Qatar ready to celebrate

By Arvind Nair

THE entire population, including nationals and expatriates, is awaiting today’s National Day celebrations with a lot of excitement and anticipation.

Never before in the country’s history so many people may have looked forward to the National Day with so much enthusiasm. It is not surprising either since the day is packed with activities of different nature, targeted at different segments of the population.

The programmes include not only those strictly designed to entertain and amuse people but also to evoke patriotism and pride in the country’s heritage and history.

The National Day is dedicated to the revered memory of the founder ruler, Sheikh Jassim bin Mohamed bin Thani al-Thani, the tribal ruler who stood up against the big powers towards the end of the 19th century and achieved statehood for Qatar.

He led Qatari tribes and fought a decisive battle against Ottoman troops at Wajba on March 25, 1893. That was a turning point in the history of the region. The day is also in remembrance of the nation’s forefathers and the sacrifices they made.

On December 18, 1878, Sheikh Jassim took over the reins of leadership following the death of his father, Sheikh Mohamed bin Thani.

The Qatar National Day Organising Committee (QNOC) has striven this year to mount events that are rooted in the history and directly connected with the identity and special culture.

Among the important events that will be held along the Corniche is a military parade that will portray Qatari camel riders in their traditional uniforms, in addition to the cars and vehicles of the Qatari Armed Forces, Ministry of Interior, Internal Security Forces (Lekhwiya) and Emiri Guard. This parade will take place today at 9.30am and will depict Qatar’s military history during various periods.

An exciting light and water show and a giant fireworks extravaganza will take place at the Corniche at 5pm. Beautiful lightings illuminate buildings and trees along the Corniche and historic scenes of Qatar’s cultural past will be broadcast on 10 giant water screens positioned in Doha Bay.

At 9pm a pyro-musical extravaganza will light up the sky over the Corniche and Doha Bay.

In an effort to ensure the safety of the public, the organising committee has taken several steps including closing of the Corniche area today from the morning and until the end of the military parade.

There will be a parking ban on the Corniche to avoid traffic jams. Various designated parking lots for the public will be available in the surrounding areas of the Corniche.

Ten Karwa buses will be available to transport the public from designated parking lots to the Corniche area where events are held. Many bus stations and family buses will be provided.

Five medical emergency and missing children sites will be set up during the events.

“We urge families and the public to be careful and to closely watch their children to make sure they stay away from equipment and tools used during the show,” the committee said.

Following the military parade, the public can watch the historic military car and vehicle parade near the Orry on the Corniche.

The city has already gone into a celebratory mode with hundreds of flags adding colour to the streets and buildings, and illumination lighting up public and private institutions.

The public has already joined in the mood with hundreds of them sporting miniature flags and stickers on their vehicles.

More information is available by accessing www.ndqatar.com.

n Qatar residents can expect a pleasant weather today though the forecast says the sky will be partly cloudy. The weatherman has forecast moderate temperature for the day with slight dust haze. There is a possibility of scattered rain.

The maximum temperature will be 19C while the minimum will be 13 degrees.

via Gulf Times – Qatar’s top-selling English daily newspaper – First Page.

This one just doesn’t make sense to me.  There has to be more to this story.

Kiss lands pair in court

A MAN and a woman have appeared in a Doha court after being charged over a kiss on the cheek. They are facing charges of indecent behaviour in public. A third person from the group has been charged with drinking alcohol.
The incident occurred while the woman was celebrating her 21st birthday in May in a city  hotel along with her colleagues.
A source said: “One of her male colleagues, 25, greeted her and kissed her on the cheek in the presence of her father.
“The incident was witnessed by policemen present at the entrance of the hotel. They took note of it and registered a police case.”
The case has been adjourned to hear the witnesses.

Here are some news stories from the past couple of days.

Woman’s complaint lands her in trouble

AN angry woman walked into a police station to file a complaint against a “lover” she feared had infected her with Aids – only to find herself charged with having illicit relations.
Police officers were shocked when the Filipina voluntarily came to the station to inform them she had been having an affair with her boss. It later transpired that the furious woman had no idea that such relations were illegal in Qatar.
The woman attempted to file a complaint against her boss, a Spanish national of Indian origin, on September 22.
The 23-year-old woman had been warned by a female compatriot – a housemaid in the man’s house – that she saw anti-Aids medication in his bedroom.
Shocked by the thought that she may have unwittingly contracted the disease, the young woman went to the police.
After taking her statement, the police referred the matter to the Public Prosecution and the 42-year-old boss was summoned to answer the allegations.
Realising her mistake, the “plaintiff” later tried to withdraw the complaint, but the police told her that it was no longer her decision to make.
When the boss spoke to investigators, he denied a relationship and said the medicines in his room belonged to his wife who suffered from urinary tract problems.
An Aids test later confirmed the man did not have the disease – nor did the “plaintiff.”
As a result of the Filipina’s report to the police, the two recently appeared in court where they pleaded not guilty.
The man’s lawyer claims his client is the victim of a malicious vendetta carried out by the Filipina after she was sacked from her job.
The trial has been adjourned to December 25.

Kissing lands couple in trouble

A ‘MARRIED’ couple was sentenced in absentia to a year in prison for kissing in public and conducting an illicit relationship.
The Muslim woman and her Christian ‘husband’, both from Lebanon, skipped the country before the trial concluded after being told the State did not recognise their marriage, which took place in Cyprus.
Despite their inter-faith union not being an issue in their home country, Doha authorities ruled it unlawful – even though the woman was apparently given a residence visa based on the sponsorship of her ‘husband’.
The couple landed in trouble after a Qatari family called the police to complain they were kissing on the Corniche in April.
The police officer who attended the call said he found the two in an “indecent position” and when he confronted them, the woman screamed that they were married.
The officer insisted that their marital status bore no relevance to the offence.
During interrogation, the arrested man, 27, claimed he had done nothing more than place his hand on the shoulder of his 24-year-old ‘wife’ who had arrived in Qatar 10 days earlier. She told the public prosecution that she did not realise that such an act was illegal in Qatar.
It was during their trial that the tricky subject of the pair’s marriage came up for debate.
The couple presented their marriage certificate to the court. However, it was ruled to be invalid in Qatar.
The court admitted that a residence visa had been issued based on the fact that the two were husband and wife, but the country had the right to cancel that at any time if information came to light requiring such action.
The court also admitted there was no evidence of malicious intent to hide the couple’s differing religions and that their documents were authentic. However, the court made it clear that Qatar could not accept the marriage within the constraints of its own laws.
The couple’s lawyer said there would be no appeal lodged against the verdict as his clients had left the country after a travel ban had been lifted.