To never want to visit Qatar?

[RareLilacFinch]

The incessant full-page ads I’m getting on MN encouraging me to visit Qatar have got me thinking about why I’d never want to go there.

As a woman, there are obvious reasons - not wanting to be under the “guardianship” of my husband, and the forced gynaecological examinations of a plane full of Australian women being the tip of the iceberg - on top of the hideous human rights abuses of migrant workers, and the general suppression of free speech.

So AIBU - am I missing something?

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

I can also imagine why a woman might not want to go to a country where another female tourist was forcibly examined in the way the Australian tourist.

Can you ?

I would never go, largely because they have been willingly harbouring senior Hamas terrorists and putting them up in fancy accommodation. Meanwhile these Hamas commanders have been allowing poor women and girls to be raped in tunnels for over a year.

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 did suggest upthread that OP got an adblocker

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.

I have used Adblock plus for a couple or so years now, this is on Safari, I think different ones are recommended for different browsers.

Can those talking about islamaphobia call it out? How is anything mentioned so far relating to any religion?
I see it relating to men controlling women and a corrupt legal system.

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?

Yes I think my point makes perfect sense. I am not talking merely about “sexism issues” but the specific incident being referred to.

It's wider than one issue. I think you know what I mean.

I don’t care what the ad’s for, while mumsnet is allowing it to operate the way it is on my scroll I’ll be spending a lot more time on aita on Reddit.

@JHound I'm interested to know how long you lived in Qatar.

Maybe she is worried it could happen to her whilst in Qatar - and there would be little she could do about it.