Cartoon published in Gulf Times Nov. 22 2009

Is it satire, or just bad taste?

A cartoon of a crazed, angry-looking woman threatening a child with a dripping bowl of tainted gruel has left many Doha bloggers scratching their heads and looking for answers.

The sketch, titled ‘Housemaid's revenge,' was published in Sunday's Gulf Times, a local English newspaper.

The cartoon depicts a maid - presumably Indian, judging by the red bindi on her forehead and gold hoop earrings - threatening a toddler after being scolded by her employer.

The text reads:

Your mum shouted at me today just because I broke a plate. And I am going to strike back. Count on me you brat, you won't sleep at home tonight! You will stay at Al Sadd Children's Emergency. Open your mouth now. This dish I have made will make you so sick that it will make you dizzy for hours.

Many Doha bloggers strongly condemned the cartoon, but were undecided about the artist's intentions.

On Twitter, Weirdweb said:

No, really, Gulf Times, let it all out. Tell us how you REALLY feel about Indian maids. #racism #paranoia

On the forum Qatar Living,

Commenter Olive said:

There's so much wrong about this cartoon I'm not sure what the editor was thinking when he allowed it to be printed.

Some wondered if the message behind the cartoon was lost in translation.

On Twitter, tomgara said

What is worse in this Gulf Times (Qatar) cartoon - hectic racism or awful 6th-grade writing? The answer is both.

On Qatar Living, the debate turned to treatment of maids by their employers, who sponsor their stay in the country.

genesis said:

Mohammed cartoons are never meant to be funny. Most of his work is dark altough sarcastic. I think it's badly translated, the intention is how cruel some sponsors treat their maids

rMs_000 responded diplomatically:

It describes about the cruelty of some sponsors.. and devilish reaction of house maids. Editor doesn't show any partiality to both of them i say. So its neutral..

britexpat said

The message is quite simple..Abuse the maid and you risk her abusing the child

Satire or not, most found the cartoon to be in poor taste.

On Twitter, rachelannmorris said:

Not funny in any way shape or form

On Qatar Living,

Commenter Amoud said:

I don't like this at all…..Even the bad translation doesn't cover what bad taste this is in.

And Adham Essam chimed in:

Oh my God! I CANNOT believe that was printed. How on earth could they allow something like that??? Which ever angle they were going for, it is completely wrong of them to present the issue like this. For the maid. For the child. For the parents. Disgusting…

For more on the discussion, visit Qatar Living.

“Our system is based on equality and justice,” Attorney General Ali bin Futais Al Marri said in a recent program aired on Al Jazeera and reported by local newspaper the Peninsula.

Bemused, incredulous and wistful, Doha bloggers have been debating the merits of Al Marri's remarks all week.

On Twitter, IvanGiesbrecht said:

hahahahahahahahhahaha!!!!!!!!

According to the Peninsula:

The Emir has never interfered with the judiciary. The Constitution gives him the authority to grant pardon to a convict only after the court has issued its sentence. So during a trial he has never ever tried to interfere, said Al Marri, adding that it was at the Emir’s directives that his office as well as the judiciary have been separated from the executive. Such is the level of fair play and equality in Qatar that once a senior police official was accused of slapping an Asian. The allegations were investigated and after the charges were proved, trial was conducted and the policeman was sentenced to six months in jail and stripped off his job.

On the forum Qatar Living,

Nic said

We, who work here, all, know the level of integrity this countries displays and this reputation is becoming well known in the west among those who have never been here. Qatar is starting to be known by its hunger for fame and good reputation and instead of improving things, they just hide the problems under the carpet! Look how the article puts it: “In other Arab countries, the political will to combat corruption is missing.” What makes these guys think that they are any better from other Arab countries?!?!?!

genesis was more optimistic:

But we are learning. Why do you think they opened all those universities at EC and encourge critcal thinking among locals? They know that once those who graduated from those universities will demand change. Why all those institutes are established? Why sign all those International agreements? The Emir yesterday have given full support and power to the public attorney office & Audit bureau on tracking down corruption cases. We are a “new” country in the world stage. 15 years ago, there wasn’t even a system. Just a copycat from other bureaucratic Arab systems.

On Twitter, peterlada pointed out someone in Qatar is indeed above the law:

Actually the Emir is. By definition.

Though press freedom is guaranteed to a certain extent in Qatar's constitution, the Advisory Council in June recommended harsh punishments for Qatar-based journalists who write against the Emir, national security, religion and the Constitution.

But the State Cabinet last week called for a new press and publications law to “keep pace with the demands of the changing times,” stressing the importance of opening up communication between journalists and government officials.

Yesterday, during a forum for media experts held by the Doha Centre for Media Freedom (which has had its share of controversy over press freedom), journalists called for a revamping of the “outdated” law.

Local newspaper Gulf Times reported:

Nasser al-Othman, a former chief editor of Arrayah Arabic daily and a trustee member at the DCMF, called for abolishing the imprisonment clause in the current press law and replacing it with monetary penalties. “I believe that suggestions made at today’s meeting could be useful if taken seriously by lawmakers,” said al-Othman, who was named as the dean of Qatari journalists.

Other journalists wondered at the point of the roundtable, as no government official attended the session.

From the Gulf Times:

Abdullah bin Hamad al-Azaba, a columnist at Al Arab, criticised the absence of a government representative at the meeting, saying that such an absence had turned the discussion into a “dialogue of the deaf”. “I was saddened that HE Sheikh Hamad bin Thamir (the Al Jazeera TV network chairman) was absent while HE Sheikh Jabor bin Yousuf (chief of the official Qatar News Agency) left before the end of our discussion,” he lamented. DCMF deputy director general Mariam al-Khater, who moderated the discussion, said the DCMF is supporting the issuing of a “modern press law” that considers the changes in all fields in Qatar. Al-Khater pledged that the Center would continue its efforts until a new law press law, free from any imprisonment penalties against journalists, is issued.

For now, however, press freedom in Qatar - Al Jazeera notwithstanding - is still a goal to strive towards.

On Qatar Living, Xena, who works in print media, said:

I got here at the start of the paper, everyone was gungho about being in a new country with new possibilities. The atmosphere was electric…Then come the blows - you cannot print anything vaguely opposite to government stances, you can only print press releases, and you are not allowed to change them, bad english or not… Trying to get interviews with people is like trying to reach the US president - impossible - phone call after phone call, lists of questions, approval of questions, wanting to see the story before it goes to print and then frequently changing or retracting statements.

On Here, There and Everywhere, intlexpatr reprinted one man's comments on the typical newspaper formula in Qatar, saying “I almost split my sides, I was laughing so hard.”

Truthful Stranger writes:

Hence you always get the presence of evil (there’s always an Asian gang being deported for doing something dreadful like burglary or selling liquor) page 1, bottom of the page, that covers the Evil In Our Midst; then the sycophantic article about HH who has just made some pithy pronouncement on The Necessity For Mutual Understanding And Education Across The World, page 2; some phony figures about how much more the Pearl property or other investments have increased pages 3 – 5; some baloney about how safe the country is for investment, page 6; then the gushing op-ed about how the best societies in the world are so great because they have been enforcing Islamic values, pages 6 – 8; Qatar Airways wins award for best in-flight hot towels, page 9, and a new order for 500 Airbus aircraft (thanks to the strategic profitability of the airline! ha!) . And not to forget, Gulf Escapes Economic Downturn for the fourth week in a row, page 10 ad infinitum.

Barechestedness and public drinking are not things you'll see at the friendly in Doha this weekend (Photo by Charles Fred).

The game has drummed up a great deal of excitement and apprehension here, as residents wonder how conservative Qatar will handle the inevitable influx of rowdy football fans this weekend.

On the forum Qatar Living, family man HDY solicits advice on whether to buy tickets to the match:

Do you think that such matches are suitable for families? Shall I expect harassments? Overall, it is a matter of culture, and I hope that I will not regret this experience.

Secret1 tried to reassure him, but caused a stir with his comments:

I really think theres no problem here for families…. Its Qatar man not Europe…. Even though its gonna b a lot of Brits, here theyll have to behave….

Though the exact number of people flying in for the match is unknown, the England Supporters Club reported that 10,000 tickets were sold to British football fans within 48 hours of the box office opening.

Khalifa International Stadium, the main venue for the Doha 2006 Asian Games and where Saturday's match will be held, holds 50,000 people.

Qatar Visitor comments:

Qatar, though far more liberal and tolerant that neighbouring Saudi, practises the strictest form of Islam, Wahabbism. Many women still cover their faces from public view with black veils or masks, while Muslims who get drunk can be lashed and deported. Meanwhile, “bad smelling” and “badly dressed” Asian labourers are barred from places where they could spoil the view of families relaxing on the weekend. England football fans, on the other hand, are famous in Qatar for their drinking and fighting.

The match, added QV, will be a test for Qatar, which is bidding for the World Cup in 2022.

The Qatari police have little patience for yobbish behaviour in this well ordered country. But Qatar will also have a lot riding on this match. The country also has its eyes on a future world cup, and there is little doubt that relevant bodies will have their eyes on Qatar when it holds this friendly. How it handles belligerent fans could well have an effect on its success at holding larger sporting events in the future.

Some residents drew on past experiences to reassure others that the football match will be a family-friendly event.

On Qatar Living, commenter Muhammadshaikh said:

I have seen many Football matches in Qatar. I am 99.99% sure that there will be no problem. I have gone with my friends and my own kids. For me Qatar is among the few safest place on earth with/without family…Here there are more moral, social, ethical, and cultural values then anywhere in the world.

Indeed, such values are why British football fans should take care not to offend, warns one organization.

The Footballer Supporters' Federation said:

The consequences of falling foul of the authorities in Qatar can be pretty drastic.

It added that public drunkenness, going bare-chested, rude gestures and overt PDAs could also lead to court
in the Gulf state.

In a separate thread on Qatar Living, forum members debated the best way to handle any potential bad behavior.

ES said:

It's going to be really interesting to see how the hooligan brits are going to be dealt with. As has been said, treat them too harshly and bye bye world cup, or else treat them with kid gloves and piss off the entire muslim community. Watch this space.

Jervis was more optimistic after being impressed by Qatar's hands-off approach to the Doha Tribeca Film Festival (DTFF).

The DTFF surprised me. I expected a lot more censors. If they could relax the rules for the Film Festival, surely they would be more considerate towards a sport that the locals enjoy and follow. Given that they are bidding for the 2022, this would be a prelude. The press relase may be just a show to deter things getting out of hand.

idealman summed it up:

Undoubtedly most of the England fans coming over will respect Qatars laws, if they dont, then they will obviously pay the price. Thankfully most of todays England supporters are undoubtedly the best fans in the world, and not one country has a larger away following. But there are still some young muppets about that dont know respect. lets hope these plastic hard boys stay at home. I have no time for pissed up wannabes who can only fight in packs and terrorise the innocent. it will also be nice to watch the lads put a few past Brazil.

On another note, many Qatar bloggers expressed disappointment that English footballer David Beckham won't be playing in Saturday's match as his American Major League Soccer team Los Angeles Galaxy progresses to the MLS Western Conference final on Friday.

On Twitter, v3nomous, who flew to Doha for the match, said:

Damn.. Beckham is not playing this Saturday.. :( bummer..

IvanGiesbrecht was more concerned about Mrs. Beckham:

What about Posh? Any chance she'll still be able to make it?

And Sybil at Sybil & Kristi's Qatari Adventures said:

Not to worry, I plan on it being a lot of fun, nonetheless. It will be my first big league soccer game to attend and his absence will not deter me.

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.