An abrupt change to regulations governing the sale of alcohol in Qatar’s hotels last night prompted staff to cancel events at the last minute, causing upset among some Doha residents.
According to a media representative from one five-star hotel, hotel managers received written notice from authorities yesterday evening informing them that alcohol could no longer be served around their swimming pools or on their beaches.
Previously, luxury hotels in Qatar were allowed to serve alcohol in all of their bars, cafes and restaurants.
It is unclear, however, whether the notice is indicative of a new rule, or simply renewed enforcement of an existing one. A spokesperson for one popular hotel told Doha News that the regulation is not new.
Because it’s the weekend, hard facts and official comment on the change has been hard to come by. But since last night, it’s become apparent that:
- Doha’s five-star hotels no longer appear to be allowed to serve alcohol at their pool and beach bars, St. Regis, the Intercontinental, W Doha, the Ritz Carlton and the Four Seasons have told Doha News;
- Restaurants with outside terraces, like Hakkasan at the St. Regis, appear to be unaffected;
- The Four Seasons, St. Regis and the Ritz Carlton canceled their beach parties last night, as a direct result of the new rules, though the Marriott did not; and
- The W Hotel confirms that Wahm is still selling alcohol, but its pool bar, WET, is not.
Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for the Intercontinental was unable to confirm whether the new regulations would affect its beach events.
The reason for the change remains unclear, though the issue of safety has been raised by some event organizers, who say water and alcohol-fueled brains don’t mix.
The Ministry of Interior did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Reaction to the ban has been swift on Twitter – and somewhat divided:
@Brydon_N @kiwipaula Think people are starting to forget that drinking in Qatar is a privilege, not a right. Abuse it and it won’t be around
— Amy Bambridge (@escapetoqatar) November 7, 2013
@kiwipaula @escapetoqatar Qatar is moving back to basics – long lost and the locals are generally wanting action on what matters to them
— Brydon (@Brydon_N) November 7, 2013
No more alcohol pools, beaches, lobbies in hotels #qatar #doha surely not??? Please let it be a hoax, help @dohanews
— Time4WineDoha (@Time4WineDoha) November 7, 2013
@dohanews must b hoax no more ales beside the pool or beach old intercon will shut. World Cup customer strategy in reverse #doha #qatar
— Darren Wiseman (@WisemanDarren) November 7, 2013
For some, the latest change to alcohol sale regulations has been reminiscent of the ban on alcohol sales on the Pearl-Qatar, which was introduced with no warning in December 2011.
A number of high-end restaurants and bars on the luxury island have reported steep drops in revenue after they were suddenly banned from selling alcohol, with some closing months after the new rule took effect.
Thoughts?
Oh dear. With all the bad publicity surrounded Qatar 2022, with slave labour, football players being held hostage in the country for years, the rape and brutal murder of a teacher recently, dead kids at Villagio due to negligence does Qatar really need to give the worlds media more ammununtion.
I suggest whoever is running Qatar’s PR campaign needs to get fired, all they are doing is projecting an image of intolerance towards foreigners. Hardly the welcoming epitaph Qatar wants if it is to hold major world sporting events. (World is the important word here)
There is someone running it….?
Yes, and paid VERY generously.
Let’s hope they do not enforce worst measures that might affect the 2022 World Cup later on.
It will be the first dry World Cup and all players will be forced to grow long beards…..
And wear capri pants instead of shorts.
Forward planning..advance notice..concepts that seem to be foreign to the authorities.
The planning horizon is usually a couple of hours in this respect.
On that I can agree with you 🙂
Been sometime since you agreed with me…am I doing something right or wrong? 🙂
Careful Abdulrahman. You’re in danger of moving over to the dark side….
I jest, of course.
forward planning not even in their dreams, otherwise the urbanistic of Doha would not be this way, mainly the expressway would have been built differently…..
Are we surprised ? It is clear what direction has been choosen for the country.
I think that this move will see so many people visiting Qatar that they will have to purchase a fleet of Tourist buses to cope! 🙂
Maybe they can use the new boat taxis to scoot to Dubai for a drink or two
Well thats the Intercom beach bankrupt then! Same as the Pearl why would you bother to go there now?
Does anyone know what happened to prompt this? Did someone drive their land cruiser down the beach at speed and kill some people?
NO that would be OK but if it were some sri lankan taxi driver all hell would break loose.
What did I tell you?! Total haram-clean-up. What could be the next? The nightclubs. Alcohol, decadent music and dancing, mixed gender goers… Anytime before the Christmas.
I wish … 🙂
Sorry Osama if you didn’t sense a sarcasm in my post.
This is going to really hit Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee hard as they need to deliver enough hotel rooms for players, fans, VIPs and other visitors for the World Cup. No major hotel chain will want to invest in such an uncertain business climate. With one of the hotels major revenue streams removed there is not a strong enough business case to open a new hotel. (4 weeks full occupancy for the World Cup just doesn’t cut it)
Who will build all the hotels now? The Qatar Tourism authority? How many white elephants can Qatar want?
Exactly my thoughts! You would be mad to invest money here! Just ask the guys @ UDC
“Think people are starting to forget that drinking in Qatar is a privilege, not a right. Abuse it and it won’t be around” Ah, common sense, how I love it 😀
To be able to have a driving licence is a privilege not a right, but I see it abused every single day on Qatar’s roads and only today we have (another) land cruiser involved in a killing on the roads, yet the authorities take no action.
Has anyone being abusing the privilege of drinking at the hotels? I haven’t heard of any stories or even any rumours, this is why this does not make sense.
Call it out as it is, this is political nothing more.
It’s a privilege that makes an awful lot of money for this country! Do you have any idea of what abuse has been going on though? I haven’t heard anything.
I haven’t either, in this case at least. But knowing the affect alcohol has on people, and the many many examples that can be found just about anywhere where alcohol is available, it’s not hard to imagine what type incident has finally lead to this ban.
Though you can probably agree that if there had been a drowning, we would have heard about it.
I’m willing to bet that more people die from Toyota Land Cruisers in Qatar then they do from alcohol. Perhaps we should bad Toyota Land Cruisers from being used outside too?
That aside, this ban is clearly designed to upset expats. It’s a shame there’s so little tolerance here.
“an awful lot of money for this country”??? you mean more than the oil and gas?
Of course not. I’m not an idiot.
The profit margin on the alcohol is probably higher than that of the hydrocarbons
“Profit margin”? If restaurants sold LPG alongside the box wines I would agree. The money the government would make out of liquor sales in hotels (alcohol tax?) wouldn’t come close to how much the State of Qatar makes out of natural gas.
Agreed! For now. Maybe the word ‘fusion’ should be criminalised in Qatar?
You’re confusing.
If pumping hydrocarbons makes you very wealthy, I can understand your confusion. If nuclear fusion offers deliverance from hydrocarbon blackmail, then fusion is good.
New steps, every year.
Perhaps you should find out the difference between profit and revenue, then you might agree with me.
Still, you’re proposing that Qatar makes better profit out of liquor sales.
Profit = Revenue – Costs.
Of course Qatar makes more revenue on hydrocarbons than alcohol. However I said “Profit Margin”. A pint of beer is around $10 in a hotel in Doha, lets call that $20 a litre. Lets make an conservative educated guess that it cost $10 a litre to import it, thats a 50% profit margin. LPG, of which Qatar is a major world exporter, gives a profit of around 14%. Qatar makes more money of hydrocarbons as it sells more of it than alcohol by a factor of a million. However, that doesn’t mean that the profit margin per unit is lower
While you’re at it, tell me, how much is that pint of beer at the QDC?
Point is, the hotels in Doha don’t sell LPG. Likewise, Qatar doesn’t sell alcohol (unless there’s liquor tax imposed on establishments). These two things aren’t mutual.
Ford doesn’t sell iphones and Apple doesn’t sell cars. I can still compare the profit margins on their goods.
I cannot be bothered to further debate a flippant remark I made about profit margins any further. Read a book on economics if you would like to know more.
I believe your question ought to be, how much is QDC purchasing that pint for?!
It is has a longer future than the prices that Qatar is getting for its gas, and as is said below, the profit margin is great. I’d think it would be a great growth industry to diversity Qatar’s economy. 😉
Actually QDC makes a lot of money for QA.
Please don’t close QDC.
Please don’t close QDC.
Do you think if I say it enough times with my fingers crossed it might come true?…..
No QDC in KSA, yet the social life was better. No 5* bars, just bars!
And here I thought Qatar Airways didn’t make any money and was completely dependent on government subsidies.
Money is money & those who have more desire even more,this is human nature,irrespective of ethnicity or religion. There are enough people here well aware of what a particular alcoholic beverage costs for QDC to purchase & what ridiculous profit margins they are making selling it! QDC is part of Qatar Airways,when you add on routes that have like 10 passengers per flight just to add to the number of destinations you fly to,the profits have to come from somewhere right?! Make no mistake about it,VERY LARGE sums of money are being earned in profits from the sale of alcohol in Qatar & ALL of that profit is going to? Correct!
And here’s me thinking alcohol is haram.
Well it does make Qataris feel uncomfortable in their homeland.I spend a lot of time in Malaysia and given the muslim population, I find it perplexing why it can be relaxed in one place versus another. An example…I recently visited a duty free zone in a City in Mayaysia and upon exit it was required to pay a tax on alcohol purchased there.Who collected the money? A muslim female who was very friendly and even reduced the tax for me because i was questioning how the duty free system worked.
Let’s just hope they enforce this law as stringently as they enforce laws on speeding, texting while driving, smoking indoors, withholding passports from workers, seat belt use, labor safety regulations, motorcycles at the Pearl, and many other issues in Qatar.
Qatar’s enforcement priorities really do leave me baffled.
Drinking around bodies of water really isn’t that important. The main issue here is how change is handled. It’s fine if you want to ban alcohol next to a pool or on the beach, but why do you wait until Thursday afternoon to inform the affected businesses? It makes no sense whatsoever. You disrupt peoples plans, and cause business owners hardship. How hard would it be to give a month’s notice?
If this change is indicative of a future alcohol ban then I hope then a little prior notice will allow people to plan accordingly, whether that means relocation, stockpiling, or cleaning the bathtub!
Lest we forget, “Mamnoueh maqroubieh” (All that is forbidden is desired). People have to want to stop to engage in illegal or dangerous behavior (solicitation of prostitutes, gambling, abuse of employees, chain smoking in front of children, or reckless driving). Laws, whether religious or secular, simply don’t mean that much to some people, and they certainly don’t erase illegal activity. They just push it further and further underground. I guess Qatar just has to decide which battles are worth fighting. Personally, I think there are bigger threats to the nation’s spiritual and economic health, but it’s not my decision.
Well said
I agree wholeheartedly with the second sentence here. Developed governments (and I think of Western governements here) make decisions to change rules all the time. Some changes are popular, and others aren’t. Fine.
However, what has been embraced is that the expectations of the population need to be managed through well-managed communications.
If this is to be the rule, I am not too bothered as I rarely go to hotels and sit and drink pool or beach side. Nevertheless, giving adequate notice, and a date in which the rule is to be enforced from is simple good ‘stakeholder’ management. It costs nothing, and will reduce the rants from the population – expat or otherwise.
And this is not the only example. The changes in rules throughout Qatar are implemented without the appropriate communication or the allowance of time to adapt to the new rules.
I also agree with comments about this not being suitable preparation for the world cup. If they do need more hotels here, it will take about 2 years to build and get ready, and at least 10 years to make the investment worthwhile. Taking away a significatn revenue stream will make this 15 years, and investors will not be bothered and invest elsewhere and get their return 10 year, perhaps in UAE.
well that’s good news, controlling alcohol is a must
Usually I use a glass, otherwise the stuff spills all over the floor….
good to know
LOL!
jello shooters are another way to contol it..
Aah! Sid Jellies, a big favourite in KSA, especially among the medical crowd – they had an infinite supply of those little shooter sized disposable plastic pots, for administering meds to the patients.
Go intravenous, the ultimate in control.
AHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!
Good sense of humor as usual…..
hahahaha! nice one!
It’s already heavily controlled and regulated, but perhaps you hit the nail on the head! This could be no more than lip service to make it seem like further regulation is happening to placate those sensitive to the availability of alcohol in the first place.
it should be band not even controlled people are forgetting this is a Muslim country and come on honestly they can still serve alcohol put not out in public
What is your issue with alcohol being served in public?
it is a danger to themselves and those around them
Do you mean it is dangerous for people to drink alcohol around water or to drink alcohol generally?
Nowhere near as much as smoking
Or letting a child sit in a car without a seatbelt
Or eating MacDonalds or Kentucky Fried Chicken when you are obese
I agree…sometimes when I drink I spontaneously combust. With this dry environment it could have all sorts of effects on those around me.
Aisha, you are very right.
You should be aware of the things you put in your mouth when it comes to processed food and all those greasy fast food that people ’round here love so much. That’s pure poison!
Many of us have seen the horrible affect alcohol has had on people we know, often family and friends, who destroyed their lives and those of their loved ones becasue they couldn’t control themselves.
As you said, “…they couldn’t control themselves.” Most people can control themselves. And if God bans alcohol and people still choose to drink, what makes you think a government has more power?
You’re argument is stupid, guest 8.
Your grammar is atrocious, BillyBob. Thanks for contributing in a meaningful way!
I think BillyBob’s vacabulary is very limited. Have mercy on him LOL!!
I was just continuing the in the ad-hominem vein.
The point is they couldn’t control themselves. There are millions of people who drink alcohol with no detrimental effect to themselves or those around them. This is my point about the knee-jerk reaction here….someone couldn’t handle alcohol so let’s ban everyone from drinking it. It doesn’t solve the problem.
Banning really makes the problem far worst. When one drinks in public, they are subject to judgement and potentially legal repercussions if they get out of hand. One of the signs of alcoholism is drinking in secrecy. When someone resorts to hiding that they drink, they may have far crossed a healthy limit. Honestly, if drinking were banned here, it wouldn’t affect me personally. I can’t be bothered, but I think that drinking in secrecy would lead to a lot of familial problems both for expats and nationals.
promise, i don’t have a drinking problem..
i only drink when im alone or with someone….lol
I hope you don’t, Net-guy. Drinking, drugging, otherwise self-inflicted problems are no fun for all involved!
Totally agree, Guest 8. I doubt very much that alcohol will be banned. It’s an easy source of good revenue here. It always makes me laugh when they go on about it being ‘haram’ but are happy to make a massive profit from it. I see bottles of wine that I wouldn’t even look at in the UK because they’re cheap table wine on sale at ridiculous prices at QDC. And the way such bottles are presented to you in the hotels at an even greater price as if they’re Chateauneuf- du-Pape. It’s laughable.
What ever happened to Liebfraumilch and Blue Nun?
I think you can get them at QDC at 60QR a bottle!
Bargain!!!!!
Not millions, billions
And many of us have seen the terrible effects smoking and poor driving have done.
The issue here is not control, but enforcement of those controls. For alcohol and driving they have rules. Yet, they seem to enforce one but not the other. I think what alot of people want is equal application of the law on all counts for all people.
As I’m often told by some here, 2 wrongs don’t make a right 😉
do you know why they destroyed their lives? Because it was attractive to get alcohol, something that is prohibited.
For those of us who come from countries where wine is part of our agriculture and culture, we are used to see it since small children on our tables and it is something we can try any time. That’s why it is not so attractive to get drunk.
You don’t have alcoholics (people who are addicted to alcohol) in your country?
Oh come on! Surely surely you can do better than that? Or are my expectations just too high?! Seriously,surely you know enough to know that suppression of anything only leads to higher levels of desire? This is human nature,add to that equation a well-off local population (the richest in the world according some sources) amongst whom many don’t really need to work a 9-5 job to earn a living & what do you have? I would continue but I know you catch my drift.
Before traveling around Europe & talking with many locals, I used to believe that there was amazing maturity in Europe that allowed people to drink responsibly in bars, events & parties from the age of 14 onward. Then I realized what other Europeans told me was n fact the truth: saying growing up around alcohol & thus not being inclined to abuse it often is a myth that many Europeans comfort themselves with.
So you’re saying prevent 90% of social drinkers who enjoy a pint (or 5!) with friends/family/etc. after a week’s hard work, who don’t create public nuisance,who get back home without bothering anyone simply because of the 10% who can’t control themselves?!
There are lots of interpretations of what it means to a “Muslim country” (as if countries chose religions..). Qatar is but one model, Bosnia another, Qatar seems to be working to make up its mind what type it is. The Qatari model is not the norm most Muslims live under.
You should go to Indonesia, another “Muslim country”. Never been so drunk in all my life, and oh the prostitutes there, just thinking about it makes me go giddy…………
Sold!
I really don’t think these comments do much to add to the conversation.
It makes it clear that alcohol is not a Muslim issue, just a GCC one
It’s your argument but it seems like your point is more that a being a muslim country does not necessarily mean alcohol must be banned.
Nevertheless I am on your side.
you will find non Muslim Indonesians but you cant find Qataris who are not Muslim
Do you know every Qatari, and Indonesian?
And do you know that all Qataris are teetotal?
Indonesian no but i know for sure that all Qataris are Muslim
I hate to burst your bubble, but I know of a few Qataris who consider themselves atheists. 🙁
then know this they are not original Qataris
in your opinion
I am quite sure that being atheist and Qatari are not mutually exclusive.
Yes, they are. Born and bred.
No, just very, very secretive about their beliefs, for their own good!
Then know this, you are deluded if you believe that. What does ‘original’ have to do with it, btw? As far as anyone except the ‘original’ or ‘non-original’ are concerned, all Qataris are the same.
Please, can we keep the conversation relevant to the story?
Fair enough, my bad. Apologies where needed.
Why Ms. Shabina, are you trolling to control us (sorry couldn’t resist) :p
i’ve just shown your response to a Qatari, who promptly laughed
i honestly don’t care
I do, would you like a big drunken hug 🙂
keep it to yourself thanks
big hugs to you both. gtg a bottle of duval is calling
I would.
Except the atheist ones, who, funnily, you only ever meet them outside of Qatar.
Given that, de-facto, they are ALL born as Muslims, and there is no possibility of opting out at a later date, that is far short of a victory in freewill?
only in their actions….
Tell that to your fellow people as they do not know how to behave when drunk.
Malaysia is a Muslim country as well,where in fact in certain more conservative states a Muslim caught drinking alcohol can be caned along with serving a jail term yet anyone can purchase a beer from even the smallest of corner shops in Kuala Lumpur so please,save us the ”this is a Muslim country” rhetoric because it’s merely an excuse & a pretty silly one at that.
The word ‘control’ is the issue for me. Qatar needs to learn that it cannot ‘control’ everyone and everything. Not if it wants to develop itself to be on the world stage. Knee-jerk reactions like this only serve to make it a laughing stock around the world.
“Qatar needs to learn that it cannot ‘control’ everyone and everything.” And yet, we always see people here commenting on the need to have more police presence to “control” the bad driving! I believe more control is needed in both cases.
I appreciate your point but it’s not about controlling things, it’s about managing them in a sensible, organised, planned manner. Having rules that apply to everyone across the board and clearly communicating and enforcing that.
If you go out to a bar in Doha, which I’m guessing you don’t Abdulrahman, and act the fool, endangering, at the least your reputation, and at the most, the patrons of the watering hole, you will be arrested. I have seen it happen and have heard of it happening (and rightly so). This is appropriate use of control and enforcement of the rules. On the whole, people behave themselves because they know public intoxication is not tolerated. If, however, you drive like a fool and endanger the lives of every single person you come across: driver, passenger or pedestrian, the likelihood that you’ll get away with it is very high.
That’s true & is a major issue of concern that should tackled.
Absolutely. I never had a problem living in a place where access to alcohol — (or the right to abuse it and cause problems for others) — was controlled.
I’d worry a lot less about what the rest of the world thinks of me, and more about what is best for my own society. I may be one of the few that was happy to live in a place where alcohol was subjected to some control as it was when I lived in Qatar.
It’s the Qatar effect; the more and better you have it here, the more you complain about the most inane of things. It applies to both expats and locals alike. Just sit comfortably in Bahrain and watch us duke it out 😉
Qatar is definitely becoming more conservative as a nation, not sure how they will cope with 20,000 drunks in 2022! and thats just the players and couching staff!
A good solution would be to completely ban alcohol … 2 days before the world cup…
Or just ignore the rules for a month…..
I know that many Qataris would like to have a wold cup holiday…. to leave the country and not see it all…
And a good many more would love there to be a world cup. Dont stick around if you dont want to be here for the world cup. No-one is forcing you to – unless you need an exit permit (another debate entirely…and for another day)
“A good solution would be to completely ban alcohol … 2 days before the world cup…”
haha that made me laugh
Ban tobacco as well please…sick of breathing in others cancer causing toxins……
Indoor smoking is already banned in many restaurants, but your average Filipina waitress doesn’t have the guts to confront a group of burly Arab men about it.
Ban prostitution also. That would help counteract the upsurge in moral turpitude.
On a related note, ban e-cigs as well, at least indoors. I know that there is no evidence of harm from inhaling the vapours, but that’s only because no long term studies have been done yet.
Why not just stop breathing altogether. Scientific studies have proven that a walk near a major roadway exposes you to more carcinogens than being stuck in a room with smokers.
In answer to your next question, no, do your own research!
Remember we aren’t living in a democracy, its a Monarchy. Meaning anything can change at a moments notice..Just a fact here, those that have been here for sometime are acustom to it and know that a “resident” has no power and the only options are to live with it or leave…
Yep 🙂
nothing seems to please expats
You should see the moaning we do back home…….
i can imagine
Although we often have to read about it the next day as we were too drunk at the time to remember.
hahahahaha
LOL — that is SOOO true!
I do think Qataris often don’t realize this engagement & debate over issues is an important aspect of most Western cultures. I remember being told by Qatari students that it was upsetting to hear the criticism of their country by expats & I used to tell them we complained far more about our own countries :-p
Ha, when they used to give me that tired old line I told them they should be thankful that they weren’t American or Chinese or some former colonial power. I figured that they didn’t have the thickness of skin for it.
Yeah! What did the Romans ever do for us? 🙂
Ha, haven’t thought of Life of Brian in years and years.
I agree that some expats only seem to moan about life here, Aisha but that is not true for all of us. I and lots of my expat friends love living in Qatar and are very grateful for the standard of life we have here compared to back home. The only thing that makes me moan is the ever-changing rules at short notice, with no explanation and, seemingly, no logic.
As Muslims, we believe that Alcohol is the mother of all sins. As an Islamic state, we don’t condone the consumption and distribution of alcohol. It’s that simple.
Locally, alcohol is usually not consumed appropriately and responsibly, which causes a lot of problems. Which always seems to be the case with the young people in Qatar, especially in english high schools like QA and Doha College, who I would like to add get their alcohol VERY easily. Usually from their western parents (who are more than happy to throw drinking parties at their homes and ‘compound clubhouses’ and invite underage kids to join in, with no care to what the children religion is and the values these children were raised under). You get a lot sex involved, diseases, drunk driving, and so on (even a story of a 17 year old girl getting pregnant, and not knowing if the father was her boyfriend, or the guy she hooked up with in the party).
Also I would like to note that is VERY easy it is to get served alcohol in Qatar’s bars, and fancy restaurants when you’re underage.
If anything, stricter rules must be applied to alcohol, when it comes to who’s serving it. Westerners tend to forget that they chose to come to Qatar. If you don’t like it, you can always book a cheap flight to Dubai and enjoy all the alcohol and sex and whatever you westerners do for fun. Or go back home?
Alcohol is big no-no in Islam. You’re in an Islamic state. It being even allowed is a privilege, not a right.
Plus anyone who is using the WC2022 argument, are you fcuking stupid?
Qatar will obviously allowing drinking during that time.
“Alcohol is a big no-no in Islam”
4 sentences later
“Qatar will obviously allowing drinking during that time”
You couldnt make it up!
Are you stupid? Are you trying to say that I’m contradicting myself? WTF do you mean ‘I couldn’t make it up’?
Alcohol IS forbidden in Islam. There’s no argument about that.
The WC2022 is an international event, that will attract a shitload of people to Qatar who will want to drink and what not, thus Qatar will allow drinking, in fan zones, and designated areas. In the meantime, it is what it is.
You are contradicting yourself, Billybob. There’s no need to be so aggressive. The dialog here has been, for the most part, respectful and cordial.
I’m not being aggressive. I was simply replying in the same tone he used in his reply to my comment.
Tone is really hard to judge in written word, but I have to disagree. Leaving out “WTF” and “Are you stupid” would have served you well.
Thats quite a rant. Are you drunk?
No, are you?
Yes, its great isn’t it!!!!!
it will be the biggest brothel in the world! And you will have to cope with the worst, not a pool party…
F.e. Bosnian muslims do drink alcohol. Don’t you know or do you consider them to be fake muslims ?
No I am not stupid.
And I don’t mean that you made it up. I know full well that alcohol is forbidden in Islam.
I meant ‘You’ as the generic form of the personal pronoun in reference to a rhetorical entity.
You are contradicting yourself. I use one sentence as an example:
”As an Islamic state, we don’t condone the consumption and distribution of alcohol”.
This is both factually incorrect and in reference to your final sentence the initial part of your contradiction. Qatar does condone the consumption and distribution of alcohol through hotels, QDC and on its flagship airline Qatar Airways.
Even if this became true, and alcohol was banned across Qatar, the supposed certainty of the serving of alcohol during the World Cup will eventually make the quote I made above wrong. In fact, by believing it will happen shows an eventuality in which Qatar would condone alcohol.
I admire your patience JimJam
But I learnt long ago not to try and be logical with illogical people!
Deleting a bunch of the comments in this thread as we’re getting quite off-track.
I wish you actually tried to even make a point, instead, you took random quotes from the same comment. Not a good way to discuss things.
The state does condone the behavior. It is legal to drink alcohol here.
How about you call the police about these alleged parties? That’s what would happen in western countries. It’s illegal to provide alcohol to minors everywhere.
If it’s true that it is easy to get served as a minor, then I agree that that is an issue. However, ID’s are checked. Maybe some establishments are not using due diligence.
Trust me man, it is very EASY. Back in High-school, my friends would phone call a driver and get it delivered to them, along with weed and hash.
And calling the police was the last thing on my mind. I wasn’t the one to call police to and bust a party my friends and school mates would throw/attend.
It should be the security’s job
Western countries? Are you serious? Hahaha you’re funny.
I’ve never seen as much underage drinking as I’ve seen in all the western countries I’ve been to: US, UK, Canada, Germany… It’s a lifestyle there. Not to forget all the drugs ‘Molly’, the sex, the sexual diseases, pregnancies, and the list goes on. Plus the ridiculous music that encourages that kind of behavior in the ‘western countries’.
“Plus the ridiculous music that encourages that kind of behavior in the ‘western countries’.”
Shheessh I thought the Taliban were out of power. Perhaps all the witchcraft that goes on at halloween encourages it too
“It should be the security’s job”
Hear no evil…see no evil…but I shall speak it on an internet discussion page so I shall!
U mad bro?
As you suggest, people have personal responsibility. You didn’t want to report your friends because you didn’t see it as your job. Fair enough, you have to live with that. Peer pressure is hard to resist. Maybe that’s why you spent time with so many mischievous individuals at home and abroad. I’m not sure who you were socializing with when in Europe and the US, but there are as many young people who do not feed into the stereotype you paint here. Teenage life can be really quite bland.
Billybob, you’re very right!!! It is the lifestyle.
In fact, lifestyle here is abuse your maid in all senses and drive a SUV to speed, make accidents and kill innocence. It’s lifestyle!
Lol
Unfortunately BB that is the problem, very real and immediately fatal abuses of the law make you LOL.
U mad bro?
Yes, and the most drug dealers we have in Western Europe come from …. Morocco, Turkey, Algeria, Tunisia.
But as an Islamic state, you do condone the consumption and distribution of alcohol…it is that simple..
Thinking your 2nd to last line, the last portion may apply…
Alcohol is a big no-no in Islam? Why then is an “Islamic State” happy to make a profit from it? And the old “go back home” statement. It never fails does it? Just remember that when you visit my country, you – as a Muslim – are able to live life as you choose. It’s called tolerance. You should try it.
Is drinking the worst sin as a Muslim? I ask this honestly, it is not a facetious question. I was raised Catholic. Murder, abuse of others, harm to others, hurting others in any way physically and sexually, being cruel and unkind, ignoring others when you knew help was needed…that is just a start of what I was taught were sins.
No, it’s definitely alcohol.
A tiny country that kills thousands every year, with vehicles, well that is merely a transgression.
If the notion that alcohol is, responsibly, consumed within a radius of 5 km that requires a concerted barrage of rules and legislation.
Please, get your priorities in order!
🙂
1000s? really now?
To the Westerners who don’t like it here, there’s a simple solution. Pack your bags and go.
And yet again, the classic local answer “if you don’t like it go home”. Please find some other retort when you run out of things to say. It’s becoming very boring.
It’s the truth. Don’t like it? BAM go back home. I didn’t like that people in my Uni in the US were constantly on molly and drugs and alcohol? What did I do? I left. Simple. Every place has it’s own set of ‘lifestyle’ and way of living.
OR you can go next door, to the UAE. Maybe you’ll like it there better.
Don’t get me wrong, you’re more than welcomed to stay, and enjoy the nice things, rather than focus on what you don’t like. You can definitely make comments, make positive suggestions, but at the end of the day, it is what it is. And if you’re going to keep negatively complaining about certain things, then no one is forcing you to stay.
As a Muslim I was taught the greatest sin is Shirk (believing in any god/partners or worshipping anything other than the 1 God worshipped by Muslims)
difference between greatest sin and mother of all sin
No where did I say Alcohol is the biggest sin. الخمر ام الخبائث. Means Alcohol is the mother of sins. Not the biggest Sin. You can do a simple google search to answer your question if you were really interested, and not just throw a indirect attack on my comment.
To those that champion a total ban on alcohol as your automatic cure to all evils, I suggest take a regular squint at your big brother next door, KSA. Take a glance at the news reports of violence, and see how many are alcohol related, and I’m not referring to the expat community there either! A fat lot of good their 100% absolute ban on alcohol has?
Frankly, alcohol was easier to obtain, and considerably cheaper, in KSA.
It is actually a measure to control the Arabs. They usually show up at these hotel beach clubs. Remember the “show” factor is very important here.
I expect more conservatorism to come….. ;-((
Absolutely FM7!
Now, Qatar has GOT the World Cup, they are not bidding to GET it.
I have to say Im not convinced they will keep it! Especially if that scumbag Blatter gets voted out!
I’m with you there Turbo.
My predicted outcome is that the big football countries will break from FIFA and go it for themselves. There might be a FIFA cup tournament in Qatar 2022, but the top seeds will be Qatar, Iran, KSA and Pakistan. A new World football body will hold a real World Cup somewhere else like Germany?
We could comment all week on this subject but to me it’s quite simple. Qatar, make up your mind. If you want to be an Islamic State, ban alcohol, cancel WC 2022 and stop going on about increasing tourism. if you don’t want to do that then find solutions for the concerns of your indigenous Muslim population about developing the country. Set the rules and enforce them. At the moment, the contradictions are driving everyone crazy and no-one knows what’s going on or what’s going to happen next.
But Qataris can butter their bread on both sides, and have their cake and eat it, it’s their entitlement!
I fear you’re right and that’s why the ambitions for the country will never be realised. Such a pity that they cannot practice tolerance.
How dare you; we have servants to do the buttering!
Qatar IS a progressive, Muslim-majority Arab country. WC 2022 has to take place for it to remain progressing. There will be sacrifices along the way but Qatar will always figure out alternatives to them, it just has to.
Drinking in Muslim countries was unheard of 20-30 years ago, don’t forget that. Right now, it really is a privilege and not a right. The majority of Muslims here are uptight about the consumption of alcohol, yet it’s still possible (albeit via some half-baked laws) because they are tolerant. You have to understand that this is a controversial debate among the Muslim community so have some patience.
If the impromptu drinking ban really drives you nuts, you’re free to settle in another country with more-relaxed drinking regulations.
I will pick my words carefully: I believe that the rail against alcohol, in the Arabian Peninsular, came about, when a certain member, of a certain royal family, in a certain Arabian Peninsular country, shot his cousin in a drunken rage?
Of course, I could be completely mis-informed??
I am not implying it is a right and I understand the concerns of Muslims here about the consumption of alcohol and neither did I say that the drinking ban drives me nuts. I said the ever changing rules are driving everyone crazy and by that I mean rules about various things, not just alcohol consumption. It would not bother me at all if alcohol was banned here and it certainly would not make me want to leave. Contrary to your belief, many westerners can take or leave alcohol…My point was that the half-baked laws, contradictions and knee-jerk reactions do not help in reaching a solution. I have lived here for a long time and seen a lot of change for the good and the bad. I appreciate that the type of change the country desires takes time and needs patience. I do not want to see Qatar end up like Dubai so I welcome regulation but not impromptu, short-lived regulation that doesn’t solve the problem. I also wish we could all work together to achieve the solutions.
Bad wording on my part, excuse me. The last sentence is to anyone who feels strongly (to put it lightly) about the drinking ban.
If you’ve lived here long enough, you’d see that Qatar is struggling with a lot of these issues. Even worse, everyone has different opinions of how everything should be. This is why Qatar goes back and forth on rules and regulations, especially the ones that test its status as a Muslim country and as an “international” country.
I do see that, Sharkfinn. I come from a country where laws are discussed and considered before they are introduced and they are then strictly adhered to across the board which I take for granted. I appreciate it will take Qatar time to get to that stage but really, the to-ing and fro-ing in the meantime is very frustrating so please be patient with us expats too.
Actually you are wrong. Alcohol was not illegal in Saudi Arabia before the early 1950s It was made illegal at some stage after that, (I can’t remember when but I’m sure someone can enlighten us, something about a Saudi prince who got drunk shot someone else important and created a big furor).
Yes the legality to drink here is a privilege, we all accept that. We would just like a bit more notice if the authorities want to ban it. That’s all. The Q authorities have the right to ban what they want in their own country. Sovereign right and all that. As others have said, just give us all ( especially the hotels), a little notice first.
I just hope they give us notice if they decide to close down QDC or should I start stock piling now?
Funny you should mention that, I have heard rumours in the past couple of days that there is a change of ownership at QDC and that we should expect changes in how it is run…..
OH NO!
QDC is a subsidiary of Qatar Airways and government owned. No change in ownership. Owned and managed by the state.
I know it’s owned and managed by the state. Perhaps it’s a change of management rather than a change of ownership that’s being mooted. Who knows? We’ll just have to wait and see.
The management has been contracted to an Irish company along with duty free for several years. I believe duty free is now being run solely by QA, and maybe the plan is to have QDC run that way in the future. I think the point to be made here is that the licensing and rules, and change in rules, comes from QTA and QDCi is simply expected to abide by them, as are licensed hotels.
So obviously then you haven’t enjoyed a nice cold beer from a corner side 7-11 while walking down a main street on a tropical afternoon in Kuala Lumpur?! Certainly didn’t feel like a privilege to me! Didn’t feel like a right either,just felt normal! Malaysia is a 100% Muslim country to the best of my knowledge! Just to clarify,this is NOT an issue about being Muslim,it is about being Muslims with no tolerance for other faiths or belief systems. There’s a difference,just felt the need to point it out.
I’ll agree with you on that, Malaysia is where Qatar wishes to be, but I never said it was a global Islamic issue. I specifically said “Muslims here”, but in reality it’s mostly the locals (those who have the power to change matters).
“Qatar, make up your mind” Make us :p
I love Qatar, I love the W Hotel #Doha, but I don’t like the completely drunk crowd that literally falls out from Crystal at 2 a.m.:-) That’s all I can say…:-)
To quote yourself!
If you don’t like it you are free to leave! No one is forcing you to go!