“Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor;
it must be demanded by the oppressed.”
M.L.King, Jr.
Maybe the question should be, what's not happening. The newspapers, televisions, twitter and all social conversations are pointing towards the Middle East these days. Revolutions, revolts, protests, uprisings, awakenings~you name it, it's out there. I won't even venture to give an opinion on the matter. I have no analysis or pithy comments to make for I'm not schooled in the politics of the region. That being said, however, I'm not understanding how peaceful protests can be met head on with such aggression and violence. I am shocked, to say the least, to find Bahrain caught up in this same scenario. (Al Jazeera Live Blog coverage) Who's next? Qatar? Bite my tongue. After being quizzed by a friend from the States this morning via Twitter that very question, I posed the same to my friends.
@DanCMos to me...
my response to Dan...
After I answered Dan, I began to wonder what the rest of my Twitter world's thoughts were on the subject. They would be a better source than someone that's a self proclaimed bubble dweller, so I posed the question to them... 
I received a few responses from Qataris and expats alike that reaffirmed my beliefs and truthfully made me feel a lot better about the whole subject. No, these are not experts in the field, but they are real people with vested interest in their country...
Rest assured family and friends, all is well in the land of sand. I'd be the first to skedaddle if it were otherwise
...Peace Out
***added after original posting...
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Hmm... There is discontent in Qatar, but I don't think it is great enough to bring down the al-Thani dynasty.
ReplyDeleteThere is certainly anger at land deals that have seen some families forced to sell land to the government for the high-profile developments.
There are a small number of exiles whose families were involved in previous unsuccessful coup attempts. There is one guy in particular who tries to bring together opposition to the current government.
There is also the issue of Gulf Arabs who were brought to Qatar to serve in the police or army in exchange for a promise of Qatari citizenship. Some were given passports only to have them confiscated when they were seen as unwelcome intruders. Often, when passports were revoked it has meant that two or three generations of Qataris have become stateless.
There is a growing number of Indians born and raised in Qatar who are becoming disenchanted with the way they are treated in the land of their birth.
All of this is unlikely to matter in a small wealthy country, where the majority of the Qataris believe they are likely to lead happier lives than their parents.
I agree with Nigel....the Qataris have witnessed profound progress in the last 30 years. Life is good for them. If anybody would/should have complaints it would likely be the workers imported from India, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and so on.
ReplyDeleteBe safe, my friend.
Nigel, I knew I could count on your for some in depth analysis. I'm glad you are in agreement that all will be well in the end. I hope Singapore is treating you well. Keep up the Mr. Fix It work on your beautiful new home ~ looking forward to updates.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Anonymous ;) Our safety is a priority.