Qatar, a tiny, wealthy and very image-conscious country in the Persian Gulf, is not having a good week.
First, major news outlets published stories about vitriolic Facebook pages calling on Qatar residents to protest against Emir Hamad Bin Khalifa al Thani and his regime. Feb. 27 is the day, one said. Well, that day came and went.
March 15 or 16 could be the real day, some other pages say.
Then, just over the weekend, human rights groups broke the news that a Qatari blogger has been detained and being held incommunicado by authorities. The fear is that the blogger, Sultan al-Khalaifi, is at risk of torture or other ill treatment.
Concurrently, journalists in Qatar seem to be rebelling against the lack of a sorely needed media law to protect freedom of speech and a free press.
Yet, as people across the Middle East rally against their regimes, Qatar appears to be the only country in the Arabian Gulf to escape unscathed by the politics. And not just because the country, run by a benevolent Emir, has a very persuasive police force.
A handful of blustering Facebook pages aside, there is no way people in Qatar are going to take to the streets to protest against the regime, and there are a dozen reasons why. Here are just a handful:
Firstly, there are no starving Qataris. There aren't even any Qatari taxi drivers or janitors.
Qatar is a welfare state that financially-speaking really takes care of its people, who account for about only make up 15% of the population. The 350,000 nationals also enjoy an average per capita income of $75,000 annually.
Secondly, many of the expats here also enjoy the benefits of living in a rich country. Unemployment is .5%.
Crime is almost non-existent. While dashing to Arabic class at Berlitz one evening when I first moved here, my husband accidentally left the keys in the ignition, the car running and the doors unlocked. We didn't realize the folly until an hour and a half later, when we returned to our car, which was still there. And why shouldn't it be? There are cameras everywhere, and anyone with a residency permit knows Qatar has our blood, fingerprints and chest X-rays on file.
It is true that living here is not cheap. Qatar imports almost all of its food, so frequent trips to the grocery store can be prohibitive for someone on a budget.
Transportation costs also continue to rise, especially after the government suddenly raised petrol prices this year. But per liter, gas is still cheaper than soda.
And the government does heavily subsidize gas, electricity and water for all of the nation's 1.6 million residents.
Qatar's Emir has also put the profits reaped from its vast natural gas reserves to use in other ways, investing billions of dollars of it into education, healthcare, culture and of course, the upcoming FIFA World Cup in 2022.
That said, there are certainly things to complain about.
For one, Qatar suffers from a gaping gender disparity due to its large migrant worker population. Women account for just 20% of the population, which can make for some uncomfortable social situations.
But women are free to work, drive and run for council elections (whenever those will be held). In Education City, where six US universities have set up shop, among other educational institutions, the number of female graduates actually outpaces the number of male graduates in many schools.
Things aren't as rosy for Qatar's uneducated residents. Human rights groups have constantly criticized the treatment of migrant workers here. Last summer, the US State Department put Qatar on a "watch list" for laws that it says promotes human trafficking. And according to one study, the average laborer works 60-hour weeks and make about $3,945 a year.
Government officials have also been promising residents a new press law and council elections for years, without results. Just this week, a spate of columnists jumped from one local newspaper to another in hopes that their criticisms of the country would actually get published. The move prompted a fiery article in the Peninsula, a local English-language newspaper that has recently become more critical of the government.
And there are residents here who are not happy about Qatar trying to be friends with everyone. The Facebook groups that have popped up rail against the US base here, First Lady Sheikha Mozah's public presence and Qatar's informal ties with Israel.
Still, Qataris are for the most part known for living a comfortable lifestyle, and most wouldn't dream of making a public stink about what they consider to be in-house problems in their country.
In fact, the mere thought of political action seems to have upset more than inspired people here. More than one Qatari on Twitter has protested any discussion of protest in Doha -- not necessarily a good thing, but nonetheless an indication of what the locals are thinking.
As for the majority expat population, those who don't like it here can always leave (fairly easily, for the most part). And those who want to stay wouldn't dream of rallying for fear of deportation.
So come March 16, expect Qatar to remain the only Gulf country free of public protests. Expect amazing.
Follow Shabina S. Khatri on Twitter: www.twitter.com/dohanews
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I think you made a huge editorial and journalistic mistake by spelling Persian Gulf wrong. A.r.a.b.i.a.n Gulf does not exist on United Nations approved maps and is not internationally recognized. As a journalist you have a duty to report right, just and true information. not spread falses information. I hope you will have change of heart in future and take your journalistic duty more seriously.
This Arab, is she desires change, perhaps should start by removing that (changing her image) scarf she has on her head. Not that Arabs would be any better looking with or without that thing on their head.
I can understand where your anger and frustration comes from but it is not an excuse to be Prejudice and insult other people's faith and race. As much as we like them to respect our heritage and do not change historic name of Persian Gulf we should also respect their way of life. Our problem in the middle east comes from exactly what happened here. we can not tolerat eachother. I think we need to change our selves before we can change our goverments. I am a secular but I tolerate a women with hejab even if I do not agree with it and I like to be tolerated in my country as secular one day as well. lets hope for the day that we can all have fruitfull discussions with out insulting each other.
Thank you so much for taking note of my comment. Unfotunately since mid 60's Iran's Arab neighbours started a compaign to change the historic name of Persian Gulf to A.r.a.b.i.a.n Gulf because Iran's Shah started to recognize Israel. Times changes and same countries that objected to it and started this anti-cultural campaign now have full diplomatic relationship with Israel but they still stick to using the fake name for that area. BTW. Happy New Iranian Year (Norooz).
Qatar, like every other country, does have problems, like the writer mentioned. I highly doubt everyone is happy with how little they participate in politics and government, and their lack of freedom of speech. These issues CAN and DO cause protesting, despite their comfortable lifestyles. It may not be like Egypt or Libya, but I wouldn't totally rule out all forms of protesting.
1) Qatar is a welfare state that financially-speaking really takes care of its people, who account for about only make up 15% of the population. The 350,000 nationals also enjoy an average per capita income of $75,000 annually.
2) And according to one study, the average laborer works 60-hour weeks and make about $3,945 a year.
While I agree with the author that some kind of rebellion from the happy citizens maybe unlikely, the country is made up of mostly migrants from other countries who are likely to be a lot less happy. Once any media or some kind of social network start to focus more on the problems of maltreatment on behalf of the migrants (common problem in places like Dubai and Kuwait) , its only a matter of time before these migrants rise up against their employers.
Migrants are not for 2-3 years but most of them are here for 30-40 years , any law should be changed according to the civilized world . only a uncivilized world can hold to its 14th century rules, everything subjected to changes . that is why we are seeing the uprising against regimes in Arab world , if not today it might be tomorrow in Qatar , so i think the current rulers must realize this fact and should make necessary changes , people cannot be like dogs always , there would be a day people would realize the dignity rather than living like dogs who looks for the free gifts from his master
But as those other countries see economic improvement (a combination of a switch from dictatorships which used government resources to enrich the dictatorship, and the spillover from the improving economic conditions in the regional powers) the costs of the slaves will increase, as will their willingness to say no to slavehood, resulting in inflationary pressures that will feed back on themselves.
And when the wheelbarrows full of riyals that the government hands out stop going very far, and hiring a taxi driver becomes an exercise in patience given their scarcity, the deal of massive cash gifts in exchange for freedom will look less and less attractive.
The Qatari government stripped six thousand indigenous Sunni Arabs, of the Murra tribe from their citizenship, as a collective punishment. They lost their jobs, homes, and all public benefits. The Qatari government also discriminates against its Shia citizens who make up 15% of the population. They are banned from government TV and Radio, as well as from establishing financial institutions. "
http://www.gulfinstitute.org/artman/publish/issues_humanrights/Director_s_Testimony_in_Congress_44.shtml
Those who elected to remain Saudi nationals were those with residences and family in KSA, where they also benefited from state benefits. Split national loyalties in what is still a very tribal society poses problems which the "west" does not appreciate.
There are many Shia business people in Qatar who are the epitome of success in the Middle East, and that includes prominent bank owners.
In any case, discrimination is hardly a Qatari speciality. Israel discriminates against its Arab citizens and also subsidises its unproductive orthodox community with taxes from productive citizens.
Some of the most successful Qataris are shi'a and your information is incorrect. There are Shi'a mosques and they worship openly.