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The country is all set to launch mega infrastructure projects worth billion of dollars in order to have facilities in place to host the coveted event.
But the key question being asked is whether the conservative Qatari society is ready to take in its stride the cultural shock that the preparations for the event and its being actually held here would trigger.
With no less than half-a-million international soccer fans expected to descend on the Qatari soil in 2022, Qatar must build the requisite mindset - and not just physical infrastructure - to be able to absorb the social and cultural tremors such an avalanche of people from different ethnicities and cultures would cause.
Or, will the Qatari society rise in rebellion against the onslaught, especially as Western values and tradition are seen gradually overshadowing local customs and the way people dress up and behave in public?
Already, there is widespread fear in the Qatari community about their identity being diluted due to the sheer size of the expatriate population. Official estimates suggest that out of a total of 1,7 million people living in Qatar, an incredible 1,5 million are foreigners. This means that some 90% people in the country are non-Qatari.
Since expats come from all over the world , the threat to Qatari identity and culture is real. Some, though, argue that since Qatari is a small country with a tiny population, its people must pay the social price for development and prosperity. Concernins in Qatari community about its age-old culture and identity being compromised due to the ever-rising numerical preponderance of foreigners, are growing.
There is immense hostility in the Qatari community towards the way foreigners, especially young women, dress up. Foreign cultures have already reached Qatari homes with children being largely raised by foreing maids but, the strongest objections are raised to young non-Qatari women, particularly Westerners, wearing skirt and sleeveless tops.
A number of Qatari mothers have expressed ire and want the state to intervene and "discipline" young non-Qatari women who dress up "indecently" in public. The mothers say they fear that their daughters might ape such negative behaviour.
There are some Qatari women, though, who see the media (foreign TV stations) posing a bigger threat than foreign women wearing skirts and tops in public. There are others, though, who feel also that dressing up in public is one's freedom and choice, so no one should impose restrictions.
(From "The Peninsula" , 2 july 2011).
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It's a great issue actually and I know that a big debate has spread in the net too... But this is the price to pay for development and culture-crossing events like the 2022 World Cup..
Now I'm wondering if they have a proverb similar to the italian's "Non si può avere la botte piena e la moglie ubriaca"....They might have, maybe not literally translated since they don't permit alcohol and much less drunk wives!!!!
Anyway, as expat, my conscience is clear since every day I try to respect the hosting culture while choosing my dressing up... I even tryed the abaya on!
Whatever open-hearth.
The country is all set to launch mega infrastructure projects worth billion of dollars in order to have facilities in place to host the coveted event.
But the key question being asked is whether the conservative Qatari society is ready to take in its stride the cultural shock that the preparations for the event and its being actually held here would trigger.
With no less than half-a-million international soccer fans expected to descend on the Qatari soil in 2022, Qatar must build the requisite mindset - and not just physical infrastructure - to be able to absorb the social and cultural tremors such an avalanche of people from different ethnicities and cultures would cause.
Or, will the Qatari society rise in rebellion against the onslaught, especially as Western values and tradition are seen gradually overshadowing local customs and the way people dress up and behave in public?
Already, there is widespread fear in the Qatari community about their identity being diluted due to the sheer size of the expatriate population. Official estimates suggest that out of a total of 1,7 million people living in Qatar, an incredible 1,5 million are foreigners. This means that some 90% people in the country are non-Qatari.
Since expats come from all over the world , the threat to Qatari identity and culture is real. Some, though, argue that since Qatari is a small country with a tiny population, its people must pay the social price for development and prosperity. Concernins in Qatari community about its age-old culture and identity being compromised due to the ever-rising numerical preponderance of foreigners, are growing.
There is immense hostility in the Qatari community towards the way foreigners, especially young women, dress up. Foreign cultures have already reached Qatari homes with children being largely raised by foreing maids but, the strongest objections are raised to young non-Qatari women, particularly Westerners, wearing skirt and sleeveless tops.
A number of Qatari mothers have expressed ire and want the state to intervene and "discipline" young non-Qatari women who dress up "indecently" in public. The mothers say they fear that their daughters might ape such negative behaviour.
There are some Qatari women, though, who see the media (foreign TV stations) posing a bigger threat than foreign women wearing skirts and tops in public. There are others, though, who feel also that dressing up in public is one's freedom and choice, so no one should impose restrictions.
(From "The Peninsula" , 2 july 2011).
It's a great issue actually and I know that a big debate has spread in the net too... But this is the price to pay for development and culture-crossing events like the 2022 World Cup..
Now I'm wondering if they have a proverb similar to the italian's "Non si può avere la botte piena e la moglie ubriaca"....They might have, maybe not literally translated since they don't permit alcohol and much less drunk wives!!!!
Anyway, as expat, my conscience is clear since every day I try to respect the hosting culture while choosing my dressing up... I even tryed the abaya on!
Whatever open-hearth.
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