Saudi Arabia: gestures to avoid and cultural codes
Saudi Arabia — 40 documented situations where a gesture, a word or a silence does not read the way it does elsewhere. 21 to avoid first, academic sources and dated incidents.
What to avoid first
Read as : A depiction of an anal orifice in Latin America (especially Brazil), the Middle East and part of the Mediterranean — hence a sexual insult, sometimes an accusation of homosexuality (Turkey, Greece). In southern France and Tunisia, the circle means "zero", "worthless", "you are nothing". In some Gulf countries, the shaken gesture evokes the evil eye.
Read as : Serious discrepancy: Western game ("it's off") vs. serious physical threat in Middle Eastern/South Asian areas.
- The exposed soleOffense
Read as : Serious ritual insult: South Asia, Middle East, reject or defile.
Read as : In the West, throwing a shoe is seen as mere violence or public disorder. In the Arab world, it carries precise symbolic language immediately understood as the worst humiliation.
- Left-handed eating in ArabicOffense
Read as : For a left-handed person, passing food with the left hand is perceived as a deliberate insult or serious ignorance.
Read as : A non-Muslim host thinks he is being accommodating by offering pork "in case the guest wants some", or introduces it unknowingly through a derivative (gelatine, lard) - mistaking a sacred prohibition for a simple menu option.
Read as : In Islam, the cross is rejected as idolatry (shirk), a denial of tawhid (divine oneness). In Judaism, associated with historical Christian persecutions, symbol of forced conversion.
Read as : Nazis forced branding yellow star identification of Jews ghettos/camps. Arab countries rejected as symbol of Israel's occupation.
Read as : The West reads it as a sign of oppression or a political symbol; conversely, presenting it as always a "free choice" erases the state coercion (Iran, Afghanistan), where some women refuse to wear it.
- The index finger pointInsult
Read as : In Southeast Asia, the Arab world and Africa: accusation, condescension, treating the interlocutor like an animal or an inferior. In a professional context, may signal anger or personal indictment.
Read as : In the Arab, Islamic world and Southeast Asia, showing the sole to an interlocutor — intentionally or not — is interpreted as deliberate contempt. The interlocutor may leave the meeting without explanation.
Read as : Banal gesture or dominant hand -- unaware the left hand is ritually impure.
Read as : Impure, tainted, dirty or morally repugnant animal in Islam, Judaism and certain Western Christian contexts. Symbol of greed, stupidity or debauchery.
Read as : Writing, signing or presenting a document with the left hand, even without intent to offend.
Read as : Insisting on making someone drink who refuses for religious reasons.
Read as : Wearing a low neckline, a short skirt or tight-fitting clothing in the UAE or the Gulf.
- The blown kissMisunderstanding
Read as : In strict Islamic contexts and South Asia, blowing a kiss toward a person of the opposite sex in a public space is perceived as an immodest sexual advance or a disrespectful provocation of modesty norms (hayaa in Arabic, lajja in Hindi).
- The hand-over-heart pledgeMisunderstanding
Read as : Outside the United States, the gesture is perceived as theatrical, melodramatic or insincere — a cinematic borrowing rather than an authentic gestural code. In the Islamic world, it may be confused with a gesture of deference toward the interlocutor, creating protocol confusion.
- Conversation distance (Hall - United States vs. Arab world)Misunderstanding
Read as : "This individual attacks me personally; he doesn't respect my living space."
Read as : Accepting right away seems greedy; taking a polite refusal literally and withdrawing the gift insults the giver.
Normal here, misread elsewhere
- Business gifts (anti-bribery law, EU)Misread in : Denmark, Eu members, France, Germany, Netherlands
By situation
Documented incidents
An anecdote much repeated in the intercultural literature: Nixon allegedly greeted a Brazilian crowd with a two-handed OK, a gesture received as a double insult. Nixon did stay in Brazil in 1956 for President Kubitschek's inauguration, but the gestural detail is attested by no primary source — a semi-legendary anecdote, neither confirmed nor refuted.
The OK ring (thumb-index circle)A hoax launched on 4chan in February 2017 to pass the OK gesture off as a "white power" sign. It partly escaped its authors: some activists later used it sincerely. Listed by the Anti-Defamation League in "Hate on Display" in September 2019, with the reminder that the overwhelming majority of uses remain innocuous.
The OK ring (thumb-index circle)In November 1999, NFL wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson (New York Jets) popularised the throat-slash gesture after a touchdown against New England on November 15. Brett Favre used it the following Sunday, as did Ricky Watters (Seattle Seahawks). The NFL sent an official letter banning the gesture, calling it an unacceptable act of violence. Favre received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. CBS News (24 November 1999) a…
Throat-slice gesture (death threat)In August 2016, NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick began kneeling rather than standing hand-over-heart during the American national anthem, in protest against police violence and racial discrimination. The controversy, covered by CNN, ESPN and the New York Times, became one of the most debated symbolic protest acts of the decade.
The hand-over-heart pledgeBush took the hand of Crown Prince Abdullah (not yet king — he became king only on August 1, 2005) during a stroll; the American press and late-night shows mocked it, with CBS noting the reaction goes beyond Washington's closeness to Riyadh — "when it comes to two men holding hands, America's got issues."
Holding hands between men (Arab and Muslim world)