Glimpses from Qatar – The other side
Picture One:
Reem is a Qatari engineer with Bsc in computer science and network engineering. She has been working in one of the semi-government organizations for two years. She and her Qatari colleagues convinced her boss that she can establish a network department with minimum costs instead of hiring a foreign company to do it. The project was a great success. The funny thing is that they did not even receive a thank you letter for what they did. Two years have passed and she was not promoted. When she asked for the promotion she was promised the management asked her to write a justification letter. The funny thing is that her expat colleague who happens to have only a diploma was promoted twice! Another funny thing is that there is no personal career plan as was claimed but the Qatarization department. So she ends up going to courses on her own expense in a lost attempt to develop herself.
Picture Two:
Hiba is a Lebanese but was born and raised in Doha. She was working in one of the banks in Qatar till 2007 when she was made redundant because of Qatarization. The funny thing is that the people who took her place were high school graduates while she not only a university graduate but also has several years of experience. After waiting for 2 years, she found another job in a Bank. But because she is an Arab expat she is being paid less than half of what others are getting in her rank.
Picture Three:
Jassim has studied and worked abroad for several years, he has a Bsc form the US, MBA from France and may other diplomas form different parts of the world. One might assume that it would be very easy for him to find a job especially that he is a Qatari who speaks 5 languages. The funny thing is that wherever he applies he gets rejected because there are no job vacancies. When he argues and says ‘But I can see on your website that you have 140 vacancies and 40% of them is in my field of work’, they reply ‘You are too qualified for us’.
Picture Four:
Khaled is a branch manager for one of the banks. The only thing he does is sip tea and watch movies on his ipad. He stays in the branch for few hours and then leaves to meet up with his friends and manage his private business. The funny thing is that he is a high school graduate and does not even speak English. Another funny thing is that Abdulaziz who is a Qatari working in the same branch and who happens to have MA and speaks three languages was not promoted and does not enjoy the big salary khaled does because he does not have WASTA! What is even funnier is that Khaled and Abdulaziz started working at the same time. If you want to laugh even more maybe you should know that Abdulaziz writes for Khaled his emails and communicate with the management on his behalf because Khaled is simply never working + he doesn’t even know how to type on the computer.
Picture Five:
When a young Qatari footballer asked for more money he was accused of disloyalty for his country. The funny thing is that the loyalty of the old and expired African and Brazilian players with a fake Qatari nationality who are being paid millions is not in question. What is even funnier is that a Belgium orthopaedics who is being paid not less than 30,000 QR per day was brought especially for the wellbeing of those expired footballers while most Qataris working in public sector do not even have health insurance.
Picture Six:
May is an Egyptian pharmacist who was born and raised in Doha. To be given a license to work she has to finish three years of training. Because she is not Qatari she is not being paid for her work for three years. So after finishing her training in the morning she works as an assistant in a private pharmacy where she is paid 1000 QR per month! I wonder how she manages especially that she has to pay for rent and food.
Picture Seven:
Jonathan is a researcher who offered a petroleum company in Qatar to do a feasibility research about new machinery for 1 million QR. After he submitted the research the company discovered that they already had the research and it was stolen from their archive. The funny thing is that the study was made by a Qatari who did not receive any amount of money for the study!
Picture Eight:
Arjon has been working as a builder for more than 15 years. He was not compensated for the several on-the-job injuries he suffered, yet he remained slaving all day under the burning sun for 600 QR per month. He couldn’t take being shoved like a sardine in the accommodation and buses any longer. He decided to run away from his sponsor to find better opportunities. He ended up free lancing illegally until he got a serious injury and had to go to the hospital. He ended up being deported to his home land with nothing after spending 15 years under the sun.
Picture Nine:
Hamad is a Qatari business man. His brother holds a big position in the government. Because he has WASTA he was able to rent a tower he built for millions before it was even finished for the ministry where his influential brother works. In other parts of the world this is considered a crime and Hamad would be thrown in jail along with his brother. But here they are considered ‘Smart’!
Picture Ten:
The government spent millions if not billions on sports. Some new stadiums are being built up north on artificial islands and some on land. These stadiums could hold up to 45,000 people, the funny thing is that the population of the north is not more than 20,000. Actually, if you distribute the whole population of Qatar in all new stadiums there would still be some space. I wonder who is this space for?
Picture Eleven:
On the front page of all Qatari newspapers you see headlines of Qatar holdings buying Harrods, Barclays, Sainsbury and all other sorts of big business that cost again millions in the most expensive currencies there is. Then you turn the page and see the story of Sabika, a mother of five who’s husband conned her and made her sign checks. She ended up with a debt of 600,000 QR and was sent to jail for 10 years because she didn’t pay her debts. The funny thing is that the government is asking people to give charity for those jailed because of debt! Then you turn the page and read the story of Rashid who went to Family Consulting Centre asking for an air conditioner because he is so poor and cannot afford one for his family.
Picture Twelve:
A new project for old homeless people was being built. People were asked to give donations to create this new home. The people gave half of the money needed. But because the company was 5 million short it was sold to another company that turned it into a hotel! The old people then were compensated by giving them a raise in their welfare income from 400 QR per month to 600 QR per month! Wow!
And then, I walk down Cornich and see these tall electronic clocks saying ‘Enjoy Qatar’.
P.S: I know its not all that gloomy .. so spare me!
Mimiz Blog - Diary of a Qatari Girl 
Islam Al Tayeb said,
August 30, 2010 at 4:21 am
Brilliant work. Very real.
Stretch said,
August 30, 2010 at 5:04 am
So how do you make a change?
As an expat living here, I feel powerless to say or do anything to change the ‘ways’ here knowing I’d be on the next plane home if I dared to speak out any issue that paints Qatar in a less than favorable light.
mimizwords said,
August 30, 2010 at 9:51 am
I will be on the seat next to you on that plane LOL
Homme Du Qatar said,
August 30, 2010 at 12:20 pm
You can start by giving free hugs!!
Bleu said,
August 30, 2010 at 8:18 am
Picture Seven: They still paid Jonathan … contracts!
anon said,
August 30, 2010 at 8:23 am
La7m aktafch mn 5air hal blad
It saddens me to see a bright young Qatari woman as yourself projecting our country to be the hell-hole you make it seem to be.. some of these stories may have a bit of truth in them , but have you forgotten about the aid relief funds to Pakistan, Mouritania, and other disaster stuck regions.. have you forgotten about the immense amounts of opportunities and facilities our government has provided for us?
corruption is found everywhere , even in your beloved london my dear ..
i suggest you wake up and stop pretending that where you are today isnt because of the opportunities you were given in the country you should be proud to call your home
mimizwords said,
August 30, 2010 at 10:04 am
I think some of that money should be given to poor people who are living on welfare such as Rashid or those innocent put in prison like Sabika .. then give the money to other people … الاقربون اولى بالمعروف
What the government has provided is not Zakat for its people or something it decided if we are worth giving or not .. these facilities are OUR RIGHTS and are not given by anyone .. so the free education and health care is nothing compared to what the people should really receive if the wealth of the Gas was distributed correctly. Fine don’t give the people who can make it .. just give the poor who do not have any meat on their shoulders as you say ! how do you think they feel Miss Anon ?
and My beloved London is not my country so I really don’t care what kind of corruption they have it could burn in hell as far as I am concerned.
And I think its you who should wakeup and open your eyes to the truth .. I could pretend every thing is perfect and Kiss *** but I actually do care about this country and this is why I am writing this .
I dare you or any other Qatari like you who decided to close their eyes to the truth to tell me that what I have written is not true? These are real stories … every word of them is true .. not a bit as you said
and why would it bother you that I mentioned them anyway? I am talking about people’s rights !! its a shame that instead of standing next to those poor people you question my loyalty to this country! what a sick way to look at it really
It saddens me that some Qataris like you want to live in a bubble of perfection and gratitude while they see other human beings suffering ..
Homme Du Qatar said,
August 30, 2010 at 12:23 pm
Seriously stop the madness!
KMQA said,
September 8, 2010 at 9:32 am
well darling, it is okay to give some millions in forms of charity to those who need it, but what is not right is the MULTI BILLION TOYS that has been made for certain people to have a job or something to do, those projects that are “supposedly” aimed at creating a better image for qatar internationally.. but did it really create a better qatar for qataris, who are the biggest beneficieries from Qatar Foundation, Islamic Museum, Aspire, and buying Harrods? is it the citizens of this country? did you know according to the UNESCO that the ratio of continuing higher education has dropped to more than half, even Nigeria has a higher percentage of master and phd degree holders. there is nothing here made for Qataris in Qatar. it is only made for certain people. give moe just one example if you can stand behind your words.
even when it comes to opportunities and facilities, were they really targeting qataris? you mean the towers or the buildings? did you ever hear the quote ” it is not about quantity it is about quality “!
قالوا اصطفوا صفين كلهم إلا اثنين
If you really care about this country so much, don’t you care about what’s happening to it, the waste of money in projects that don’t serve our best interests. at least corruption isn’t absolute, they have human rights, the state will NEVER take your land in london. you think by saying such things you are helping us, or qataris who are suffering. I really think that your passion is fake, just like them, those who support bullshit projects and know that it is wrong but keep on convincing themselves that it is okay!
Yasser M. said,
August 30, 2010 at 8:50 am
*sigh* guess injustice spreads through all levels of society. Being a student at Qatar Foundation, I always think many times about working here – even with all the debt that is accumulated.
Zoarob said,
August 30, 2010 at 8:55 am
Although I pretty much don’t doubt the credibility of those stories, still some sources would be appreciated.
There is hypocrisy even in those who nod in shame in response to this sort of ill-treatment. As I’ve experienced, hardly anyone does anything to change the situation. I’m not even sure anymore if the indifferent are worse than those who merely exchange those stories.
For example, I personally have a similar experience, but what’s the use. So until people become aware of their own hypocrisy, nothing further can be done.
mimizwords said,
August 30, 2010 at 10:07 am
This is not an academic essay to reference nor a newspaper article. But if you really need a reference I can tell you that I know all those people personally .. even Arjun because we were the ones who took him to the hospital .. and all the other things you can find in the newspapers
Zoarob said,
September 2, 2010 at 6:53 am
Why so defensive. Anyway, I said I don’t doubt the credibility.
KMQA said,
September 8, 2010 at 9:34 am
even the sources would be corrupt since there is qatar scored one of the lowest countries on organizational visibility.. it’s so multi layered.. there is no opinion or say fo the citizens..
Rachel said,
August 30, 2010 at 10:12 am
This is Qatar!!! You have no choice for anything you are just a follower.
aBa said,
August 30, 2010 at 11:20 am
well I think this post is pure genius as it really showcases the other side of Qatar …. as nice as Qatar may seem it’s really corrupt .
Everything you said was completely true especially the “ wasta “ part .. It’s truly infuriating. I mean workers or slaves weren’t given the chance to study and excel and become leading people of the future but those who did aren’t getting what they were promised ?
I mean people do you have any idea how hard it is to learn a language !?
And really these people in high positions are in my view sick .. All the sudden we have some new ministers who do not even have university degree .. and one of them was in jail for embezzlement!
and then when you go ahead and take a look at the qatari people like ms. anon ( a commenter ) you can see the arrogance and dumbness in them I mean seriously !
ya bay5a ya mt5alfa !! what’s the use of having ” immense amounts of opportunities and facilities our government has provided “ if when you get hired you don’t get promoted ? or get a salary equivalent to that of an expat ? of the same ranking !
we didn’t say there weren’t any jobs available ( although in some cases like jassim mentioned in the blog jobs are hard to find ) we said QATARIS DON’T GET WHAT EXPATS GET , THEY ARE IGNORED AND UN PROMOTED EVEN WHEN THEY HAVE BETTER DEGREES AND QUALIFICATIONS !!
But actually I do see hope especially in my generation there are many inspired qatari/non-qatari students who have this sort of unified vision for Qatar . And Qatar is slowly getting to that list of top countries so yeah i think in a couple of decades most of our troubles would vanish . ( inshallah ) not with the help of people like anon here no with the help of an ambitious right-sided smart thinker .
the SLAVE citizen said,
August 30, 2010 at 1:12 pm
So we are afraid for our lives and all we are trying to think about is survival.
I am surprised at the sympathy expressed by some of those self claimed citiznes and them defending every action and prapaganda made by this country. You remind me of the three wise monkeys, say no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil! What is even worse you pin point the finger at me for not being national enough, or don’t have the right level of “qatariness”. Certainly this is not the first time that this strange phenomenon is observed among self claimed nationalists!
Allow me to explain something, after fixing my pipe and looking sophisticated, known as the “Stockholm Syndrome,” an adaptive response that has been described in the psychological literature. victims aka qataris nationals bonded with their captor aka government, identifying with them and attaching themselves emotionally.
The process involves a psychological defense mechanism that was first identified by Anna Freud, Sigmund’s daughter and a scholar in her own right. In a 1936 publication, Freud coined the term “identification with the aggressor.” Ordinarily, it is a normal and healthy process for people to identify with others, such as parents, and to establish loyalty and to take on their traits and their values. But at times, it becomes a perverted form of learning that is necessary for self protection. The need to defend oneself can involve a response to both psychic and physical threats.
This psychological response has been described in various ways, but it is perhaps easiest to understand in terms of our need for cognitive consistency and our drive to avoid anxiety and distress. A “QATARI” will obviously be terrified, their life depends on the good will of their CAPTOR “Government” and their ability meet their demands. A conflict will exist between the need to please and the loathing that is experienced. Psychologically, it is enormously difficult to entertain both thoughts or both motivations.
In the same way that a river will naturally change course when there is a break in a levee, the mind will resolve the conflict in the only way possible: changing one’s feelings about the aggressor, here the government. Adopting a positive attitude towards the one on whom your life now depends will serve to relieve the fear and distress, as well as insuring survival. HERE, the perpetrator becomes an ally, rather than an enemy. The relief from fear serves as a powerful reinforcement for the change in attitude, making that cognitive adjustment a real personal transformation, rather than just a contrived presentation.
This basic mechanism serves partly as an explanation for the fact that abused Qataris often identify with their tormentors the government and grow up to be racist and envious citizens. It is also a component in the tendency of battered qataris to remain in an abusive relationship between the government and the citizen, sometimes even defending the “government” who give them a hard time. You might dismiss the possibility that you have been “BRAINWASHED,” arguing that the clumsy band of at top governmental level who seized you could not have possessed any of the sophistication necessary to accomplish such a feat. Correctly understood, the process requires no talent, training or intellect at all. All that is really required is a twisted governmental policies, aggressive behavior and a threatening disposition such as deportation, and the ability to isolate you from reality, meaning till today there is work that you do but you don’t believe in, you can’t be any further out of reality!
In these cases, the destruction of the Qatari’s will is facilitated by the nature of the intimidation. In addition to being told that they or their families or what they like can be easily TAKEN AWAY, ( and yes they can and have many times ). And when you hear a glimpse of hope or reality you are worried and afraid this hope is a threat because a wake up will involve TAKEN. You would also think that you have been abandoned by those who actually want change. Both intimidation and coercion become plausible to the citizen. The Qatari will notice that in fact they have not been rescued by reformation of the government or all the propagandas, and they know that if the government come, they will come without smiley faces.
Over time, when the initial fears have subsided, the surreal essence of your captivity will come to seem normal. The bubble you live in will become familiar. It will feel safe and even ORDINARY, a space that needs to be protected. The point is that over time, one cannot survive emotionally without adjusting and adapting to the reality of incarceration, or without accepting the reality imposed by the doctrine in control.
What is certain is that it is hard to for us to comprehend how this can happen, because we all believe it could not happen to us, that we would not be VICTIMS!
KHALiDiSH said,
August 30, 2010 at 5:08 pm
Nice topic and nice blog… saved as favorite…
my comment as… I’ve heard also some of these incident but your words are better then I, since you knew the people personally… there are many many stories also that you won’t believe.
Neither you or I denying the good we receive from the government but we say that there are still corruption inside the government and outside which people are looking for there only benefit and not for the people benefit.
Thanks
KMQA said,
September 8, 2010 at 9:40 am
the worst part corruption is here legallized through loop wholes and many break the law with wasta.. abusing the system and using state funds for personal interest..
the biggest problem in corrpution would be the agency probelm, in the states it is considered a fedaral violation, meaning : if you have a position as Minister of Tomtos, you shouldn’t own any tomatos industry related business or any business that could interferre with your policy making, otherwise an agency relation is created, using your postion to make personal gains, and not decisions for the best interests of the people.
howerver in Qatar Inc, it is the opposite, since the minister of tomatos actually own all companies that process tomatos into ketchup and pasta sauce, or whatever the byproducts are!
brira said,
August 30, 2010 at 7:04 pm
Hi M.
Nice title, I like the way you structured the essay, very nice presentation of some intricate and complex ideas.
If you look at societies all over you will find that there is corruption in all the ‘worlds’ of the world, from the first to the third… to the tenth.
However the main factor that makes the Q’s plight critical here (for both the ‘brainwashed’ and the conscious) could possibly be the miniscule proportion of the Q’s population. Sometimes it seems that it has come to the extent where the Q’s are only useful as handy props for image marketing, just like those in devious food photography –looks amazing but actually non-edible and mostly discarded.
And don’t you just hate the ‘patriotism’ card? How many faces can a Q deal with?
Genesis said,
August 30, 2010 at 10:11 pm
While I agree with you in some of the cases you displayed on your post which is in one way or another due to certain norms inflected by the society’s mentality not goverment policy, I beg to differ with your opinion on the state of welfare in Qatar.
If only our press has more freedom of expression, I think charity houses & the ministry of social affairs representatives would have clarified how allocated public money is distributed. Yes , it needs improvement but that doesn’t mean their services is not accommodating the people needs
To be honest, I’m really fed up with all the melodrama about qataris on debts and and the never ending story of distribution of wealth!
I think many Qataris took the term “welfare state” for granted. Not benefiting from the many education choices the government offer the Qatari citizens
Qatari high school graduates can either choose to be sponsored by many government /semi government offices which has scheme for qatarization or get the supreme education council scholarship. Once sponsored , the student will receive a monthly allowance until graduation and accordingly fulfill the requirement of his designated post.
SEC offers Qatari high school graduates with final scores higher than 80% , scholarships in the finest universities in the states, UK, EU & Australia once student fulfill the admission requirements. In addition to seats in EDC & QU
For those with average score there is the Recently established community college and the college of north Atlantic
Despite the many choices , many qataris criticize the education initiative with lame excuses. Some complain that the SEC list consist only of the top notch universities and universities in the Arab world are unrecognized ! (the reasons are obvious I guess, why would the government continue investing in weak education)
There have been constant demand that SEC lowers the bar, to give chance for all for college education. Ignoring the fact that this trend was followed previously with not much benefit & weak education output.
Only with proper education those issues can be tackled and norms such as nepotism can be abolished
mimizwords said,
August 31, 2010 at 12:47 am
I respect your opinion and agree with what you said about education … if people have an opportunity to improve and didn’t put an effort and took initiative to progress and develop but did not take it for whatever reason then they are the ones to blame.
It is true that people should not take everything for granted and must not expect that the government will do everything for them. This culture of job security and granted benefits might do more harm than good only if people had a chance to improve and decided not to take this chance out of laziness.
However the concern here is about those who took every chance possible and worked hard on themselves and faced injustice for no reason what so ever such as Jassim and Abdulaziz or even Reem.
The kind of welfare that needs to be improved is for real poor people not middle income people. Those who cannot afford to buy cloths and air conditioning. Divorced women with children who do not have a place to stay or old sick people who cannot find a bed in the hospital. I really think that policies regarding this category should improve a bit.
Genesis said,
August 31, 2010 at 6:35 am
Frankly speaking, I doubt there are Qataris living under the poverty line. If that exist , then the ministry of social affair, charity houses and QF’s social development centre have failed to reach their objectives. As far as I know , there are clear records at those entities of all qataris living on welfare( That includes those with dual nationality and live across the border and crossover the beginning of each month to claim their allowances)
Not to mention the Emiri Diwan aid (aka “sharhat”) 😉
Maybe there are many initiatives from different entities , but improper coordination. Thus, such cases leaks to the press
As for injustice in the workforce in Qatar, if you track most cases origin you’ll find that nepotism & cronyism are the prime reason. And in this case many does it unintentionally to save face and be considered as men of good deed. Despite all the damage it does and no matter how many times it’s highlighted as corruption
Thank you for yet another interesting topic
Tamimi said,
August 31, 2010 at 4:41 am
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتَّى يُغَيِّرُوا مَا بِأَنْفُسِهِمْ” سورة الرعد الآية 11″
Nasser said,
August 31, 2010 at 10:17 pm
Genesis,
Your over zealous assumptions and the seemingly condescending tone of your comments imply a brazen superiority complex and little compassion for the plight of so many of your fellow, sadly less fortunate, Qatari’s. Why is it so hard to wrap your head around the idea that, indeed, there are several Qatari’s that live under the poverty line? it is hardly a startling revelation, or a questionable allegation for that matter. In fact, for someone who supposedly follows local forums regularly you ought to know that this is a common issue amongst Qatari’s because it is very much a heated topic which has had, and continues to have, devastating ramifications for our country. (the proof is in the thread! or threads, for that matter)
http://www.qatarshares.com/vb/showthread.php?t=395041
http://www.qatarshares.com/vb/showthread.php?t=395308
http://www.qatarshares.com/vb/showthread.php?t=394600
http://www.qatarshares.com/vb/showthread.php?t=394456
Not to polarize groups of people against each other, but what Mimi has recounted is hardly surprising. They are mere examples of what occurs here on a daily basis, so much so that we have conditioned ourselves to accept it as ‘normal’. Your apparent disdain for supposedly melodramatic Qatari’s woes about Education and money doesn’t make these issues any less legitimate. Until you are put in these people’s shoes, and have to endure the personal struggles that they have on a daily basis, simply to make ends meet, then you ought to refrain from making haste judgments. Also, going by your logic of abolishing nepotism and cronyism, aren’t these things exercised by precisely the same ‘elite’ that are supposedly trying to abolish it by importing and instilling proper Education? (you know, the Western kind, of which you so ostentatiously labeled as the stronger one) of course, never mind all those numerous influential, intellectual and cultured Qatari’s who graduated from prestigious Arabic universities that are better qualified than their Western counterparts, but no, I suppose those aren’t good enough for you 😉 does anyone else smell the pungent fume of arrogance and irony here?!
Rather than looking down upon your fellow compatriots, why not empathize with them? rather than being patronizing, why not speak up for those that need support, if at least morally? God only knows what those downtrodden citizens have to endure just to get their voices heard without us making things more difficult by trivializing their problems. Have some compassion, and you’ll subsequently be part of the solution…once you do, you’ll be bewildered at how you’ve managed to have had such a tainted mindset and narrow minded viewpoint for so long 🙂
Genesis said,
September 18, 2010 at 8:01 pm
Dear Nasser,
I suggest you read my post properly. I made my argument on the status of welfare with an “If statement” naming all the government entities that suppose to tackle the issue of Qataris living on welfare. I have not undermined anyone.
The ministry of social affairs officials have continuously responded on each caller-on -air plight raised though Qatar Radio popular talk show “My beloved country, good morning” stating that cases raised are inconsistent and complainers have not sought the proper channels or procedures.
Like most goverment offices, there might be a lack of coordination as I wrote earlier. Maybe the status of welfare needs to be re-regulated taking in consideration the current economy growth & inflation in the country
I totally agree with your last sentiment , it’s about time that civic society corporations are established and made available for the local public as a nation’s voice instead of the continuous anonymous outcry at local Internet forums
KMQA said,
September 8, 2010 at 9:43 am
Gensis, it is absurd to say that there is no qataris under the poverty line, and then you mentioned all those institutions that are dealing with this layer of the society!! I hope you were trying to be sarcastic otherwise you gona fall out of my eyez!!
Hend Al Muftah said,
September 13, 2010 at 8:04 pm
yes, you are correct and all waht you had mentioned is TRUE. However, those “pictures” are not only seen here in Qatar. I am very sure, if you are experienced enough with other cultures and countries, that you will see them very clearly in other parts of the world, including the Western Democratic countries, where both of us proceed our our study there….
Hung on sweety, wherever you will go you will find some “owful” and some “pretty” pictures!!! Just because we are the Qatari people new to this experience we concieve it as something unusual, a strange phenomena that needs some search and investigation, while in fact it is a very normal “tax” of the open economy and globalization…
Take it easy, …….
kbaisi said,
September 14, 2010 at 7:05 pm
Are we seriously going to debate where Arab universities stand next to Western ones? Sorry, but several world rankings reveal that there aren’t any Arab Unis even listed in the top 150 in the world, and believe me there are several reasons for this and none of them are connected to a “Zionist conspiracy” or some other far-fetched ridiculous reason.
What Genesis was pointing out, and rightfully so, is that a lot of Qataris are the ones responsible for their own situations and expect the state to save them from the mess they have created for themselves. And if there is anyone that the true victims of modern Qatar should be directing their anger towards, it should be primarily towards the clowns who detract from their real issues, such as those raising a hue and cry for their financial black holes after making the decision to take out a loan to buy a car that is clearly out of their price range, or those who passed high school with mediocre grades but expect a full ride from the state to some dubious educational institution.
Nobody is denying that wasta is prevalent and that a lot of talented Qataris are denied the opportunities to accelerate their own development, but let’s be objective and stop pretending everything the government does is to oppress Qataris. I find it interesting how common it is for us to hear how cruel the government is for raising the entry requirements for Qataris to obtain scholarships, but rarely do I hear them commending them for introducing the higher level more lucrative sponsorships offered to all Qataris who secure acceptances at certain top universities of the world…hmm…I wonder why?
Indeed certain bums within Qatar are unfairly rewarded for contributing nothing to the country, and it seems to me a lot of Qataris feel that this should also entitle them to also bum around and get a share of the loot, as opposed to focusing on doing what’s best for their country and themselves and taking advantage of the positives.
Jasseem said,
November 10, 2010 at 7:46 am
The face down part of Doha
IS it real??????
Dana said,
November 28, 2010 at 5:18 am
Soo pessimistic and negative .. Though some are true.
As Ghadi said.. Be the change…