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The key values of the Bedouin society are harmony, kinship solidarity, honour and hierarchy.
The Bedouins emphasize cooperation, adaption, accommodation and family cohesion. Individuals are expected to show loyalty and responsibility to the collective, to place its good above their own and to follow the rules and commands of those above them in hierarchy.
The Bedouins have a collective attitude to just about everything: work, money, family, feuds; you name it and the Bedouins will take a collective position because of their highly developed sense of community and tribal loyalties. Family comes first, second and third; for them blood is definitely thicker than water.
Their strict code of honour dictates proper behaviour for all members, men, women (see: MARRIAGE AND FAMILY ) and children and to live according to its (many) rules, like a healthy person always stands up to greet an older person, they always greet all starting with the person on their right hand and moving on against the hands of the clock to the rest, they always start serving the person on their right hand first (even if this is a child) and then the rest moving against the hands of the clock, etc. Breaking any of these rules means real trouble.
The (semi)nomadic lifestyle is demanding and that's why the children are expected to assume a considerable amount of responsibility in order to help their families survive.
Although modernization has changed their lifestyle somewhat, emphasis is placed on teaching children to carry on traditional ways of life and the advancement of modern technology is so far not considered important to children’s education.
'The' Bedouin people are known to be very polite and honest. They prefer not to say bad things or be the bearer of bad news. But it is hard to say anything in general about any group of people.
'The' Bedouins use the words from the Holy Qur’an to describe this:
"People are like a hand; all fingers are different."
Bedouin people prefer to deal in cash only. All transactions are done on the spot and in cash. Cash is real: you can touch it, smell it, feel it and mess around with it. With cash, you know where you are…
However, in a modern society a government needs to collect taxes and this is difficult to do when deals are made in cash only...
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