may become offended if visitors do not attempt to bargain and may refuse the sale of their product.
6. Traditional Muslims will not touch any sort of pork product (such as football make from pig skin) or alcohol products (even perfumes which contain alcohol).
7. Alcohol, however, is legal in bars and restaurants. Nevertheless, public drunkenness is not tolerated. A woman should be careful not to drink alone in bars or she might be thought of as a prostitute.
8. Men and women should avoid making prolonged eye contact with the opposite sex.
9. No flirting and no public affection, even between married couples.
10. The visitor should respect the five times of daily prayer.
11. Observe Muslim customs when invited to a Muslim house. This means remove shoes before entering the house, do not sit or stand so that anyone can see the bottom of your foot, and do no eat with you left hand.
12. One should always remove his or her shoes before entering houses or mosques.
13. Never expose the bottom of the foot to anyone.
14. Note that Lebanon is not a strictly Muslim country. Be sensitive to cultural and religious diversity.
15. Dress should always be modest. Women should take special care not to wear revealing clothing so as to avoid harassment and hostility from the Muslim population.