normen en waarden
A MEMBER of the Central Municipal Council (CMC) has urged expatriates to abide by what he called a “dress code based on Qatari values”.
Ibrahim al-Ibrahim, the member representing the Al Markhiyah constituency, said that visitors and expatriates should show more respect to Qatar’s traditions by dressing more conservatively and avoiding “provocative” clothes.
“The phenomenon is on the rise day after day,” he said. “Many expatriate women wear revealing clothes when they visit malls and the Corniche,” he added.
“I usually receive complaints from my constituents asking me to raise the issue. There should be a mechanism to make the newcomers as well as long-staying expatriates aware of our traditional values.”
Authorities could play a significant role by distributing brochures in different languages at the airport’s arrival lounge so that newcomers to the country got an idea “about our values and thereby a message to avoid provocative clothes,” al-Ibrahim told Gulf Times yesterday.
“I, along with five other members, had lodged a petition to discuss the issue in the council last November. But so far no decisions or recommendations have been made,” he said.
Al-Ibrahim appealed to the non-Arabic media in Qatar to create awareness among their readers about the sensitive matter.
“I think it is the responsibility of the local non-Arabic newspapers to raise the issue and tell their readership about it. We have a deeply-rooted culture of welcoming our visitors and guests. But this generosity should not be abused.
“They should consider our feelings and wear clothes showing respect to our values,” he said, while warning that the phenomenon of scantily-clad women roaming the city, if not checked, might open the way for a clash within the society.
“I think that revealing clothes worn by many expatriates will only deepen the gap in the society and lead more young people to go astray. There are significant differences between our culture and that of the expatriates.
“If such revealing clothes are normal in their country, this is not the situation in our country and they should be aware of that,” he added.
uit de gulftimes
Ibrahim al-Ibrahim, the member representing the Al Markhiyah constituency, said that visitors and expatriates should show more respect to Qatar’s traditions by dressing more conservatively and avoiding “provocative” clothes.
“The phenomenon is on the rise day after day,” he said. “Many expatriate women wear revealing clothes when they visit malls and the Corniche,” he added.
“I usually receive complaints from my constituents asking me to raise the issue. There should be a mechanism to make the newcomers as well as long-staying expatriates aware of our traditional values.”
Authorities could play a significant role by distributing brochures in different languages at the airport’s arrival lounge so that newcomers to the country got an idea “about our values and thereby a message to avoid provocative clothes,” al-Ibrahim told Gulf Times yesterday.
“I, along with five other members, had lodged a petition to discuss the issue in the council last November. But so far no decisions or recommendations have been made,” he said.
Al-Ibrahim appealed to the non-Arabic media in Qatar to create awareness among their readers about the sensitive matter.
“I think it is the responsibility of the local non-Arabic newspapers to raise the issue and tell their readership about it. We have a deeply-rooted culture of welcoming our visitors and guests. But this generosity should not be abused.
“They should consider our feelings and wear clothes showing respect to our values,” he said, while warning that the phenomenon of scantily-clad women roaming the city, if not checked, might open the way for a clash within the society.
“I think that revealing clothes worn by many expatriates will only deepen the gap in the society and lead more young people to go astray. There are significant differences between our culture and that of the expatriates.
“If such revealing clothes are normal in their country, this is not the situation in our country and they should be aware of that,” he added.
uit de gulftimes
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