Ahmed Shokeir, at Late Night Stories, wrote about the absence of such kind of competitions in the Arab world and his first impressions on Arabisk:

Mohammad El Sahli, who is also known as Mohammad Said Hjouij, wrote more details about the competition rules and selection criteria:

But this competition was subject to a huge debate. And bloggers from all over the Arab world had their own comments on its rules and selections.

Aljded believes that some of the selected blogs are in fact non compliant with the competitions second rule.

And Egyptian Wael Abbas wrote:

Egyptian Nora Younis on the other hand made fun of the competition's voting system design, especially that the blog design, has got a big weight in the competition evaluation criteria:

And so did Ahmed Shokeir, who also doesn't like the competition rating criteria and the inclusion of blogs design in the evaluation:

Shokeir also wrote…

The voting system, which is the second stage of evaluation after the top 10 blogs are selected by the competition judges, was subject to a huge debate. Arabisk voting system, which is similar to that of sites like digg and reddit, gives the users the ability to give either positive or negative votes to the blogs.

But it came out later on, that some users abused the system by giving negative votes to the competing blogs.

And it was obvious that the negative voting was a huge mistake.

And competition organizers have realized that, and decided to remove and reset the negative votes.

The Egyptian bloggers were all upset from the competition nominations because almost all of the nominated blogs were non-Egyptians, while the Egyptians form about one third of the Arabic blogosphere.

Shokeir also wrote on his blog:

Also Wael Abbas, was really upset and attacked the competition.

This comment made Abo Shams reply in order to defend Arabisk saying:

Also Mohammad El Sahli, the competition organizer, wrote a seperate post on his own blog in order to defend himself and his competition:

And finally, some other blogger, like Al-Fagih, just didn't accept the fact that their blogs weren't selected, simply because they are pretty sure that their blogs are the best.

The winners will be announced on October 1.

According to the study's findings, which were reported by local newspaper Gulf Times, average productivity per hour in the country declined from 4.8 per cent between 1990 and 2000 to 1.8pc between 2000 and 2007.

“This is very low compared to what has been achieved by China (10.1pc), Bahrain (5.13pc), India (4.1pc) and Oman (4.18pc) in 2007,” the study stated, citing a recent report from the Conference Board, an independent international business and research organization.

According to the story published in the Gulf Times, the study “held the large numbers of the low-skilled expatriate workforce responsible for the low output per hour experienced by the country.”

The study reports:

What is alarming is that over half of the expatriate workforce (55.9pc) are either uneducated or below secondary education level.

Low participation by nationals in the private sector “means 99.40pc of the private sector jobs are manned by expatriate workforce.”

One can hardly find another country in the world where foreigners fully control the private sector as is the case in Qatar. This situation should be seriously considered when it comes to developing the labour market policy.

The report prompted a torrent of scornful comments on Twitter and the forum Qatar Living, where the general sentiment seemed to be that companies here get what the pay for.

On Twitter, @adnandawood said:

This is so ridiculous its hillarious

On Qatar Living, commentator Don Robert said:

Human trafficking and expat exploitation is the reason for the slowing down of progress here in Qatar.

MagicDragon noted:

You are not the owner of the company. You have no rights. Why should you be more productive? Pay me 3 times my salary and I'll be 3 times more productive. That's the equation.

And Bthomas said:

I know a lot of people who are getting paid peanuts considering their education & work experience. Qatar needs to stop gambling with employees about their salaries and need to set a standard across various industry sectors. Without any motivation or comfort, employees will not remain loyal to their organization or their work.

In response to the study's recommendation to “decrease the reliance on the expatriate workforce especially those who are unskilled,”

@VEE6 asked,

There's an alternative?

On Qatar Living, commentator Alumnar added:

It would be nice to see how Qatar would do with local people only doing all the jobs for a year. Can a country go bankrupt? If not the case, it can sure be CHAOS!

He suggested instead:

Review everything - Pay skilled workforce decent salaries. Invest in training programs. Don't overwork and underpay them. Use incentives and show them appreciation. Give them proper accommodation and allowances so they can eat enough to be able to work properly…

The conversation regarding workers' rights in the Gulf was continued yesterday in a Huffington Post piece by architect Cameron Sinclair, who calls laborers “boom and bust refugees.”

In Dying To Work: Human Trafficking and the Construction Industry, Sinclair writes:

It is easy to point the finger at local officials and higher authorities, but let us not forget that it is the private sector that is equally, if not more, accountable…

Forget our environmental footprint, what is our ethical footprint? What good is building a zero energy, carbon neutral complex if unethical labor practices are jeopardizing the lives of those who build this architectural wonder?

CosmicChaos comments:

The point is that all laborers no matter their origins or where they are working deserve fair wages, safe housing, and a safe work place. Anything less is criminal.

I find it horrible that I have no clue if the people I hire to do a construction job are fairly paying their workers and making sure that they have the proper equipment to prevent injuries. I doubt any of them have health coverage if they are injured.

Somehow we need workers around the world to be able to say, “Enough!” However, this is difficult to impossible when you and your family is starving.

To see more comments on Huffington Post, click here.

For more on the discussion at Qatar Living, click here.

Ramadan in Souq Wagif, a view of the Islamic cultural center

Daytime in Doha, Qatar has become much quieter this week, as residents in this Muslim country acclimate to Ramadan, which began last Saturday.

As it is the holiest month for Muslims, Ramadan should be a time for reflection, writes Qatari K Saleh:

You’re supposed to be kind, gentle, pure, and appreciate the fact that you are lucky in life to have food and to think more about those who have less in life in order to be giving.

But in reality, Ramadan takes on a different significance for most in Doha, as it is commonly associated with (government-mandated) shorter workdays, sumptuous feasts and socializing late into the night.

Mohana of A Day in Doha explains a common criticism.

Many speak critically of the lavishness of the modern day meals post the breaking of fast iftar, or footor, as it's know in the Gulf. After the dates and laban to ease the empty palate, there is a spread of food that seems far from the poverty and poor that Ramadan calls people to reflect upon.

She also shares the non-Muslim perspective. For some, she writes, Ramadan is about a lack.

All the restaurants, eateries, and entertainment outlets such as movies and bowling alleys are closed in solidarity with the community. No alcohol is served in the country, even at the hotels which normally function as evening waterholes.

Even eating or drinking in public is prohibited, with offenders facing a hefty fine and possible jail time.

That rule has been especially hard to follow this month, as Doha experiences record-breaking heat and humidity.

On the forum Qatar Living, commentators debated the merit of the restrictions.

Tallg writes:

It is a very weak person who can't resist the temptation to eat just because they see someone else doing it. Muslims in the UK have to fast for much longer hours than here (during the summer) and see people eating all around them… to force us not to eat against our will is inhumane.

Commentator Mandilular adds:

I do love Ramadan but I prefer to be in the US for the holy month. There's just something incongruous about a spiritual time of prayer and family and fasting that threatens non-observers with three months in prison.

Fluffy123 counters:

I'm from the states I would rather [be] here than there for Ramadan. Yes people eating in front of you shouldn't stop your fast. But it will make your fast a lot easier if people weren't chowing down on some food right in front of you. And secondly for people who are not fasting it's not that big of deal to not be able to eat in public. No one is telling you not to eating during the day they are just saying don't eat in public.

More on the discussion can be found at Qatar Living.

Though adjusting to the month can be hard at times, many non-Muslims have found the experience to be instructive.

Meredith at Hack the Bone says she will use Ramadan as a month to detox and catch up on blogging. She writes:

My Muslim colleagues told me to enjoy Ramadan as a “vacation” but I’m trying to fast while in the office, out of respect for those around me. It’s tough (it’s been one day, I suck) but weirdly satisfying. I didn’t know what to expect for my first Ramadan, but the city feels peaceful.

Mohana at A Day in Doha shares how her perspective on the month evolved, from seeing it as an inconvenience to taking it as an opportunity.

She says she will take advantage of the shorter workday by spending her extra free time

“catching up with friends who are otherwise too busy in the course of the year to stop and chat, or writing, exercising, or any number of things I put off because I'm too busy.”

Some expats are also spending Ramadan trying to learn more about the Muslim faith.

Intlexpatr, who has written a Ramadan Guide at Here There and Everywhere, says:

Most Westerners don’t understand Ramadan…the season is as holy to them as our Lent and Easter are to us. Ramadan was the month when The Qur’an was transmitted to Mohammed by the angel Gabriel.

During church services in Doha, she adds:

Our priest asked the congregation if any of us had literature explaining why the Muslim God was not the same as the Christian God. We all looked at him in shock. Not one person raised his or her hands. Then he smiled, a great big broad grin and said “Good! There is only one God, and our Moslem brothers and sisters worship the same one-God we do.”

Last week, the Google Arabia blog announced the addition and the reasons behind it:

Today we're adding an additional domain to our list, google.ps. The new domain will give Arabic-speaking users in the Palestinian Territories, who use Palestinian ISPs, access to Google in Arabic–and eventually, access to more locally-relevant content. With the launch of google.ps, we bring the total number of Google domains worldwide to more than 160.

In a statement to ArabCrunch, Google also explained how the change will affect AdWords:

With AdWords, you can target your ads to countries or territories, or to specific regions and cities. The Adwords system uses several factors to determine whether to show your ad including the Google domain being used (.fr, .de, .kr, etc.), the actual search term the user submits and when possible, we determine the user's general physical location based upon their computer's Internet Protocol (IP) address.” The AdWords system uses several factors to determine whether to show your ad including the Google domain being used (. Com,. De,. Kr, etc..), The actual search term the user submits and when possible, we determine the user's general physical location based upon their computer's Internet Protocol (IP) address.

Window into Palestine explains that Palestinians in East Jerusalem will not have automatic access to google.ps (note: Anyone can access google.ps by typing the URL in directly):

Aside from East Jerusalem, which falls under de facto Israeli authority, Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza have generally relied on www.google.jo, Jordan's domain, and Egypt's www.google.com.eg, respectively.

Twitter user migueldeicaza expressed excitement for the latest addition to the Google family:

daiski, another Twitter user based in Qatar, thanked Google for the initiative:

Google.ps is available in both English and Arabic.

“The centre has been suffocated. We no longer have either the freedom or the resources to do our work,” said Ménard, the centre's director-general and founder of Reporters Without Borders. He and three others - the centre's heads of assistance, research and communications - announced their resignations on Tuesday.

Though the nascent organisation, which opened in October 2008, will continue to operate, some Doha bloggers expressed skepticism about its capabilities. Qatari K Saleh writes:

The Doha Media Freedom Centre will continue to exist. However it'll just be a shell. A heart without a soul. A head without a mind. What a pity.

On the Qatar Living forum, reactions to Menard's exit ranged from shock and dismay to satisfaction and hope.

Commentator britexpat says:

Good move. Ménard was causing friction and perhaps didn't understand the culture. I hope the centre survives and a new team is brought in to continue the work.

In his press release, Ménard highlights Qatar's failure to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The agreement includes, among other things, a clause affirming a person's right to freedom of expression, “regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice.”

fubar says:

Raise your hands if you're surprised. Anyone?? Without Ménard here, the Advisory Council may feel free to go to town with their new media censorship laws. It always seemed a bit preachy that a country that hasn't ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights is (was??) hosting an organisation like DCMF. Very embarrassing for Sheikh Hamad [bin Khalifa al-Thani, [Qatar's emir], at any rate.

TV network Al Jazeera, which is based in Qatar and has been criticised for not covering the nation's affairs as unflinchingly as it does the rest of the world's, also factored into the forum's discussion.

Kwan writes:

Such independent agencies are too early to take root in the region which is yet to turn fully democratic. Some may say Al Jazeera is here. But how much of Al Jazeera time is given to ‘Qatar' compared to the kind of discussions they have on world political and social issues?

Some commentators brought attention back to the centre's purpose, which is to provide physical refuge for threatened journalists, as well as to support freedom of the press by other activities.

Arabian73 says:

As a Qatari, I wish our leaders keep the centre running and get modern law secures press, and speech freedom. Things take time, but our hopes are still so high. It's not too hard to have someone understands Middle East, and Gulf culture, and keep pushing things slowly to free the press in Qatar.

For more on the discussion, visit Qatar Living.

The video zooms in on the lives of construction workers, whose livelihood was impacted by the economic crisis, some of whom haven't be paid for up to four months.

Salam kicks off the discussion on the above video saying:

Ugly reality, cannot accept it, but have to put it up with it, until the issue is addressed from the roots.
No excuse for injustice and cruelty. I wish I didn't watch the video.

Fishermanalex adds:

this is the dark side of the story
no fancy cars,no high class clothes no malls no hotel just hard work and no money

Salam retorts:

Even though this issue has been raised, by the media, several hundred times, but this is maybe the only pressing exposure, that will force this kind of aching slavery to an end. I hope I live to see it buried soon, once and for all!
Mind you, the world is suffering from enslaving in other shapes and forms.

Hagar thinks this problem is region-wide:

This goes on all over the Gulf. The workers at the bottom of the food chain have little recourse. To not pay them is, of course, illegal, but the State will not act against the companies in a timely manner. There is little the workers can do, even if they never get paid. People go to prison here all the time for not paying their debts. When do we ever here of a company owner or official going to prison for not paying their workers (although the crime here is greater).

And tallg notes his surprise that the Qatar-based Al Jazeera is tackling this issue:

The plight of workers not being paid is something we're all to aware of and not at all surprising any more. What is surprising is that Al Jazeera are reporting it.

Meanwhile, Cynbob is under the assumption that Al Jazeera's report will help solve those workers problems:

Bravo Al Jazeera—perhaps now, because of Al Jazeera's credibility here in this region, these laborers can get paid.
These companies need to stop “passing the buck” so that these people can receive their hard earned money.
Do the right thing. This is beyond pitiful. It is criminal.

Farafreeexpat adds:

I cannot believe for the life of me, that people who work round the clock in very harsh and unbearable weather conditions are not paid their meagre wages and still be be treated like this?! As less humans?! This is the height of INJUSTICE and what makes matters worse is the fact that the Labourers cannot collectively voice out their grievance, no voice, no union!!!!
Is there a reason why they should be treated this way? Aren't they human beings like every other man driving fast cars and spending thousands of Riyals in one night?
The earlier the media exposes this INJUSTICE, the better the whole world knows that there is a modernized version of slavery….. —-! World's richest country!

For more reactions, click here.

Katya Adler's report, in which she describes Qatar as “a veiled society, physically and socially” was received with mixed feelings on the country's blogs and forums. The Qatar Visitor blog says:

[Adler] fails to get under the skin of the country. In many respects she has the same experience as many expatriates here - the people she meets, apart from in an official capacity, are not Qatari. Yet Qataris, when you meet them, are generally friendly people when approached, and while Qatar has its faults hospitality to guests is not one of them.

Marjorie in Qatar also finds fault with some facts presented in the article, as do some commenters on the popular Qatar Living forum, such as Qatari diamond:

The article is a bit pathetic and parts of it untrue. She didn't try very hard to meet locals. […] There are many Qataris who live completely in Qatari circles having only the most minimal interaction with expatriates. I guess they like it like that. On the other hand, there are Qataris who interact at all levels with expatriates. We're a mixed bunch ;) […] Sorry, but on her ONE visit to Qatar she expected a lot with minimal input from herself. Pffft. Are we supposed to be rushing up to expatriates, grabbing them by the hand and saying ‘come meet the natives, see the natives at play?', whilst sprinkling them with rosewater and offering a cup of kahwa [coffee]. Give me a break.

PaulCowan says:

I'm really a bit confused about what that BBC woman was trying to achieve. Would anyone find out anything more if they jetted into London on a mission to find out what makes society tick? Isn't the concept really a little bit absurd?

The BBC Panorama programme, Slumdogs and Millionaires, focused on the living and working conditions of South Asian migrant workers in Dubai's construction sector. On the UAE Community Blog, John B. Chilton says:

Yes, there are abuses and the downturn in the economy has played a role. But on the whole these workers are here because it's better than the alternative of being home. Why else are they upset when there is talk of limiting the amount of time an expat can work in the country? And when considering how poorly they live consider that most are sending home a large portion of what they earn.

An anonymous commenter responds:

Or they have been DUPED into thinking it would be better than home and into paying a fortune in illegal fees to come here and now cannot afford to leave?

And Bob, NY asks John B. Chilton:

Since you find their working conditions quite acceptable, I'm sure you would have no problem if your son or daughter worked and lived like these workers do, true? Or is it fine only for South Asians to work under these conditions, and not caucasians? You write like the colonialist you are.

The Life in Dubai blog reports that the Panorama programme caused official ripples:

According to Gulf News, the Ministry of Labour will investigate the claims made in the programme that expat workers are made to live and work in completely unacceptable conditions. […] As the Minister points out, the rights of workers is covered by legislation. The problem is that companies ignore rules and laws - not ony in Dubai but just about everywhere - and they need enforcing. It's no secret in Dubai that some labour camps are way below the standards they should be, even the local press has run stories about it. The media can find violations but somehow the inspection teams miss them.

The media report which generated the most controversy was Johann Hari's hard-hitting article in The Independent entitled The dark side of Dubai, in which Hari described Dubai as “a living metal metaphor for the neo-liberal globalised world that may be crashing – at last – into history”. Hari interviews both expatriates and citizens, and paints an extremely bleak portrait of the emirate.

At the UAE Community Blog, samuraisam gives examples of how many times “dark side” has been used in headlines about Dubai over the years. Life in Dubai calls Hari's article “the most vitriolic piece on Dubai so far”, and says:

[Johann Hari] reports on a group of Brits - but has obviously been at pains to scrape the bottom of the barrel. […] He doesn't bother to point out that the excesses of a few are outweighed by tens of thousands of extremely hard working expats, from Britain as well as the rest of the world. Tens of thousands who are working and saving, putting their children through school, who know how to behave.

Among the commenters on the post, The Sandman says:

It's getting a bit ridiculous all this Dubai-bashing. It seems like every British paper is sending out a journalist for a three day trip, getting the worst stories they can find, and putting them in an article. People forget that Dubai was a normal town before the boom of the late 90s. It's not like the town has ‘fallen from the sky' or whatever the article said.

Chris Saul argues that Hari makes a lot of factual errors, and says:

Journalists seem to fall to pieces when it comes to Dubai. Context and balance tend to be thrown to one side and the results tend to be fawning pieces that describe Dubai as the most wondrous place on earth, or sneering hate-pieces filled with stereotypes and dubious quotations. There seems to be little in between.

In Qatar, Hari's article was read with interest; on the Qatar Living forum tallg comments:

Qatar obviously shares many of the same issues, and they are treated in much the same way - look the other way, brush it under the carpet, everything is fine.

FranElizabeth wonders if those living in Qatar are as complicit in exploiting workers as Hari indicates that Dubai residents are:

This has really opened my eyes. Every time I drive on the Dukhan-Doha road I see masses of these workers out in the burning sun - I have always tried to put my mind at rest by thinking that it is their choice to be here.. it's probably only short term… the money they make is probably a fortune to what they would earn at home…I'm just as blinkered! We have made a choice to come here for the money and is just a lottery that we were born Western - but I have 2 young kids to support and that was nearly impossible at home. Is it as corrupt here, do you think???

Gypsy comments:

Articles like this make me feel dirty. […] Whether we agree with it or no, or sound like the @#$&s in that article or no, we do support what happens here. I do think he should cut us a little slack in that, as expatriates we don't have much power to enforce change, however that doesn't make our hands entirely clean, we are still enjoying the slave society.

Johann Hari's article was re-posted and linked to on blogs around the world, and further debate can be read at the Freakonomics blog, Joi Ito's blog, and Boing Boing.