Women in Qatar

[OMG12]

We’ve heard a lot about the abhorrent treatment of gay people in Qatar and the appalling treatment of migrant workers who have built the World Cups infrastructure but precious little about the treatment of women (is it because we don’t have our own pressure group?). But just read the report Human Rights Watch report from March 2021and horrified that the World Cup is being held there (for some reason won’t let me link it). Basically womens rights are entirely dependent on men.

AIBU to think the media need to report more on this, why celebrate our lionesses on one hand and with the other give a prestigious event to a country where women are treated like this? It’s

*seeps out of him

Its a backwards country, WTF were they thinking. Absolutely no morals.

I think change always has to come from within, but I think the rest of the world showing what they thought of the way women were treated would have at least given the women there some sense of support and encouragement that the way they are being treated is unacceptable to many. Each drip of solidarity like this will hopefully build a river Of discontent

The women are probably scared to protest especially if they are mothers.

I was at an all female wedding reception and it was interesting! The women were all free to remove their abayas and they were all dressed like a Kardashian. Long hair, short tight dresses, plunging necklines and and was almost like they were all trying to outsexy eachother. Then the father of the bride and the groom came in and all the abayas went back on. I actually don't have a problem with respecting certain aspects of another country's culture but the sheer contrast between totally being covered up and being overtly sexual in dress was a surprise. Has anyone else had this experience? I'm almost sure there were boob and butt implants all over the room!

I know there are Qatari women living abroad (UK and Europe) and it would be interesting to hear their perspectives. Any Qatari ladies on Mumsnet who want to anonymously share your experience? A longshot, but not impossible.

According to the report foreign nationals there on a visa also need a male guardian/visa sponsor and cannot leave the country without their guardian/sponsors permission.

The report says that none of the restrictions are written into Qatari law, but are nevertheless enforced at a lower level (I can't remember what they called it but an official agency).

Those saying they were ok there, their local friends/acquaintances were ok there: I'm sure many women are lucky and their male guardian isn't a bastard, but there are plenty of examples in the report of male guardians who are terrible and so it's just a matter of luck. If you're unlucky there's nothing you can do about it as a woman. There is an example in the report of a foreign national being controlled by her father due to Qatari rules. Ex-pats/foreign travellers are not exempt, whatever anyones personal experience is.

I'd also point out, that as a British woman living in Britain in an abusive relationship, I spent 10 years hiding what went on behind closed doors and during that time I expect many/most of my friends and family had no idea what was going on or how bad it was. My close family were shocked when I finally escaped and they learned what had gone on. So no matter how 'ok' things may appear on the surface for Qatari women people know or have met, while a society is structured to give men absolute power over women there is no possible way you could know how things really are for any woman there.

When I lived there, I couldn’t leave the country without an exit visa from my employer, who was a Qatari woman. Everything had to go past her.

Qatar should never have been accepted as hosting The World Cup.

Where shall the next one be I wonder? Afghanistan?

I like how we pick and choose which country to condemn. We love accepting money from them. Even our Royal Family will happily accept money from countries with questionable approaches to human rights.

We aren’t looking to cancel China or any of the other countries that have previously hosted the World Cup and whose regimes are not above board.

Even here in good ole England human rights are being eroded.

No wonder the world has closed its ear to Western hypocrisy.

Oh trust me, if I could cancel china I would, right away. I try and buy British whenever I can. I would never holiday in a place such as Dubai. I’m also quite happy calling out the US on womens rights.

i don’t think it’s hypocritical for the west (where, yes things aren’t perfect and I campaign to make things better here esp round womens rights) to be disgusted at a system which answers a woman reporting a rape with threats of prison and 100 lashes, where women need to get a man’s permission to do almost anything outside the home, where being gay cab get you stoned to death. What state sanctioned abuses do you think are of a similar scale in the UK?

Institutional racism. The police force that’s meant to protect all, actively discriminating against and abusing some.

Continued interference in developing countries and continued siphoning off their wealth.

Let’s not open up the floodgates on the UK or Western past or present abuses.

I don't understand how this is so big in the news when the situation is the same In Dubai but millions of Brits flock there for holidays?

I'm guessing you aren't a football fan, debenture holder. This isn't a family break

All those things may exist, but they aren’t created intentionally through the enactment of laws by the state. The state enacted laws to try and prevent such issues. It is accepted they shouldnt exist, people are trying to solve those issues. Whereas Qatar have actively created rules where being gay can get you stoned, being raped can get you flogged. I really really hope you can tell the difference.

Regarding the past, it’s irrelevant. If it no longer happens it means that the practice, whatever it is has been addressed and no longer occurs, things have moved on like Qatar should do. It has been part of many Empires, Mesopotamian, Persian, ottoman, Portuguese and British that’s the way the world functions, rise and fall of empires, sometimes they have been part of the empire builders.

Do you really know you history and some of the still incredibly discriminatory laws that are still alive and well here and other Western countries?

Please!!!

The ignorance and arrogance are the things that allow people like you to jump on some non-existent moral high ground.

Many countries out their understand our history and present day state sanctioned, Crown sanctioned abuses better than us.

That’s why I happily support a more balanced and fuller approach to teaching history and current events at school.

I completely agree with you - this should have meant the whole thing was reconsidered.

Sadly YANBU Op. We're bottom of the pile every time.

And for a recent example that was not too long ago in the news is the Windrush Scandal.

Yes. My bf is Qatari. 99% of the women in her family who were abayas in summer wore wearing mini skirts or dresses / hot pants / skinny jeans and crop tops underneath them and a face full of make up. Lol her aunt used to wear mini dresses and full face make up, acrylic nails, and high heels right up until she died at 75. Islamic concepts of ‘modesty’ only apply to strangers.

They used to get criticism from it from South Asian Muslim families, many of whom didn’t understand that hijab / modesty doesn’t apply to family.

I believe this. All the high Street shops stocked exactly the same clothes as in Western countries and the Qatari women and girls seemed to spend a lot of time shopping so I assumed it wasn't just expats buying the stuff. I frequently saw Qatari women walking around with La Senza bags so they seemed to like their lingerie too.

Sorry, I hope it doesn't seem like I'm talking about Qatari women as some kind of other species. I really did find them very enigmatic and interesting, and often very elegant and mysterious.

Come on then, please point me in the direction of a uk law equivalent to stoning someone to death for being gay. Or a practice equivalent to flogging a rape victim.

your post does not answer any of my points beyond some weird foot-stamping and cliched “oh the British Empire was so evil” whilst simultaneously ignoring every other empire.

Do you have anything intelligent and relevant to add or is it just going to be petulant post after post?,

'Qatar’s laws require women to have male guardian permission to marry, regardless of age or former marital status. Men can marry up to four women at any one time, without needing permission from a guardian or even from their current wife or wives.'

😳 😣

Oh you’re choosing which human rights abuses is most abhorrent? If it’s Windrush and the denial of rights and wrongful deportation and destitution that’s not too bad. So the West gets to choose what is a human rights abuse. Stoning bad. Denying certain groups of basic human rights okay.

Windrush isn’t about Empire. Worth you actually reading up and becoming more aware of the human rights abuses right under your nose.