Module 1:

Intercultural Communication The main objective of this module is to strengthen the intercultural competences of the learners by equipping them with basic knowledge on intercultural communication and raising awareness about cultural differences. Therefore the module will start with understanding the terms ‘culture’ and ‘communication’. We will have a look at different definitions and introduce some models about communication in general. On this basis, we will be able to define what ‘intercultural communication’ means, how we can learn intercultural communication and what are the “stumbling blocks” in intercultural communication. The next part of the module will focus on cultural awareness and cultural differences. First, we would like to motivate the learners to reflect on their own cultural background before we look at other cultures in a second step. Since communication is not only about words, we can learn a lot about cultural differences from the perception of gestures and facial expressions in different cultures. To sum up this introduction to intercultural communication we will reflect on the difference between stereotypes and prejudices, in which contexts we use them and how we can deal with them. Since many migrants in Europe come from countries with an Islamic background and therefore might have a different worldview from Europeans, we will then focus on Islamic culture. Then we will examine a case of intercultural communication where a different worldview is sometimes at odds with the one many of us live by: Islamic culture. We will start showing how different “basic rules” , that is, Islamic law, lead to a different interpretation of society and behavioral recommendations that in some instances can clash with our owns. Examples of how this can affect matters of work and business will also be presented. After this, a specific part of Islamic law relevant not only for intercultural communication but also for microfinance will be examined in some detail: Islamic finance. Trainees will be presented with a general overview of how culture and business are intertwined taking the example of thein that sharia, which permits only a share of financial transactions allowed in Western countries, on an ethical and religious ground. Therefore learning to communicate between these two worlds means learning to operate in otherwise mutually closed markets. At last, few words on how to draw migrants nearer institutions practicing Islamic finance in Europe will complete this module. Trainees will learn how to fashion support for access to finance in a way palatable to migrants coming from an Islamic background, so that a large part of business-looking migrants may rely on small amounts of funds without being forced to choose between their culture and their work.