Qatar: A bit of background
Almost 80% of Qataris are Muslims, with the majority being Sunni. Besides ethnic Arabs, the Qatari population is very cosmopolitan, as many immigrants from all over the world have flocked Qatar to work in the country’s oil industry. Arabic is the official language, although English is widely spoken in Qatar.
Expatriates form the majority of Qatar’s residents. Most come from South Asia and from non-oil-rich Arab states. Because a large percentage of the expats are male, Qatar’s gender ratio is 3.46 males to every 1 female.
Qatar has comparatively liberal laws – it is considered to be more liberal than Saudi Arabia, for instance, but more traditional than Bahrain. Civil law coexists with Sharia law, which is applied to aspects of family law, inheritance, and certain criminal acts. Women can legally drive in Qatar and Qatar’s National Human Rights Committee promotes equality and human rights.
Parallel Worlds: Qataris and Foreigners
Speaking to several of my male friends who are expats living in Qatar, predominantly in Doha, the first thing they expressed was how friendly the Qataris are, the second was how it is difficult to meet Qatari ladies to date, particularly if you are from beyond the GCC countries.
Qatari men typically wear thoubes over their clothes, while women wear abayas but neither hijabs nor veils are obligatory. My female Qatari friends are beautiful and elegant and they love their jewellery and makeup. Most won’t even step out of the house without their lipstick and their gold or silver ankle bracelets. Foreigners generally dress respectfully but usually follow Western fashions; some like to wear local dress, and some of my foreign friends claim this can attract strange looks (my Qatari friends on the other hand, say they don’t find it all offensive if a foreigner wears a thoube or abaya, although they do often affectionately note that foreigners don’t always put them on the right way round!)
Qataris love to hang out in the Souks, where mixed groups are tolerated (although this is often restricted to relatives or married couples). Women smoke shisha freely and socialize with their girlfriends. Public bars and nightclubs in Qatar only exist in expensive hotels and clubs, and alcohol permits are only provided to foreigners, as Islamic law does not permit its consumption. This is of course, not exclusive to Qatar.
Dating in public in Qatar
Dating and flirting in public are neither acceptable nor widespread. However, discreet dating is nothing new in Qatari culture and comes down to the choice of the individual, and their personal beliefs as it does in many other UAE countries. Mixed gender parties do take place behind some closed doors, and sow the seeds for friendship and sometimes romance.
In the olden days, love-struck Qatari ladies hired young boys as postmen, to deliver notes to their sweethearts. Nowadays this has been replaced by technologies such as cell phones, instant messaging and the Internet. Qatari communications services are reliable and widely used.
The technology of the heart
Qatar has a modern telecommunication system based in Doha. Internet Qatar uses SmartFilter to block websites they deem inappropriate to Qatari interests and morality. Because of this, Skype was blocked for a time, but following complaints from individuals that were listened to and upheld, itwas promptly unblocked, although Paltalk remains inaccessible for Qatari residents. In March 2009 Vodafone switched on their mobile network systems in Qatar.
Bluetooth has been a stepping stone in communications for young Qataris who wish to date and chat discretely without offending traditional community and family members or attracting unwanted attention. The Peninsula Online reports that in July 2009 Doha’s Virgin Megastore at Villaggio launched Bluetooth Marketing, to create wireless distribution of advertising content associated with a particular place. This was a direct response the constant evolution and use of technology in Qatar. The launch follows the immense popularity of all Bluetooth products among Qatar’s young and young at heart, since their launch on the Qatari Market 3 years ago.
