To never want to visit Qatar?

Maybe I'm just extremely unlucky. I don't know why these 2 things were so annoying to do. It was 9 years almost ago almost 10. I could visit my usual medical centre alone, but for the one with the ex NHS doctors I definitely needed my husband there to sign up the family. I remember clearly as I was so upset. I never returned as I was fed up of the whole place by then. I didn't trust my other doctor either so just left it.

Yanbu. I don’t understand why any woman would choose to visit this country, or others like it.

I lived in Saudi from 2013 to 2020 - I didn't need my husband for any of those things 🤷‍♀️

Blimey, that's bonkers. Even in Saudi as a sponsored spouse, I could do all that by myself!

One of my married friends works now (at her daughter’s school) but only in the last few years. Before that she was a housewife (which was part of the reason they moved there as they found being a single income family very difficult in the UK). They have been there well over a decade now.

No.

Agree completely, no desire to use their planes (nor any other gulf carrier) either. Flying Singapore to Oz

So a safe and welcoming place for most tourists but not all.

Any other groups you think might not find Qatar a welcoming place, let alone a safe place, if not welcoming?

Conversely I find Qatar, Oman etc to be a really popular tourist destination for the British Muslims I know as they don't need to worry about food, people staring at what they wear. They seem at peace at ignoring the blatant discrimination. Not for me though

Did/do your married friends work? I'm glad no one had the hassle. Maybe for them they didn't mention it as it wasn't a big deal? It pissed me off as I just wanted to see a decent doctor.

I have zero idea. I would say a large number of places are not particularly trans friendly at the moment.

But for most tourists? Absolutely fine.

I don’t think there is any country on the planet that every single demographic group that exists would be absolutely fine there.

I was reading about this. This actually blows my mind.

Do you think trans people should go there as well?

Interesting. You are the only married woman I have heard of living there that this happened to.

But yes absolutely of this was to be my experience there I would choose not to live there.

I would think gay people should potentially avoid it (although really it’s more about whether or not you make your sexuality explicit and most don’t - I have a gay male friend who has done numerous events in Saudi Arabia and the UAE with no issue) but then that could be said about the Caribbean too, but I genuinely think in general Qatar is a safe and welcoming place for tourists.

I have visited many countries and Qatar is definitely not one I would hesitate revisiting.

Oh and the servants thing, in Qatar they are lovingly called Maids, they generally work 6 days a week, get about $400 a month and I think a return flight home once a year (if I remember rightly but it was about 8 years ago) I could be wrong as I never had one though. They work long hours and are lucky if they get to go home once a year to visit there kids in the Philippines. My friend had a maid, she specifically chose one who had kids in the Philippines because she thought they'd be better at looking after her own kids. That made me feel incredibly sad. When the family no longer needs a maid they do sometimes put a post out on expat Facebook groups saying how good she is, loyal, hardworking etc. So she gets a good family next time.

I'm pretty sure of the country I lived in for 2 years! Why would I get confused with Saudi? I've never lived in Saudi. What a ridiculous comment. I never said my husband had to accompany me day to day, I said to get simple things like the Internet installed and the contract signed he had to do it, even though it wasn't by direct debit or credit check affair. For me to visit a particular hospital that had European trained doctors my husband had to sign the paperwork for me and my son to be treated there, for enrollment/paperwork purposes on the first visit. I'm glad your friend hasn't had such frustrations, it doesn't mean that I didn't. Why do you doubt me? He did not have accompany me day to day. Why on earth do you think I meant that? For me frustrations like this just added to the fact it wasn't the place for me. Admittedly once it was done, it was done but the other aspects were still annoying. Tbh Muslim countries are not for me for many other reasons.

Do you believe that Qatar is a safe, welcoming place for all tourists?
Or would you advise some to avoid it?

I think any normal person would avoid avoid avoid the UAE as a whole

Totally agree. I wouldn't visit any Islamic countries.

Yep. I used that example because in the all the “panic” about Qatar and the treatment of Aussie tourists they neglect the UK has done the same - except to kids.

The negative comment about “people having servants there” was also baffling as if people don’t employ nannies, cleaners and gardeners in the UK.

What’s the difference?!

Are you confusing Qatar with Saudi Arabia?

I know a married woman living in Qatar with her husband and she has never mentioned any of this. Nor did any of the expats when I have visited for work.

Yep my friend lives in Qatar and has never mentioned any need for guardianship or her husband needing to accompany her everywhere. She would not be there were that the case.

They all did. They were forced. One woman said she felt like she’d been raped.

I agree with all you say, especially after the Marcus Fakana case.

There is another angle though. As a non-white person who was not born with a Western passport myself, it is very difficult and expensive to get a tourist visa to a white country. I work in a diverse organisation and the PoC do not have the energy to get visas for the UK or Europe, while producing bank statements, letters from employers, property documents etc. So our annual conferences are held in Dubai, Bangkok, KL and other countries that do not have ridiculous visa regimes. Also centrally located for Asians. I think the UAE makes a lot of money from conferences and meetings.

My own extended family from India find it difficult to visit me in the UK. Therefore we often meet in countries with less than great human rights records. Like Turkey. It's not ideal but often that is what passport privilege means.