Existing theories of politeness/ impoliteness developed for the Western culture, virtually do not take into account the characteristics of Eastern civilizations, in particular the Arabic one. On the one hand, this limits the universality of those theories, on the other hand, it leaves the issue of perception and expression of politeness by Arabs unexamined. The paper is focused on the culturally specific characteristics of Arab attitudes towards politeness/ impoliteness. Based on the works of A. Samara, E. Shagal, H. Sharabi, the influence of religion and the traditional value system of the Arabs on the formation of their ideas about polite behavior was analyzed. Thus, the need to find a balance between the requirements of religion (primarily Islam) and social attitudes largely determines the choice of communicative strategies by the Arabs. The collectivist nature of the Arab society forces them to pay greater attention to maintaining their social face, which determine the high importance of observing traditions of hospitality and preserving family honor. Against this backdrop, the importance of personal boundaries of individuals decreases. These and other features, forming a model of polite behavior in Arabic linguistic culture, also determine the basic and most common among the Arabs strategies of rudeness (impoliteness).