Doha News

As Qatar’s temperature rises, so too are hemlines at Qatar’s malls, according to a story in local Arabic newspaper Al Raya.

In an article published last week, author Aisha Buhadi asserts that more expat women are wearing short shorts and miniskirts - in violation of expectations of modest dress - and are creating friction with locals.

Here’s a translated excerpt from the story: 

(Qatari women) confirm that the scene has become provocative towards the feelings of many shoppers, and has often pushed some of them to directly criticise the women who don’t respect the customs and traditions of the conservative Gulf society.

And sometimes, the discussion turns into a heated dialogue, that ends up with the Qatari woman insisting that the naked (skimpily dressed) foreign women leave the shopping mall for violating the instructions that call for modest dressing.

This forces the mall security to take the indecent foreigner outside the shopping mall.

Al Raya’s English-language sister publication Gulf Times touches on that story again today, with a salesperson telling the newspaper that “displaying mini skirts and shorts and matching blouses is a must because they are very much in demand.”

Sheikh Tariq al-Kubaisi, referred to as a cleric, is meanwhile insisting that such attire “is a sign of loose morals and it must be checked by the authorities.”

It certainly isn’t the first time the issue of what constitutes appropriate dress in Qatar have been raised.

Just three months ago, a user posted on popular community forum Qatar Living that she was harassed at Villggio Mall for the way she was dressed.

What do you make of all this? Has what’s considered “appropriate” to wear become a bigger issue in Qatar? 

Credit: Photo by Omar Chatriwala

Qatar University has come under fire once again for its admissions policies and the standards it sets for students, which critics are saying is too high.

In a letter published in Thursday’s Al Sharq, some 19 members of QU’s Academic Council have urged the government to look into the university’s state of affairs, saying too much of the decision-making there is in the hand of expats.

More than 1,800 students have been denied admission to QU in the past couple of years, and they deserve to know why, stated members of the council, which is chaired by the vice president and chief academic officer and includes deans of the various colleges, among others.

Some have even gone as far as to lodge complaints with the National Human Rights Committee, which concluded that “many students suffered with no option with them to look for admission elsewhere,” in its 2011 annual report, the Peninsula reports.

Paradox

The criticism highlights the Qatari community’s ambivalent attitude toward higher education and QU’s mandate in particular.

On the one hand, the university has recently relaxed its admissions standards in response to criticism that it is too hard for Qataris who are not fluent in English to get in.

But on the other hand, some QU students complain that standards mean they will not be prepared for jobs in an increasingly globalized world.

Meanwhile, resentment toward Education City for its “elitist” policies continues to grow.

Interestingly, no mention of Qatar’s new community college, which offers two-year associate’s degrees for nationals, has been proposed as an alternate place for students to matriculate.

Thoughts?

Credit: Photo by PinkFarasha

Doling out small gifts and cash tips to driver’s training instructors in Qatar is now becoming a “necessary evil” to get a quality education, Gulf Times reports.

Expats are at odds over the practice, which most training schools say is prohibited, despite solicitations from instructors.

Some learners complained that tipping trainers constitute an extra burden on them, and added to the already costly training fees…

However, as some see it as a sort of exploitation and abuse, some others have quite a different view.

“If you do not have to and it is up to you, giving your trainer something would be a good token of gratitude for his assistance to you and there is nothing wrong about this,” said a western expatriate.

Tipping is a sensitive issue in Qatar.

Many residents do it to make up for what seems like the unfairly low wages of gas station attendants, cleaners, waiters and other service people.

But others say the practice sets high expectations on workers and puts undue influence on the kind of service all customers get.

And when the issue may be one of life or death, as may be the case with driver’s training, where does one draw the line?

Credit: Photo by Omar Chatriwala

Last week’s lavish graduation ceremonies for Education City students have sparked bitter feelings among some Qatar University students who say they are getting short shrift. 

The complaints, which have been circulating on Twitter all week, have been amplified in two Arab-language dailies by columnists who say Qatar treats its college students unequally. 

In an Al Sharq piece, Mariam Al Khater rues the “elitism” of American universities and the opportunities available to its graduates compared to the standards set by QU.

The Peninsula reports:

“Are these universities (at Education City) elitist and sophisticated? As if these universities are from another planet,” wrote Al Khater. “QU students feel themselves to be outcasts.”

…There are efforts to create a wedge in society and have two social classes, one that has access to ‘elite private educational institutions’ while the other, the people at large have access only to government educational institution (implying Qatar University), she said.

The difficulties of navigating the campus during Qatar’s hotter months (the buildings are not interconnected) and the harsh grading of some professors were also mentioned in another Al Sharq column this week.

Things heated up further when yesterday, an EC graduate wrote in Al Arab that her commencement ceremonies were much better than her sister’s, who had graduated from QU a year before.

Meanwhile, a Twitter account called @QuFail has attracted nearly 2,000 followers who complain about everything from insufficient air conditioning services and parking to QU’s long-standing admissions policies, which after being criticized for being too stringent and not accepting enough students, have been relaxed this year. 

Thoughts?

Credit: Photo courtesy of Qatar Foundation on Facebook

Qatar should not sacrifice its culture and traditions for the sake of urban development, a majority of young nationals recently asserted in a survey by the Permanent Population Committee.

As the country develops at a breakneck pace in the run-up to the 2022 World Cup, it is importing a large foreign workforce to fuel its expansion.

But a majority of young Qataris - two-thirds of those surveyed - said it was possible to maintain the current pace of development while reducing the recruitment of foreign workers.

Less than a quarter (22 percent) disagreed with that idea, while the rest (15 percent) surveyed said they did not know.

The survey, which doesn’t state how many people it interviewed, also found that Qataris supported the idea of a knowledge economy as a way to address the imbalance of foreign to national workers here.

That includes rising support for more Qatari women - who far outpace their male colleagues in pursuing higher education - to enter the workforce, the study found.

But Qatar has a long way to go to reduce its dependence on expat labor, no matter the impact this population has on local customs and identity.

In 2010, foreign workers accounted for a whopping 94 percent of the economically active population in the country, according to the Qatar Statistics Authority.

Thoughts?

Credit: Photo by Omar Chatriwala

The “uncivilized” act of soliciting residents for money is becoming a growing problem in Qatar, one report asserts.

Panhandling has been especially rampant in the Mansoura area and on C-Ring Road, where men and women alike relay sad stories and ask for money for food, medicine or to pay for children’s items, the Gulf Times reports.

Qatar has long held a zero-tolerance policy against begging, which is illegal here.

The  Criminal Investigation Department has gone as far as encouraging residents to call a special hotline to report panhandlers.

There are two distinct types of beggars, Gulf Times reports:

In one category are those who might have entered Qatar on a visit visa obtained on the basis of residence permits of other Gulf countries, and resorted to begging as a means of survival because they are unable to find appropriate work…

(Others) use unscrupulous means to dupe residents with tall tales of how they have been stranded, husband or wife and even children being seriously ill, and of how they ran out of fuel needed to travel back to a neighbouring country where they live…

There are various charitable organisations in Qatar that would never turn away the needy as officials in charge have reiterated on various occasions, and the practice of begging is totally rejected by the whole society as uncivilised and that it reflects a false and negative image.

Most municipalities in the US also encourage residents to donate to charities instead of giving money to panhandlers.

But they’re not usually referred to with such great disdain by local media, as they are here.

Thoughts?

Credit: Photo by Sarbjit Kaur

Don’t let the heat chase you into Qatar’s overcrowded malls this weekend. There are other options:

• Mother, Baby and Kids’ Show, Doha Exhibition Center. Birth rates have jumped locally some 25 percent a year and this fair will address the economic, social and cultural development of children and their families. Some 170 stalls will offer gifts, books and workshops. There will also be a play area for kids. The event runs from 3pm to 10pm today and 11am to 10pm tomorrow. More information is here.

• International music show, Pearl-Qatar. As part of the Pearl’s ongoing carnival, a jazz saxophonist and bands showcasing music from the Arab world and countries including Russia, Spain and North America will perform on the Porto Arabia boardwalk. Concerts kick off at 6pm on Thursdays and 3pm on weekends. More information is here.

• Heritage Village, near Rumaila Park. The village, which opens sporadically throughout the year, will be open today in the run-up to next week’s Emir Cup. As Just Kooki recommends, “you can walk around the village, drink a cup of cardamon coffee, visit a traditional cafe, and see a dhow being repaired. If you get hungry, huge pots of food from a real kitchen brim with goodness or you can grab a quick snack of popcorn or buttered corn.” Gate is open from 3pm to 3am today. More information is here.

Any other suggestions?

Credit: Photo by Nick Leonard.