One woman in Qatar’s act of kindness has circulated on social media.
Qatar’s online community have praised an unidentified woman for a charitable act of kindness that was posted onto social media by a witness.
The post showed the woman inviting a gardener who had been working outside in the heat into a cafe to order food and a cold drink.
الرحمة بالبشر والحيوان من أخلاقيات ديننا الحنيف،ومن الملاحظ ان بعض الشركات وأصحاب الأعمال الذين يشغلون العمال في الجو الحار لا يوفرون لهم الماء البارد ولا مظلات ولا مكان استراحة مكيف وحتى وجباتهم البسيطة يتناولونها تحت ظلال الجدران،ناهيكم عن نواطير الفلل تحت الإنشاء بدون كهرباء😬
— KBA🇶🇦 (@QatarjustQatar) September 13, 2021
“What struck me is how much this simple act made him happy. He took out his phone to take pictures of the food and when he received a call he told them: ‘I’m in a coffee shop’ while laughing. He said I have no money,” said the account that posted the images.
As the story made the rounds online, social media users took to Twitter to express their praise for the act of charity.
“There are many things we see as simple that are great in the eyes of God,” one user said.
“Compassion for humans and animals is one of the ethics of our religion. It is noticeable that some companies and business owners who employ workers in hot weather do not provide them with cold water, umbrellas, or air-conditioned resting places. Even their simple meals are eaten under the shade of the walls, not to mention the watchmen of the villas under construction without electricity,” another social media user said.
While some said posting the private act was inappropriate, others said the images inspired them to carry out their own kind gestures.
Read also: Qatar takes action against 106 companies for violating summer work hours
“This a very sweet and positive gesture and gives people new ideas for charity. As for the fact that the act was pictured, I think this simply inspires others as some people may see this and start to imitate similar gestures,” noted another Twitter user.
“Sometimes spreading good deeds reminds us of people suffering whom we have ignored. How many people can imitate the sister and improve the lives of others? She will be rewarded for her deed and the deeds of anyone who replicates this,” a Twitter user noted as another said: “This has inspired me to do the same.”
Qatar’s heat stress laws
While some did make mention of the plight of employees working in the heat, authorities in Qatar have adopted a set of regulations to provide protection during the harsh summer period.
A ministerial decision earlier this year included expanding prohibited outdoor summertime working hours by six weeks and introducing annual health checks for workers to ensure their safety and well-being during their employment.
This aims to reduce the risk of heat stress that workers are exposed to during the summer period,
Per the rules, workers are prohibited to work outside between 10am and 3:30pm starting from June 1 and up until September 15 every year, meaning the ruling will come to an end on Wednesday.
In July, authorities had closed around 232 worksites for not adhering to the necessary precautions. One month earlier, over 98 companies were also penalised for violating the permissible working hours.
