My favourite thing to do in Morocco, which is not really a thing on its own, is to greet anyone who meets my eye with ‘Salaam Alaikum’. This is probably about a hundred times a day if walking through the enormous and endless Medina.
‘Salaam Alaikum’ (May peace be upon you) is a protective magic spell that transforms neutral or slightly prying gazes into big smiles and often extremely enthusiastic blessings back of ‘Alaikum Salaam’ (And also peace upon you). And then the usual questions of where you are from, but with an energy that is different from the regular commercial intentions.
The next step up from Salaam Alaikum is ‘Labass / Hamdouleh’ (How are you? / Praise be to God). It’s so easy to make people smile with this, and you may then be asked if you speak Arabic. Do you need to be Muslim to say this? Nope. Just like you don’t need to be Christian to say “Merry Christmas.”
Shopkeepers will invite you to see their wares, and sometimes it’s hard to refuse because they’re so friendly (and insistent). I’ve found that the best thing to do is not to ignore people or to bluntly say no, but to come with them for a minute or so, shake hands, exchange names, and to very humbly say Shokran/Merci/Thank you (a lot), and that you may return tomorrow.
Being the first to Salaam a shopkeeper can also take away the anxiety of wondering if you’re going to be solicited — it allows you to be the first to direct the energy of the exchange, and this can also make it easier to extricate yourself later from a sticky interaction.
Sometimes people will want to chat you up just for the sake of conversation, and even though you may want to leave, the best (and easiest) thing to do is to put on a smile and have a little chat, after which you can gracefully bow out with a handshake and a thank you.
I’ve also been asked in a few of these Medina exchanges if I am married, and I’ve started just holding up my hand with a ring that luckily fits on the fourth finger, and letting it do the talking for me, instead of needing to make things up or tell a truth that may lead to more invitations.
Friendliness, good humour, and humility are the key to smooth interactions. And you can be sure that in such a dense place, whatever the quality of your last exchange, the people beside you have picked up on it and will reflect it back to you. Being here is reminding me of the humanity of being a person in this world of people — a reminder I hope I’ll be able to bring back home.