To never want to visit Qatar?

I have not downplayed anything.

I said it’s a strange part of your argument to refuse to go to a country for a reason when you come from a country that does exactly that kind of thing. Unless you actively campaign against that kind of thing in the UK but I doubt you do.

@JHound do you think your point makes sense?
If I know there has been sexism issues in the UK, would that mean the even worse sexism issues in another country should be ignored?

While trying to reply to this post I, ironically, again got the full page Qatar ad! I will see if I can get an in-browser adblocker - can you recommend one @Mespher ?

@JHound I did just want to pick up on your point here about me being fine with children being strip searched. Firstly, your downplaying of what was frankly sexual assault upon a number of Australian women (“the incident”) does you no favours. I appreciate you lived and worked there and had a positive experience, but that doesn’t nullify what others have experienced.

Secondly, there’s a world of difference between living in a country where the general ways of living are consistent with your ethics but your government sometimes takes actions you don’t agree with but you’re powerless to stop, and voluntarily visiting another country where women, LGBTQ, migrant workers etc are legally second-class citizens.

I don’t currently live in the UK, so I don’t know a lot about children being strip searched, but that sounds awful. As you’re so horrified by it I presume you’re protesting against it and doing what you can to stop it happening? As otherwise it seems like you’re just raising it as a pretty unpleasant gotcha.

The Visit Qatar ads are pretty much making Mumsnet unusable for me on mobile. The screen freezes and I can’t scroll. I refresh the browser which resets it but the ad pops up a couple of minutes later and it happens again. 😡

I would think that is fairly obvious if you have the ability to read within context.

""You are not unreasonable to want to go to Qatar."

"Exactly. I said she is not unreasonable to not want to go to Qatar."

Maybe you just missed out the word "not"

Exactly. I said she is not unreasonable to not want to go to Qatar. Anybody can avoid any country for any reasons.

Her specific reasons are odd, in that she would not be under her husband’s guardianship if she visited and the incident with the Australian women on a plane is a strange reason to boycott a country when she is fine to live in a country that strip searches (including cavity searches) of children.

Some people have valid reasons for not wishing to visit Qatar. Some are Islamophobic.

My stance is unchanged.

"You are not unreasonable to want to go to Qatar.
The reasons are odd (I went to Qatar for work and not sure what you are talking about Guardianship?)
You can choose whatever country you wish to visit for whatever reason"

It didn’t take a few posts. I acknowledged that from the start.

You are choosing to read what you wish to read for reasons unknown.

It took a few posts for you to acknowledge that some people might have actual concerns over going to Qatar.

Your first post

"The reasons are odd (I went to Qatar for work and not sure what you are talking about Guardianship?)"

Do you think the reasons are still odd?

Read my post again.

Your question has been answered.

What about the concerns over women's rights?
Islamophobic?

World Report 2024: Qatar | Human Rights Watch

Women in Qatar must obtain permission from their male guardians to marry, study abroad on government scholarships, work in many government jobs, travel abroad until certain ages, and receive some forms of reproductive health care.
Single Qatari women below 25 require their guardian’s permission to travel outside Qatar. Married women at any age can travel without permission, but men can petition a court to prohibit their wives’ travel. Qatari women are prohibited from being at events and bars serving alcohol, and unmarried Qatari women under 30 cannot check into hotels without a male guardian. Women face discrimination in practice while trying to rent apartments without a male guardian’s permission.

Guardian permission is required to work for government institutions, and women attending Qatar University face restrictions on their movements. Male guardians and other family members can report women to the police for being “absent” from their homes, which can lead to their arrest and forcible return home or to administrative detention.

Qatar’s Family Law also discriminates against women in marriage, divorce, child custody, and inheritance. Women require a male guardian’s permission to marry, and married women are required to obey their husbands and can lose their husband’s financial support if they work or travel against their husband’s wishes. Men have a unilateral right to divorce, while women must apply to the courts for divorce on limited grounds. Under inheritance provisions, female siblings receive half the amount their brothers get.

The Family Law forbids husbands from hurting their wives, but Qatar does not have a law on domestic violence or measures to protect survivors and prosecute their abusers.

Women are denied the authority to act as their children’s primary guardian, even when they are divorced and have legal custody. While Qatari men can pass citizenship to their spouses and children, children of Qatari women and non-citizen men can only do so under narrow, discriminatory conditions. Qatar passed a permanent residency law permitting children of Qatari women married to non-Qatari men, among others, to apply for permanent residency, own real estate, and receive government health and education services.

I already dealt with this in a post I wrote. As you well know because you responded. You are being very disingenuous.

Some people have genuine concerns about visiting Qatar and are consistent in the places they avoid.

Some people’s issue with Qatar is their Islamophobia (and many of the comments make clear which is which.)

Two things can be true at the same time.

What an utterly ridiculous comment.

Do you think the concerns that LGBT people may have over visiting Qatar is Islamophobic?

Or do you think their concerns are valid?