Qatar may not be changing as fast the world would like, but the slow and steady pace is being managed so that “our young people understand and know how to deal with it,” Qatar’s former first lady has said.
In a recent wide-ranging interview with the foreign editor of the Financial Times, Sheikha Moza bint Nasser also defended Qatar Foundation’s mandate, her rights as a second wife and the “stereotype of dumb Arab money.”
QF, like many organizations in Qatar, has recently seen a slew of budget cuts.
When asked if the 2013 handover of power from her husband to her son had anything to do with the new austerity policies, Sheikha Moza said the cuts were her idea as chairperson.
“I’m trying to make everyone understand that it’s not an open account any more . . . We started without knowing how much it was going to cost us. Today we know,” she told the FT.
QF not ‘vanity project’
The former first lady also defended long-standing criticism of Education City, whose collection of foreign campuses yields relative few graduates each year compared to Qatar University.
FT reports:
“I suggest it might have been much cheaper to send Qataris to be educated abroad, rather than spending billions of dollars bringing foreign university campuses to Doha. Is the foundation more than just a vanity project?
It was never about educating ‘a few’ individuals, she says. ‘The vision is really to build an infrastructure for a knowledge-based society.’ She says I am not taking the bigger picture into account and lists a series of research projects that the western universities are involved in, with local hospitals and government agencies. ‘I’m creating an ecosystem [that] needs pillars, and the pillars are the academies and research institutions.’
Women’s rights
During another part of the interview, Sheikha Moza is asked about why she doesn’t take up the cause of women’s rights in the region. In response, the leader argued that it’s just as important to educate men about these rights as women.
And in response to criticism that Qatar is not a modern state because she is the second wife of the Father Emir, who is married to three women, she added:
“I’m a person allowed to be educated and to have a public life. Wearing the hijab or being a second wife doesn’t prevent me from doing that; it doesn’t hinder my progress. I respect other wives, and their children are like my children.”
Finally, Sheikha Moza, who recently lambasted international media for stereotyping Muslims, took to task people who dismiss Qatar’s leaders as being rich but clueless.
“We’re portrayed in the media as rich people who have a lot of money and don’t know what to do with it. We are blessed with our wealth but we know how to deal with this wealth,” she said.
Thoughts?
Seriously? be patient? just like when we were patient with our children’s education when you decided to take it on a ten year long adventure only to result in record failings and boys and girls who can’t survive the first year of university??
how about following suit with father emir and handing the helm to the younger generations who are more grounded and have a better grasp of reality
also, what sort of journalism is this? you copied and pasted half your 500-word article…
If not for Doha News you would not even know this! And at least those who cannot afford to pay that dollars as subscription to FT will get to know the glimpse of what was said! It is nice to be thankful rather than finding faults! Thank you Doha News for your continuous timely content.
Not really sure why it’s her problem people can’t pass their first years or that they are failing….think that’s the individuals fault.
As the world’s wealthiest state, the world can’t help it but to expect a lot of progress and massive transformation. But what the heck is happening, it’s like everything Qatar does, neighboring countries does it better.
The world’s “wealthiest state” is the USA with a GDP of $17.46 trillion. Qatar has a GDP of $323.2 billion. Your statement is simply wrong.
Well actually Gaga is not wrong, wealthiest countries by GDP PPP per capita, China actually has the highest GDP PPP, which is where the number for the US GDP of 17.46 trillion comes from, the CIA factbook, which in that figure, and in that data set, puts the USA second, so your statement is also wrong
Well, actually he is wrong because he did not say GDP per capita.
Probably more of a misunderstanding than an actual error in qualifying the measurement used
He assumed people are not as naive as you are. Even a kid would know that Qatar has the highest GDP per capita and it is actually silly to compare GDPs randomly because it indicates nothing really.
Which neighboring states? In what aspects? Bahrain, for example, may have a better education system, but they are definitely not in a better position overall. A country in which at least half of the citizen population wants to overthrow their ruler isn’t exactly my definition of successful. And don’t get me started on Saudi Arabia and Iran…
According to her be patient and plus more understanding. Try to reciprocate that madame!
I do think most of QF is a vanity project, and the same objectives could have been achieved with better results and lower costs, by starting small and building on that slowly to grow, rather than starting too big and then finding yourself unable to manage (the Sidra project can be a case study on how NOT to do things)
I think that is true of a lot of Qatar. I’m a fan of QF generally–good intentions, positive impact globally, good for female education inside Qatar (the foreign branch campuses make up a fraction of the budget and probably the most efficient units of QF)–but generally the model is to take on a massive project (bigger seems to be thought of as better) and throw money at it, resulting in unnecessary waste. The airport is a good example.
And what is the case of Sidra Yacine can you elaborate please?
It is the perfect example of a project that started so huge and so ambitious that now it became unmanageable with long delays (more than 4 years I think) and still no opening date in sight. If you add to that the billions wasted on it, you understand why it is a huge failure.
Every project there have to be extensive studies before starting, the purpose, the cost and the timeline, i wonder what went wrong here?!
They may have had the right intentions with what they do with the wealth, but I wouldn’t say they know what they are doing with it…That being said, Sheikha Mouza has done a lot to improve the situation for Qatari females, and is involved in a lot of commendable philanthropic efforts, despite any existing shortcomings, Qatari girls today still have much greater opportunities and rights compared to the 90’s.
I have a great deal of respect for Her Highness. She is a visionary who tirelessly implemented her vision for the benefit of her people and the world. Historically such people are rare. How many suddenly-wealthy rulers go out and build massive charitable and educational foundations?
I think the request for patience should extend only so far. Patience in terms of efficiency and cost-effectiveness, sure. Patience in terms of logistics and investment mistakes, OK. Every country makes those, and Qatar is relying heavily on outsiders who do not have a vested interest in Qatar, because its own people lack the ability to do these things themselves. In an effort to train them, it often means amateur hour and the mistakes that go with it. Expecting patience for labor and human rights is no more acceptable than when slave owners in the Caribbean argued for the gradual emancipation of slaves, the white Southerners argued in favor of segregation, and the South African government defended apartheid.
The racism card needs to stop, too. People aren’t picking on Qatar because of race. It’s far more of a class-based issue: the perception that Qataris are wealth dilettantes who are as clueless and inbred and the 13th Marquis of Rockingham. The flashy, often tasteless display of personal wealth only underlines this. And, no, it’s not jealousy; it’s general lack of respect for what is seen as new and relatively un-earned wealth. That’s why the anti-Qatar sentiment plays so well in class-obsessed British press, but gets comparatively little play in the American press.
I also believe that an expectation for patience must be accompanied by accountability and transparency–freely admitting the mistakes that were and are being made in order to correct them. If my children were subject to the independent education system in Qatar, I would be livid.
Excellently written post which makes a number of very cogent points. I couldn’t agree more about the negative European perception of the conspicuous consumption flaunted by the nouveau riche in the Gulf. As the expression goes, “Money can’t buy you class”.
Nicely put! I, too have great respect for her. QF is a project that makes Qatar stand out, and is going to aid the country in a long term basis. I hope in the coming generations Qatar will have lots of properly educated, sensible, and most importantly, home-grown serviceperson, who will work for a sustainable economy under the shadow of a looming austerity. However, mutual respect for the locals and the expats of all race and class, is a rare fruit and isn’t going to happen by just creating new laws.
How long should they be patient Madam. The opinion out here is that the country is taking everybody including FIFA and the workers for a massive ride where little things like labour rules take forever to change
Its little strange and ironic that Qatari boast about their wealth when hundred-thousands of expatriate who are working for them survive in minimum wages and benefits.
You can hardly blame Qatar for offering jobs to people who were previously eating dirt off the streets of Mumbai. The problems in other countries of unemployment and poverty is not Qatar’s.
OMG MIMH, I never thought that you are such a racist and narrow minded ego centric individual. Shame on you.
Why though?
He is right. Poverty and unemployment in India is not Qatar’s concern.
I’m confused. How is Qatar not giving high paying jobs to non Qataris racist? If that is the case every country on the planet is racist
Dear MIMH, come out of your blinkers. Its not about unemployment or poverty of third world. It is the attitude and treatment that these expats meet here everyday. Don’t they deserve a little more than mere survival wage. Moreover I choose to ignore ur comment about the “eating previously “dirt of the streets””
It’s sad the attitude of some expats to low income expats in Qatar, even those from their own country!
As long as people get paid the wage that was agreed, then it is not survival wages. They get accommodation and food then get to send their whole salary home to their families.
So you agree to “flogging the chained ones”.Live a life of an third world expat in Qatar for a week and you will know how much they save and send back to home.
MIMH MIMH…
The point Subedi is trying to make is that the workers on various sites and their living conditions. There are so many nationalities of those workers.
With your comments you have proved your self to be a racist again. Pity on you mate, you are pathetic. Please do travel other countries and stop being a frog in the well MIMH.
You only know how to quickly type a response in English, doesn’t really matter what it means.
End of my discussion, it’s a total waste of time. You have also hijacked the actual subject of this news article as always.
Using the word racist is not a debating style, it’s a sign of failure that you have no argument.
I think subedi’s comment is not about “unemployment” and “poverty” problems in other countries. Its about the obvious disparity in the standard of living conditions in one of the so called richest countries in the world. I’m curious, how many expatriates from Mumbai do you know who were eating previously “dirt of the streets” ? I’ve been to Mumbai. Its 10 times the city Doha is.
Each to their own but Mumbai is in my top five places never to visit again. You’re right about it beating Doha, it has the biggest slum in Asia
what are the other 4?
Manila, Sofia, Islamisbad, Karachi.
India was always wealthier than any nation before you came and looted the country of its wealth and made its people eat the dirt and live in slums. Leave them alone. They are not after you. And they don’t want you to visit them again.
I never looted India, I think you will find that was the British, the Islamic conquests and others. Not forgetting the Indians themselves keeping their fellow countrymen in poverty while they live the rich life.
“Islamisbad” ? LOL! Freudian ?! :-p (NB: Islamabad)
Just my little joke but it seems you are the only one that noticed….. it’s twined with Christiswrong in Iowa……
MIMH, you completely missed the point!
Not really. He is insinuating that Qatar should pay everyone much more money. Easy statement to make from a moral high ground but he’s wrong. Qatar never boasts about its wealth other people talk about it
How exactly will Qatar build a modern nation, much less a World Cup, without builders, maintenance men and health care workers (among others) to hold the society together?
Twas ever thus, Subedi. How do you think Britain managed to forge an empire? They (more correctly I should say, WE), raped the globe to become the most powerful nation on earth…. the USA and China are still doing it today.
The attitude and posturing of the wealthy are not the issue. I am sure if I was wealthy, I would buy flash cars and clothes and possessions and could be seen as “flaunting” it. The problem is the attitudes of those observing the wealthy enjoying their wealth. One the one hand we have those that think… ” nice house/car/boat/clothes…. I’m going to work hard, use my skills and strengths and one day maybe I can have something like that”…. on the other, are those that think…” look at that guy… posing ****…. why should he have that and I should not? It should be taken from him abd given to the less fortunate” – meaning himself, of course.
And its all relative…. minimum wage relative to what? I visitied Sri Lanka recently. Spent some time with a family who’s daughter works in the gulf…. everyhing they had in their tiny house came from her. On her rare trips home, she is treated like the queen of sheeba. She has more personal wealth than the rest of the village combined…. she works as a waitress in a hotel in Abu Dhabi.
She is the positive face of Qatar and as she rightly says Rome wasn’t built in a day so such transformations take time. Too may expats comment on here like the government governs for their benefit. It doesn’t, it governs for those of only one nationality and most of them don’t want their country ripped apart and rebuilt at a furious pace as they don’t see the benefit.
What takes time? Treating people like human beings?
I find it stupendous how Qatar orchestrated winning the WC 2022 and that was a project that took a decade to yield to the objective. I find it more stupendous that signing on a law that treats people like human beings is taking forever to happen. Building a nuclear enrichment facility takes time. Sending a satellite to space takes time (and they did it) … Treating people like human beings should NOT take time. Good for her highness if she is the positive face of Qatar, but that does not solve any problem really.
They do have laws to protect workers, but again for Qatar it is a question of enforcement. It is getting better but I agree not fast enough.
1. They don’t pay on skin colour, they pay on home country/passport. Subtle difference and is due to market forces.
2. Agree. Their should be no place for an exit permit.
3. Agree. Family day at the malls is racist day. White and Qatari men can enter, if you are brown then no.
Market forces? lol
So a man from European Greece where their economy is under zero, should now get paid less than Indians/Asians in Qatar?
What if an Indian or Asian, comes from the top 0.1% salary bracket in his/her country? would their pay be adjusted. Common Man… I know you are trying to be political here. But, you know it is not about any forces but the racism forces. Every job should have a price tag to it irrelevant of the nationality, race, gender of the person to acquire it.
With all due respect to you, to this fine forum and to Qatar, but It is bamboozling and insulting to the human mind to hear these senseless reasons behind racism and discrimination.
It depends on economics, if the Greeks have the right skills and are desperate to get out I am sure they won’t cost very much.
Salaries at senior positions are similar regardless of nationality and you will find Indians making more than say Europeans and Americans in some jobs. The lower level jobs are almost exclusively filled by Asians so that is the salary for the job.
So in reality their is a price tag for each job as you say. You wouldn’t want to hire a department of American accountants, its a low level job so much better to just hire Asians as their salary is more competitve. (If anything it discrimnates against westerners as they are denied the chance to be employed in certain jobs)
If it was racism a American engineer of Indian origin would only be offered an “Indian” salary but that is not the case and he wouldn’t come if he was. The same goes for Black Europeans or Canadian ‘Filipinos’.
hehe I find it super strange to hear that from someone that can articulate himself on various topics.
Why wouldn’t I want to hire a department of American accountants? What if Mr Mike is a great accountant and loves this job? Why is an accountant a low level job? lol … What is a high level? Engineer and doctor and lawyer and VP?
Why would job requirements even contain race and gender? You think this is normal too? What factors decide what a person is worth for completing a task? And Who is Qatar to set these associations to people’s price tags vs where they come from? lol
I swear, the more I read things here, the more I give up on humanity. This ain’t the 18th century buddy.
I gave up a long time ago……
The logic is simple, if I need a finance department of one manager and five accountants, why would I need to pay 100,000 dollars each to hire five Americans. That’s a waste of money when I can hire five Indians for 20,000 dollars each. It’s not a difficult job and any reasonably qualified person can do it. Maybe for the manager of the department you want someone with more skills and it might be an American who is best for the job, but that is just one position.
You still are missing the point I am trying to make though.
Why not advertise that the job will pay 20,000 dollars like how the rest of the universe does and accept all applicants who are willing to get paid that much? and then award the job to the most qualified candidate? What if some American is ok with that amount?
Why assign a value based on where a person is from? Why generalize that an American’s cost to do service X is more than an Asian’s cost to do service X? This is called RACISM. Most importantly, why are Qatari people ok with that?
No it’s not racism. Americans are not a race. Please look up the term race to better understand.
As for advertising the job at a salary. Yep that is how it should be done and if an American is willing to accept that then good. You know the reality though, they would never apply for a job as the salary is too low for them, however millions of Asians would be delighted with that sort of money.
Thank you so much for highlighting that Americans are not a race sir! I totally did not know that.
I just wish you guys look at the broader picture rather than the wikipidia definitions of words.
Racism is an umbrella term sir and descrimination is one branch of it. If i descriminate against someone because of his passport, i should not be labeled as a good person, only because i descriminated against the passport and not his race. Races have a direct relationship with countries and this is why Asian countries have Asians in them!
This is why African countries have majority Black poeople! Now don’t use the Americans as a counter example only because in USA everyone is labaled American and rightfully so.
Please use the correct terminology it makes communication so much easier. Yes it is discrimination but it is not racism. Racism as a term or racist as an insult is used too much these days and it is starting to lose its meaning.
I understand your concern that you are not paid the same as a ‘white’ person but that is market forces driving it not racism. If the Qataris need a certain skill set that is hard to find and that person happens to be Sri Lankan, Russia or Mongolian they will pay the money to attract that person. They can’t offer the Sri Lankan 50% below the market because he just won’t come.
As for generic jobs that is a different matter, there are litterally millions of people around the world that can do them therefore the price is not that high. In fact this works out in favour of many Asian nationalites as the jobs are priced below what a westerner would accept but is attractive for them. Therefore you could argue westeners are discriminated against in the pricing of such roles.
I am white btw. This is not my name and your assumptions keep on getting more naive and rediculous and i am loving it.
It seems your brain is not ready to absorb what racism truly is. If you pay/hire people according to their passport and nationality, this is a form of racism and descrimination. It is that very fine line between these two terms. Why? because certain races strictly live in certain countries. I don’t get why it is too hard for you to get that. Just like when you are a racist, you also are a descriminator by default, because you descriminate amongst races.
Countries who respect themselves would fine and shut down a company that pays its salary brackets according to race, gender, age, sexual orientation and nationality. It has NOTHING to do with skills or your imaginary complex formulas! Just like denying certain races and nationalities from entering malls and shopping centers have nothing to do with imaginary family days.
Note: less wikipedia more common sense, you can do it!
Racism is discrimination but it does not necessarily follow discrimination is racsim.
I’m not here to defend the system in Qatar, the gulf or elsewhere. It is what it is and until the relevant governments passed equal pay legislation it will not change.
“Racism is discrimination but it does not necessarily follow discrimination is racsim.”
In the context of “passports/countries of origin”, Yes it does.
If you are discriminating people according to their age or their hair length, of course it is NOT racism because age/hair length/eye color/etc.. have absolutely no ties with race.
Actually, discrimination based on nationality is NOT racism. And that is true for all the reasons MIMH stated. I worked at EC and we had faculty of Asian origins who were American citizens. There was never any question about paying them equally to other Americans. However, QF originally did not want to hire faculty holding Asian nationality at the same rate. That isn’t racism because in these cases ethnic Asians would have been paid differently from each other (which the uni rejected). It is – however – gross discrimination.
Only in Qatar it is not. Not letting Asians Enter Malls is not racism too in Qatar because it is family day right?
In the context of “passports/countries of origin”, Yes it is Racism with a capital R.
If you are discriminating people according to their age or their hair length, of course it is NOT racism because age/hair length/eye color/etc.. have absolutely no ties with race. Nationalities and countries have DIRECT ties with races, UNLESS if every country on earth ends up like USA where the notion of races is completely masked by the American nationality (I know American is NOT a race)
Races are masked by nationality in USA and USA only and surprisingly or coincidentally this serves as the equivalence of Qatar’s “family day” for recruiting and salary brackets.
You just don’t seem to know how to gracefully get out of the corner you have backed into. Nationalities do NOT have a direct tie to race because if they did there would be no multi-racial, multi-ethnic societies. I studied quite a bit of anthropology and sociology in uni and it seems you are the one who is playing with words.
The US is like every other nation that has accepted immigration from diverse races and ethnicities. The desire for immigration is less when it comes to undeveloped, economically depressed countries with poor infrastructure. And some developed and economically thriving countries – like Qatar – simply do not want to be multi-racial, multi-ethnic and religiously diverse nations.
I would also love to think you know better than to stand by a weak, easily dismantled argument. We both agree that Qatar has a poor record of discrimination and mislabeling “racism” doesn’t make your case any stronger.
I’ll leave it here for you to read & digest. Have a good evening.
Nationalities have no direct ties to race? NOT in the case of Asians.
If more than 90 % of Asians live in Asian Countries then countries do have a direct tie!
Also, with your logic, one can never be Racist against interracials?
One last thing: during the many years I lived in Qatar Asian bachelors were blocked from the malls on weekends but not Asian families. And to me that is abhorrent discrimination that should never exist.
They are blocked EVERY DAY! You are either Blind or you just go there on weekends!
Single arabs and White people are welcome any day including Fridays. You want to call this discrimination and not racism too?
country origins are the closest it can get to race, especially in 3rd world countries. Get your head out of your behind miss. Don’t use English language’s lack of diversity to dignify that stuff.
I haven’t lived in Qatar since 2011. And since you are so rude by personally attacking me I do not intend to continue this discussion.
Great! Not that you added any significance to the topic anyways 🙂
Brush up on some terms while you are on it though,
Akmal, i just created an account give you a thumps up on behalf 100s of readers who agree with you.
where is MIMH the great asian/indian hater of DN, why you are not continuing the “discussion” on this topic ? LOL
Thank you sir. It is sad how people are wikipedia-robots these days and playing on words just to dignify the most disgusting issues that are within our societies. Some of them claim they studied about anthropology and sociology, when a teen can connect more logical dots than them.
Because the American accountants graduated from the u.s. and our taught from some of the best professors,also the u.s has the best education system in the world that’s why, obtaining a CPA from the states is extremely difficult, i wonder how difficult it is in India? or better yet how much it cost to get a fake one , which most Arabs and Asians do from third world countries.Qatar needs to really crack down on expats that obtain fake credentials.
The US has some excellent institutions such as Harvard, MIT to name a few but general education in the US compared to other developed countries is poor. They lag behind most of Northern Europe, Japan, Singapore, HK, S.Korea, also culturally Americans don’t travel well and have a hard time fitting in.
As for fake degrees that is a huge problem in Asia and the Arab world. India has an astonishing record on cheating and fake certificates as the recent stories in the media has highlighted. It makes you wonder when you see an Indian resume with mor degrees than a thermometer how many were obtained honestly and the quality of the institutions.
i can’t agree with you with number 2, there’s a grey area to this. For example if someone has a loan with a bank they should not be able to leave as they would try to escape, what if someone committed a crime? they should not be able to leave with a exit permit, also if someone piled on a bunch of traffic fines, they too should not be able to leave until the fines are settled,so there are some factors to be considered,
The vast majority have no loans, fines or anything… You think a poor migrant worker will be given a loan? or a car to drive?
Plus, even having a loan and paying it on time should not allow a person to travel? How much of a joke that would be? Maybe a loan for 20 million dollars with no guarantee from the bank would make sense.. but who has access to this kind of money? Plus even interpol can bring a person who took a loan for a big amount and ran away.
This is the richest country on earth man! .. they are not broke to not allow people travelling for a few thousand dollars of loan… This is crazy!
Sorry Moza the bad news just keeps rolling in. After brokering the deal to get QF on Barca’s shirts Qatar managed to swap it for Qatar Airways, now Barca fans are taking a stand. Maybe improving worker rights could be put on the fast track……
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/barcelona/11731733/Petition-calling-on-Barcelona-to-drop-shirt-sponsor-hits-40000-in-24-hours.html
It was a pretty shady deal; and neither the fans nor many in Barca really knew the finer points of the deal. Most thought it was one charitable foundation for another.
Wasn’t it a QIA initiative branded as a QF and QA sponsorship; Heartbreaking news for someone who’s stated hero is Moza I bet
I believe QF is a really good project. Sheikha’s messages and speech is very strong as always. I have seen qatari graduates from its universities who are really excellent. I have also seen ones who graduated in UK and US and have very low level of knowledge. It is not always better to study abroad, as yound people tend to consider their 4 years in UK and US as a long holiday trip, especially boys, while at home there are not many distractions added to their lifestyle, so they can better concentrate on studies, in addition some parental control also helps.
If these kids still need “parental control” by the time they’re at university then the problem is bigger than just the education system.
Qatar is the most recent example of how to waste petrodollars so fast to gain some artificial global status. Kuwait tried that in 70s. They failed ridiculously.
Modernization starts at home. You fix your internal deficiencies first; in education, health, justice system…etc, then you worry about the rest of the world. In other words, the budget for the Ministry of foreign affairs should have been allocated to education and health.
I wish Qatar has learned from the Kuwaiti experiment and avoided reinventing the wheel.
Gulf Emirates still have not established a basic government structure with a proper separation of powers. So rulers will continue to deal with the “state” revenues as Royal Grants, where a shady line between the “state” and the ruler barely exists.
You are right we are like someone who is attempting to build a 10 storey building but starts from the tenth floor, it will never happen!
I respect other wives, and their children are like my children.”
hmmm, I doubt those Nepali and Indian kids are like your children. Remember, they are someone’s kids too. Treat them like you would like your children to be treated. I am sure your children would mind living 10 in one room and not being allowed entry in malls on their only day off.
Thank you your highness.
She means her husbands other wives and their kids you dimwit!
yes, OK fine but not too patient.
“Qatar may not be changing as fast the world would like”. You forgot a word as. As fast as. Moreover, what is the relation between the title of the article and the picture of the Lamborghini??
hmmm interesting that the QF universities got more staff and faculty then students,they need to AUDIT that place big time and qatarization that whole place, expats are taking advantage of that place, GO QATAR!!!
Universities don’t only exist for teaching. Often people are employed for their research rather than teaching.
I mean seriously! they have positions for nothing and some are just made up!!!
The Financial Times interview also mentions Qatar Luxury Group and Kala (I guess they meant Qela). Another project that is dead due to QF corruption and incompetence. Though they have major flaws, the universities are at least a good idea as a big bang to try to improve the education system in the region. Everything other than these institutions has been a complete failure on Sheikha Moza’s watch. They should return QF to its core mission and abolish all of the other vanity projects (i.e., everything).
Slavery was abolished in the UK in 1833. How patient with Qatar do we have to be?
The Key word here is “QUALITY CONTROL”!!!!
Those who remember Qatar 20 years or more ago will have no doubt about the enormous role HH Sheikha Mozah has played in the country’s social development. She wasn’t just a royal wife slipping into a “lady bountiful” role, she really had to fight to overcome misogynist attitudes; I remember in the mid-90s a lot of men at all levels in society resented the fact that a woman should have any say in how the country was run. Her achievements put those critics to shame.
Only someone entirely ignorant of events would doubt that she has devoted much of her time to helping others, both Qataris and non-Qataris, in many different ways. I can’t think of any other woman who on gaining a position of such potential power and influence has tried so hard to use it to do good. Those who criticise her for failing to turn Qatar into an unblemished social paradise are both unfair and mean-spirited. There is only so much that one person can do, and championing social progress often involves taking on an entire complex of vested interests and battling for years just to secure quite modest gains.
Critics should also remember that it took 1,000 years for the West to develop its social structures from the sort of level that Qatar was at in the 1960s. The Qataris have made most of that 1,000 year journey in just a couple of generations and HH Sheikha Mozah has played an indispensible part in facilitating that progress.