Why am I doing all of this?

5 Jun, 2010  Random

Someone asked me why I was doing everything that I do with ILQ. Reasons?

  • I want Qatar to be the country that I ‘WANT’ to have my children grow up in.
  • I want to bridge the gap between locals and expats
  • People used to say “Qataris are the most hospitable people in the world”. I want us to reclaim that title.
  • I want to be vocal about the issues that people are either too lazy to talk about or worried that they don’t have the right to talk about.
  • I want to give back to the expat communities that leave everything back home to come to my country. (We’re not debating the reason why different  people are here)
  • The Emir has done so much for us Qataris. Shouldn’t Qataris take some of the load off of his shoulders? When we pick up our passports, we’re reminded with a leaflet that each citizen represents his country.
  • I want Qatar to improve. (Better service, hard work, quality of life, or even better, for things to actually make SENSE)
  • I want to bust some myths and disprove stereotypes
  • I want to encourage a different style of thinking
  • I DON’T want my children to grow up thinking that I never did anything worth while in life.

Alright bed-time. The more I write, the more sappier I get :P

  • Shaiju

    Dude, my support in each and every corner… ;)

  • nadine

    I appreciate your efforts and hard work and find your blog extremely interesting and entertaining. I always look forward to reading your new blog entries. Thank you very much.

  • emmanuel de la rosa

    hey there mr.Q

    I just came here quite recently-not even six months. and i have been told of these stereotypes. And because of these unproven talks about locals,i have been really afraid. I’ve never been afraid in a new country before,( i have lived in Veinna,Paris,and New York) but i have never been this afraid. So far it has been always a joy whenever i see Qataris on the streets helping people and really going out of theirs ways to extend a hand. It has always made my day. your blog made me real ecstatic and excited about your country.Hope there is more out there of your kind.

    best regards,
    emmanuel

  • fahd

    hey Mr.Q

    Its such a relief to hear from broad minded Qataris like you. I’m Indian and Ive lived most part of my life in the gulf. I was born and raised in Dubai and now im here in Qatar after a 10 year period in Bangalore, India. I know about the stereotypes and to be honest i dont really care for them coz im not like that. I truly believe in give and take respect. But i speak from my own experiences, and believe me Ive had quite a few really bad experiences with locals during my one year stay here in Qatar and my 18 year stay in Dubai. I lived in Dubai for 18 Years and i don’t have a single local friend !! same here in Qatar. My friends back home were stunned to hear this and the fact that i cant speak Arabic although i was born and raised in an Arabic country. The simple reason being that locals were never willing to mingle with us. But i know its wrong to stereotype a whole race of ppl coz of a few yahoos amongst them. There are good and bad in every race, we have to accept that. But your blog has really put a smile on my face and i really genuinely hope that there are more Qataris like you who are willing to bridge that so called “gap” between expats and locals.

    Cheers my friend and God bless !!
    Fahd

  • http://www.iloveqatar.net Kei

    thanks for the comments!
    You should consider joining the iloveqatar.net forums, there are social gatherings that happen all the time :)

  • http://hotmail may

    i would love to move to qatar , and live there the rest of my life . i love arabs so much!

  • Mohammed

    Hi there

    Guess what, you are not alone. As a Qatari I share the same thinking as you. It feels so good and so enlightenning to hear you say it, its like you read my mind! I also want to help bridge the gap between locals and expats, we need to be more freindly to each other and dispel stereotypes we hear about the other side. I studied at an international school and have many international freinds, but after graduating I realized that many of the other locals didnt have one single from another country. Qataris see expats as a threat to their job and their cultural identity, and expats see Qataris as mysterious people who wear different clothes. It is sad the way we cannot socially interact together, and I think that should change. Ya36eek el 3afyah :)

  • Rob

    mmm..
    If what you say is true, then you would be the first Qatari in the two years I have been here that I have come across to do this. Hopefuly you won’t be the last
    Good luck

  • http://www.iloveqatar.net Kei

    Inshallah you will meet more.

    Mohd the poster above shares the same sentiments.

    Join our ILQ socials too meet up with us :)

    Also search for Qatari blogs in the search box above to read other q blogs :)

Freedom of Expression

    Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which the Qatari Government is a signatory of states: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any medias and regardless of any frontiers.

    The Emiri Decision Number 86 of the year 2007 on the establishment of the Doha Free Information Centre marked yet another step towards establishing a State of rights and freedom of speech. The decision stipulated that the Centre be a non-profit organization, headquartered in Doha City, and have the authority to establish other affiliated centres inside and outside Qatar. It is worth mentioning that His Highness the Emir issued a decision in 1998 annulling the ministry of information, giving birth to a new era of freedom of speech where censorship was removed from local media.