The Human Truth Foundation

Qatar (State of Qatar)

http://www.humantruth.info/qatar.html

By Vexen Crabtree 2013

#qatar

Qatar
State of Qatar
StatusIndependent State
Social and Moral Index86th best
CapitalDoha
Land Area 11 610km21
LocationAsia, The Middle East
Population2.8m2
Life Expectancy79.27yrs (2017)3
GNI$87 134 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 CodesQA, QAT, 6345
Internet Domain.qa6
CurrencyRial (QAR)7
Telephone+9748

1. Overview

#bahrain #libya #saudi_arabia

Ruled by the Al Thani family since the mid-1800s, Qatar transformed itself from a poor British protectorate noted mainly for pearling into an independent state with significant oil and natural gas revenues. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Qatari economy was crippled by a continuous siphoning off of petroleum revenues by the Amir, who had ruled the country since 1972. His son, the current Amir HAMAD bin Khalifa Al Thani, overthrew him in a bloodless coup in 1995. In 2001, Qatar resolved its longstanding border disputes with both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. As of 2007, oil and natural gas revenues had enabled Qatar to attain the highest per capita income in the world. Qatar has not experienced the level of unrest or violence seen in other Near Eastern and North African countries in 2010-11, due in part to its immense wealth. Qatar's international image is bolstered in part by the Doha-based Al Jazeera news network, which has provided comprehensive coverage of the Near East and North African Arab revolutions. Additionally, Qatar played a significant role in the Libyan revolution by pressing the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Arab League to assist the Libyan rebel movement.

CIA's The World Factbook (2013)9

Book CoverCombining Bedouin heritage with modern elegance and luxury, Qatar offers an excellent introduction to the Arab world. Ask the Qataris, Bedouin roots notwithstanding, what they are most proud of and they will undoubtedly say Doha. And indeed you can see why: the modern capital with its spectacular tapering towers, elegant corniche and extravagant malls, makes Doha arguably the finest stop over in the Gulf.But there´s more to Qatar than a shopping spree. The whole country, with its heritage souqs, world-class Museum of Islamic Art, and lyrical sand dunes, provides travellers the perfect first step into the Middle East but without the tensions often associated with the region.

The success of this booming nation is more than just skin deep. Rapid economic expansion, barely slowed by the global recession, international sports tournaments, and Education City: these are some of the many hallmarks of Qatar´s sophistication. Chances are, if you spend a night in the vibrant city of Doha, you´ll be lobbying the relatives to stay a whole lot longer in Qatar.

"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)10

2. Qatar National and Social Development

#economics #human_development #wealth

UN HDI (2021)11
Pos.Higher is better
Value11
1Switzerland0.962
2Norway0.961
3Iceland0.959
4Hong Kong0.952
5Australia0.951
...
39Latvia0.863
40Croatia0.858
41Andorra0.858
42Qatar0.855
43Chile0.855
44San Marino0.853
Asia Avg0.75
World Avg0.72
q=191.
Gross National Income Per-Capita (2021)11
Pos.Higher is better
PPP $11
1Liechtenstein$146 830
2Singapore$90 919
3Qatar$87 134
4Luxembourg$84 649
5Ireland$76 169
6Switzerland$66 933
7USA$64 765
8Norway$64 660
9Brunei$64 490
10Hong Kong$62 607
11UAE$62 574
12Denmark$60 365
Asia Avg$22 215
World Avg$20 136
q=193.
Social & Moral
Development Index
12,13
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank12,13
1Taiwan28.6
2Norway29.4
3Denmark31.2
4Sweden32.2
5Finland32.6
...
83Russia82.3
84Jordan82.4
85Kyrgyzstan82.6
86Qatar83.2
87Jamaica83.2
88Morocco84.3
Asia Avg87.1
World Avg86.1
q=195.

The United Nations produces an annual Human Development Report which includes the Human Development Index. The factors taken into account include life expectancy, education and schooling and Gross National Income (GNI) amongst many others..

The Social and Moral Development Index concentrates on moral issues and human rights, violence, public health, equality, tolerance, freedom and effectiveness in climate change mitigation and environmentalism, and on some technological issues. A country scores higher for achieving well in those areas, and for sustaining that achievement in the long term. Those countries towards the top of this index can truly said to be setting good examples and leading humankind onwards into a bright, humane, and free future. See: Which are the Best Countries in the World? The Social and Moral Development Index.

3. Qatar's Demographics and Migration

#birth_control #demographics #health #immigration #life_expectancy #longevity #migration #overpopulation #population

Population:

Qatar's population is predicted to fall to 2 371 000 by 2030. Developed countries with falling populations face a pension's crises, whereby an increasingly ageing population must be cared for by fewer and fewer workers. Economic stability can be maintained by increasing foreign workers from younger countries. This country has a fertility rate of 2.20. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population is growing, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity, i.e., the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate, which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1.

Population (2018)2
Pos.
Population2
1China1.4b
2India1.4b
3USA327.1m
4Indonesia267.7m
5Pakistan212.2m
...
137Jamaica2.9m
138Albania2.9m
139Lithuania2.8m
140Qatar2.8m
141Namibia2.4m
142Gambia2.3m
World Avg39.0m
q=195.
Life Expectancy (2021)11
Pos.Higher is better
Years11
1Monaco85.9
2Hong Kong85.5
3Japan84.8
4Australia84.5
5Switzerland84.0
...
32Andorra80.4
33Greece80.1
34Maldives79.9
35Qatar79.3
36Chile78.9
37Bahrain78.8
World Avg71.28
q=195.
Fertility Rate (2013)14
Pos.2.0 is best14
1N. Korea2.00
2Brunei1.99
3St Vincent & Grenadines2.01
4France1.99
5Turkey2.04
...
29El Salvador2.18
30Grenada2.18
31Costa Rica1.81
32Qatar2.20
33Morocco2.20
34Brazil1.80
World Avg2.81
q=180.
Old-Age Dependency Ratio (2016)15
Pos.Lower is better
Per 10015
1Uganda04.3
2Mali04.5
3Chad04.7
4Burkina Faso04.7
5Sierra Leone04.8
...
10Afghanistan05.0
11Zimbabwe05.0
12Nigeria05.1
13Qatar05.1
14Somalia05.4
15Togo05.4
World Avg18.3
q=185.

Migration:

Immigrants (2017)16
Pos.
%16
1UAE88.4%
2Kuwait75.5%
3Qatar65.2%
4Liechtenstein65.1%
5Monaco54.9%
6Andorra53.3%
7Bahrain48.4%
8Singapore46.0%
9Luxembourg45.3%
10Oman44.7%
11Hong Kong39.1%
12Saudi Arabia37.0%
World Avg9.4%
q=195.
Emigrants (2010)17
Pos.
%17
1Dominica104.8%
2Palestine68.4%
3Samoa67.3%
4Grenada65.5%
5St Kitts & Nevis61.1%
...
182Tanzania0.7%
183Brazil0.7%
184Saudi Arabia0.7%
185Qatar0.7%
186Nigeria0.6%
187Maldives0.6%
World Avg11.5%
q=192.

4. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#equality #freedom #gender_equality #human_rights #Islam #morals #politics #prejudice #qatar #tolerance #Wahabi

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2020)18,19
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank18,19
1Sweden9.2
2Norway14.7
3Denmark14.7
4Netherlands15.8
5New Zealand17.5
...
152Gambia117.4
153Saudi Arabia117.6
154Liberia118.0
155Qatar119.3
156UAE119.8
157Central African Rep.121.2
Asia Avg99.8
World Avg87.7
q=199.

Strict Wahabi Islam serves as an impenetrable barrier against progress. Qatar is amongst the worst places in the world at ensuring human rights and freedom, and it has severe cultural issues when it comes to tolerance and equality. Qatar does better than average when it comes to commentary in Human Rights Watch reports20. But unfortunately Qatar gets most other things wrong. It does worse than average in supporting press freedom21 (still good for Asia), supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms22, speed of uptake of HR treaties23, opposing gender inequality24, its nominal commitment to Human Rights25 and in freethought26. It falls into the worst 20 when it comes to its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice27 and in LGBT equality28 (amongst the lowest in Asia). And finally, it is second-from-the-bottom in the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators)29. There is widespread and serious "legal, cultural, and institutional discrimination against, women and girls, LGBTI+ people, non-Qatari nationals, certain local tribes, and other minorities"30. Hundreds of preventable deaths annually may be attributable to poor labour protection law31. Progress is not helped by the fact that the richest 1% hold 29% of the country's entire income32.

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

5. Qatar's Health

#alcohol #birth_control #demographics #health #life_expectancy #longevity #obesity #overpopulation #parenting #population #Qatar #smoking #vaccines

Compared to Asia (2020)33,34
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank33,34
1Hong Kong18.3
2Maldives41.0
3Singapore42.6
4Japan51.0
5S. Korea51.3
...
15Kuwait67.1
16Uzbekistan68.4
17Saudi Arabia69.3
18Qatar70.6
19Iran75.5
20UAE75.8
21Bahrain77.3
Asia Avg80.1
q=50.
Health (2020)33,34
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank33,34
1Monaco13.0
2Hong Kong18.3
3Maldives41.0
4Singapore42.6
5Japan51.0
...
22Uzbekistan68.4
23Saudi Arabia69.3
24Spain69.6
25Qatar70.6
26Portugal72.3
27Luxembourg72.9
28Morocco73.1
World Avg93.5
q=196.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Monaco, Hong Kong and The Maldives33. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are The Marshall Islands, S. Sudan and Palau33.

The data sets used to calculate points for each country are its average life expectancy, its alcohol consumption rate, its fertility rate, its smoking rate, its suicide rate, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance, the prevalence of overweight adults, its adolescent birth rate and its immunizations take-up. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Asia and The Mediterranean33, whereas the worst are Micronesia, Australasia and Africa33.

For more, see:

Health:

Public health in Qatar is very good. Qatar does better than average in its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance35, its average life expectancy11, its adolescent birth rate24, its alcohol consumption rate36, its immunizations take-up37 and in its fertility rate14. But, there's bad news too. Qatar does worse than average for its smoking rate38. The prevalence of overweight adults has increased by 14% over the last 40 years.

Life Expectancy (2021)11
Pos.Higher is better
Years11
1Monaco85.9
2Hong Kong85.5
3Japan84.8
4Australia84.5
5Switzerland84.0
...
32Andorra80.4
33Greece80.1
34Maldives79.9
35Qatar79.3
36Chile78.9
37Bahrain78.8
Asia Avg73.48
World Avg71.28
q=195.
Alcohol Consumption (2016)36
Pos.Lower is better
Per Capita36
1Bangladesh0.0
2Kuwait0.0
3Libya0.0
4Mauritania0.0
5Somalia0.0
...
39Madagascar1.9
40Tunisia1.9
41Bahrain1.9
42Qatar2.0
43Nepal2.0
44Singapore2.0
Asia Avg3.9
World Avg6.2
q=189.
Fertility Rate (2013)14
Pos.2.0 is best14
1N. Korea2.00
2Brunei1.99
3St Vincent & Grenadines2.01
4France1.99
5Turkey2.04
...
29El Salvador2.18
30Grenada2.18
31Costa Rica1.81
32Qatar2.20
33Morocco2.20
34Brazil1.80
Asia Avg2.46
World Avg2.81
q=180.
Smoking Rates (2014)38
Pos.Higher is worse38
182Montenegro4 125
181Belarus3 831
180Lebanon3 023
179Macedonia2 732
178Russia2 690
...
109Papua New Guinea 826
108Namibia 740
107UAE 715
106Qatar 698
105Kyrgyzstan 68339
104New Zealand 680
Asia Avg1 035
World Avg 819
q=182.
Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance (2017)35
Pos.Lower is better
Rank35
1Sweden1
2Ireland2
3Denmark3
4UK4
5Norway5
...
22Spain22
23France23
24Italy24
25Qatar25
26Oman26
27Estonia27
Asia Avg64.4
World Avg82.0
q=163.
Overweight Adults (2016)40
Pos.Lower is better
%40
1Vietnam18.3
2India19.7
3Bangladesh20.0
4Ethiopia20.9
5Nepal21.0
...
177USA67.9
178Jordan69.6
179Saudi Arabia69.7
180Qatar71.7
181Kuwait73.4
182Micronesia75.9
Asia Avg44.3
World Avg49.0
q=191.

Children's Health:

Adolescent Birth Rate (2015)24
Pos.Lower is better
Per 100024
1N. Korea0.5
2S. Korea1.6
3Switzerland2.9
4Hong Kong3.2
5Slovenia3.8
...
35Czechia9.9
36Ireland10.4
37Algeria10.6
38Qatar10.7
39Lithuania11.0
40Montenegro12.2
Asia Avg29.9
World Avg47.9
q=185.
Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 (2015)37
Pos.Higher is better
Avg %37
1Hungary99.0
2China99.0
3Uzbekistan98.9
4Niue98.8
5Mongolia98.7
...
53Tunisia95.7
54Japan95.7
55Portugal95.7
56Qatar95.6
57Armenia95.6
58Uruguay95.6
Asia Avg90.5
World Avg88.3
q=194.

6. Qatar's Modernity and Learning

#education #english #it_security #maths #modernity #religion #religiosity #research #science #secularisation #technology #the_internet

Compared to Asia (2020)19
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank19
1Taiwan10.0
2Japan21.9
3S. Korea24.0
4Singapore27.9
5Israel32.2
...
22Kyrgyzstan71.8
23Thailand72.9
24India73.8
25Qatar75.5
26Bahrain75.6
27Kuwait77.6
28Sri Lanka79.6
Asia Avg79.0
q=51.
Modernity and Learning (2020)19
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank19
1Finland8.4
2Taiwan10.0
3Switzerland15.1
4Estonia15.8
5Denmark16.0
...
89Andorra74.5
90Tonga75.2
91New Caledonia75.5
92Qatar75.5
93Bahrain75.6
94Colombia77.1
95Kuwait77.6
World Avg83.2
q=205.

Modernity and Education:

Research and Development (2016)
Pos.Higher is better
% RDP PPP
1S. Korea4.2941
2Israel4.1141
3Japan3.5841
4Finland3.1741
5Sweden3.1641
...
60Uganda0.4842
61Cyprus0.4843
62Costa Rica0.4744
63Qatar0.4745
64Cuba0.4743
65Macedonia0.4443
Asia Avg0.75
World Avg0.84
q=126.
Secondary Education (2018)46
Pos.Higher is better46
1Luxembourg100.0%
2Estonia100.0%
3Austria100.0%
4Canada100.0%
5Finland100.0%
...
78Iran69.8%
79Vietnam69.4%
80Venezuela69.2%
81Qatar67.5%
82Mauritius66.9%
83Oman66.4%
Asia Avg66.0%
World Avg63.0%
q=169.
Length of Schooling (2021)47
Pos.Higher is better
Years47
1Australia21.1
2New Zealand20.3
3Greece20.0
4Belgium19.6
5Sweden19.4
...
120Malawi12.7
121El Salvador12.7
122Nicaragua12.6
123Qatar12.6
124Maldives12.6
125Timor-Leste (E. Timor)12.6
Asia Avg13.5
World Avg13.5
q=193.
Intellectual Endeavours (2017)35
Pos.Lower is better
Rank35
1Ukraine1
2Czechia2
3Hungary3
4Denmark4
5UK5
...
142Nigeria142
143Mali143
144Congo, (Brazzaville)144
145Qatar145
146Philippines146
147Mozambique147
Asia Avg97.1
World Avg82.0
q=163.
Maths, Science & Reading (2015)48
Pos.Higher is better
Score48
1Singapore1655
2Hong Kong1598
3Japan1586
4Macau1582
5Estonia1573
...
56Albania1245
57Thailand1245
58Colombia1231
59Qatar1222
60Georgia1216
61Jordan1197
Asia Avg1398
World Avg1389
q=70.
Religiosity (2018)49
Pos.Lower is better
%49
1China3
2Estonia6
3Czechia7
4Switzerland9
5Denmark9
6Germany10
7UK10
8Sweden10
9Japan10
10Finland10
11Latvia11
12France11
Asia Avg55.8
World Avg54.3
q=106.

Technology and Information:

Internet Users (2016)50
Pos.Higher is better50
1Iceland100%
2Faroe Islands99%
3Norway98%
4Bermuda97%
5Andorra97%
...
11Monaco93%
12UK93%
13Finland93%
14Qatar92%
15UAE92%
16Bahrain92%
Asia Avg48.7%
World Avg48.1%
q=201.
IT Security (2013)51
Pos.Lower is better51
1Ireland0.11
2Luxembourg0.11
3Belize0.11
4Hong Kong0.12
5Mexico0.16
...
23S. Korea0.56
24Australia0.63
25Libya0.63
26Qatar0.65
27Chile0.66
28Guinea-Bissau0.67
Asia Avg1.08
World Avg0.98
q=81.
IPv6 Uptake (2017)52
Pos.Higher is better
Ratio52
1Belgium55.4
2Germany41.8
3Switzerland35.1
4USA35.0
5Greece33.5
...
106Malta0.0
107Turkmenistan0.0
108Bangladesh0.0
109Qatar0.0
110Kuwait0.0
111Guernsey0.0
Asia Avg2.11
World Avg3.82
q=176.

7. National Culture

#charity #corruption #happiness #morals #politics

Qatar had an adequate long-term record on corruption, but in the ten years from 2012 perceptions have gotten much worse.

World Giving Index (2013-2021)53
Pos.Lower is better53
1Myanmar (Burma)2.7
2New Zealand4.0
3USA4.7
4Australia4.9
5Indonesia9.0
6Qatar9.0
7UK9.3
8Ireland9.6
9Canada10.1
10UAE11.6
11Bahrain11.7
12Kenya12.0
Asia Avg62.5
World Avg67.9
q=160.
Corruption (2022)54
Pos.Higher is better
Points54
1Denmark90.0
2Finland87.0
3New Zealand87.0
4Norway84.0
5Singapore83.0
...
37St Vincent & Grenadines60.0
38Botswana60.0
39Latvia59.0
40Qatar58.0
41Czechia56.0
42Georgia56.0
Asia Avg39.98
World Avg42.98
q=180.
Happiness (2018)55
Pos.Higher is better55
1Finland7.6
2Norway7.6
3Denmark7.6
4Iceland7.5
5Switzerland7.5
...
29Argentina6.4
30Guatemala6.4
31Uruguay6.4
32Qatar6.4
33Saudi Arabia6.4
34Singapore6.3
Asia Avg5.29
World Avg5.38
q=156.
Creativity and Culture (2017)35
Pos.Lower is better
Rank35
1Belgium1
2Netherlands2
3Estonia3
4Switzerland4
5Sweden5
...
111China111
112Swaziland112
113Argentina113
114Qatar114
115Afghanistan115
116Ivory Coast116
Asia Avg99.0
World Avg82.0
q=163.
Open Trading, Aid and Development (2017)35
Pos.Lower is better
Rank35
1Ireland1
2Denmark2
3Sweden3
4Netherlands4
5Switzerland5
...
58El Salvador58
59Senegal59
60Kyrgyzstan60
61Qatar61
62USA62
63Congo, DR63
Asia Avg86.3
World Avg82.0
q=163.

8. Peace Versus Instability

#extremism #human_development #peace #politics #religious_violence #terrorism

Global Peace Index (2021)56
Pos.Lower is better56
1Iceland1.10
2New Zealand1.25
3Denmark1.26
4Portugal1.27
5Slovenia1.32
...
26Slovakia1.56
27Bulgaria1.58
28Mauritius1.59
29Qatar1.61
30Estonia1.61
31Spain1.62
Asia Avg2.22
World Avg2.08
q=163.
Peacekeeping and Security (2017)35
Pos.Lower is better
Rank35
1Samoa1
2S. Africa2
3Tunisia3
4Egypt4
5Nigeria5
...
33New Zealand33
34Malaysia34
35S. Korea35
36Qatar36
37Germany37
38Togo38
Asia Avg76.0
World Avg82.0
q=163.
Refugees and UN Treaties (2017)35
Pos.Lower is better
Rank35
1Austria1
2Germany2
3Netherlands3
4Sweden4
5Malta5
...
91Venezuela91
92Belarus92
93Ghana93
94Qatar94
95Peru95
96Gabon96
Asia Avg92.2
World Avg82.0
q=163.
Impact of Terrorism (2019)57
Pos.Lower is better
Score57
1Togo0.00
2Mongolia0.00
3Swaziland0.00
4Equatorial Guinea0.00
5Cambodia0.00
...
14Bhutan0.01
15Trinidad & Tobago0.02
16Uzbekistan0.02
17Qatar0.03
18Iceland0.03
19Panama0.04
Asia Avg3.60
World Avg2.78
q=150.

9. The Natural Environment

#biodiversity #climate_change #the_environment

Environmental Performance (2018)58
Pos.Higher is better58
1Switzerland87.4
2France84.0
3Denmark81.6
4Malta80.9
5Sweden80.5
...
29Lithuania69.3
30Bulgaria67.9
31Costa Rica67.9
32Qatar67.8
33Czechia67.7
34Slovenia67.6
Asia Avg54.5
World Avg56.4
q=180.
Energy to GDP Efficiency (2014)59
Pos.Higher is better59
1Hong Kong26.32
2Sri Lanka20.00
3Panama17.86
4Colombia17.54
5Ireland17.54
...
85Saudi Arabia07.04
86Honduras06.80
87Bulgaria06.54
88Qatar06.49
89Finland06.33
90Oman06.29
Asia Avg09.14
World Avg09.29
q=119.
Convention on Biological Diversity
Pos.Earlier is better
Signed
1China1993 Dec 29
2Guinea1993 Dec 29
3Cook Islands1993 Dec 29
4Vanuatu1993 Dec 29
5Papua New Guinea1993 Dec 29
...
156Iran1996 Nov 04
157S. Sudan2014 May 18
158Mauritania1996 Nov 14
159Qatar1996 Nov 19
160Bahrain1996 Nov 28
161Turkmenistan1996 Dec 17
Asia Avg1899 Dec 30
World Avg1899 Dec 30
q=197.
Rational Beliefs on the Environment (2011)60
Pos.Higher is better
%60
1Argentina78.3%
2Greece77.6%
3Brazil77.1%
4Trinidad & Tobago74.5%
5Costa Rica74.2%
...
102Saudi Arabia27.2%
103Belgium26.9%
104Syria26.6%
105Qatar26.5%
106Bahrain26.3%
107S. Africa26.2%
Asia Avg37.9%
World Avg39.9%
q=145.

10. Economic Inequality and Poverty

#health #inequality #life_expectancy

Inequality in Life Expectancy (2019)61
Pos.Higher is worse61
184Chad40.90
183Central African Rep.40.10
182Sierra Leone39.00
181Somalia38.90
180Nigeria37.10
...
48Malaysia6.10
47Maldives6.00
46Kuwait5.90
45Qatar5.70
44Bahrain5.50
43Lithuania5.50
Asia Avg11.80
World Avg14.59
q=184.

11. Religion and Beliefs

#buddhism #christianity #hinduism #islam #judaism #qatar #religion #religiosity #saudi_arabia #secularisation

Religiosity (2018)49
Pos.Lower is better
%49
1China3
2Estonia6
3Czechia7
4Switzerland9
5Denmark9
6Germany10
7UK10
8Sweden10
9Japan10
10Finland10
11Latvia11
12France11
World Avg54.3
q=106.

Data from the Pew Forum, a professional polling outfit, states that in 2010 the religious makeup of this country was as follows in the table below62:

Christian13.8%
Muslim67.7%
Hindu13.8%
Buddhist3.1%
Folk Religion0.1%
Jew0.1%
Unaffiliated0.9%

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Muslim 77.5%, Christian 8.5%, other 14% (2004 census)63.

Freedom of Religion and Belief: Qatar belongs to the same puritanical Wahhabi branch of Islam as Saudi Arabia, its neighbour64, which is often at the absolute bottom of freedom of thought indices. In Qatar, there is not much religious activity outside of Wahhabi. Islamic schools are the only permitted kind30 and promoting any other religion other than Islam is illegal30. It does only apply its most restrictive religious laws to locals - so consistently, that in the evening, they shelve their traditional attire and sneak out en masse as the only way of having a free life away from their own oppressive laws. Some Islamist Qataris are unhappy that Islam is not universally applied64 and if they get their way in the future, the upholding of human rights in Qatar could worsen.

Links:

12. Al-Jazeera News Station65

#mass_media #middle_east #news #palestine #qatar

Qatar is host to the Arab region's unique news station, Al-Jazeera, counted by Julian McDougall66 as one of the five leading providers of global news, with 100 million viewers across the world67. It is surprisingly progressive for the region, but still outputs a lof of material that is prejudiced and problematic68,69.

[The media landscape of the Arab world] changed utterly after 1996 when the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa, established the al-Jazeera television station in his capital, Doha. In return for choosing not to dwell overmuch on the blemishes of Qatar itself, the new station was allowed to broadcast proper, hard-hitting news from everywhere else in the Arab world. [...] It went on to do so with gusto and quickly spawned many imitators and competitors. [...] They are making their leaders explain and justify themselves as never before. And although it is no substitute for a proper electorate democracy, this is building the underpinnings of a new kind of pluralist politics rooted in a vocal, critical public sphere. [...]

From 2003 onwards al-Jazeera's reporters and talk-show hosts put themselves at the heart of the American-initiated debate about political reform in the Arab world. The station looked closely at the G8's American-inspired Greater Middle East Initiative, giving airtime to American as well as Arab talking heads. [...] Many Arabs, reformers included, remain deeply shocked by al-Jazeera's now well-established practice of letting Israelis appear on its shows.

The Economist (2009)68

Western commentators have always had mixed reviews of the station, but it is undoubted that it has single-handed pushed forwards the quality of civic life. Some of the restrictions on the station come from enduring social pressures; Al-Jazeera reporters would surely suffer social exclusion from their friends and family if they encroached upon certain topics68, and this informal and indirect censorship will surely continue indefinitely - until stations like Al-Jazeera become more common, making reporters more anonymous.

Al-Jazeera, the first independent satellite television station in the region, which has enormous pan-Arab influence, is populist and modern. Many of its anchors are women. It broadcasts news that the official media routinely censor. And yet it fills its airwaves with crude appeals to Arab nationalism, anti-Americanism, anti-Semitism, and religious fundamentalism.

"The Future of Freedom" by Fareed Zakaria (2003)69

It is prejudiced and untrustworthy when it comes to reporting on issues like Palestine, and, it aired Osama Bin Laden's videos which enticed many towards violence68. Its reporting on science is woeful and inaccurate; it proudly announced that the discovery of the 4.4million-year-old Ardipithecus ramidus fossil meant that "Ardi Refutes Darwin's Theory", and of the many dozens of celebratory responses only a few were from readers complaining that it was wrong70.