Family day @ City Centre - What a joke!!

who cares when they open...nothing nice is there.

everyone goes to walk in an air-conditionned climat. Expats are here to work, Qataris are enjoying their city being built...do your job and live your life

Little Artist 

The term 'Great' in Great Britain does not mean 'fantastic'.

It refers to the political coming together of the different mainland nations that make up the UK.

Besides we are not officially called Great Britain, it's title is the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland'

"Deaths in the Bible. God - 2,270,365

not including the victims of Noah's flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, or the

many plagues, famines, fiery serpents, etc because no specific numbers

were given. Satan - 10."

you shuld say (racism guard) in place of (racism day)

you shuld have evan a littil respict for the holay day of the country who host you in.

sorry for the bad languge

What a wally! ;o)

Haha - busted Indigo! QL has spies everywhere!

I live in Bedford!!!!

Yes, shops shut at 5.30 in the centre of town (except for one or two department stores which stay open until 6.00 on Fridays). Having moved here from South London the closing time seemed a bit restritive, but it's a Market Town NOT a London suburb.

Our local Asian run shop a few mins walk away is open all hours.

However, they are ALL open at the week end. In fact I shall be going shopping a bit later today - if not, then I shall pop down there tomorrow (Sunday).

I don't quite know where you were in July 2008, but it certainly wasn't Bedford LOL

Brit- Its rather an "ANTI BROWN SKIN DAY".

______________________________________________

Listen to Many..Speak to a few.

Hi I live in the UK and all shops are open on Saturday and most are open on Sunday. Maybe Bedford is a one off, but I have live in Central London, outer London and North Yorkshire and shops are open on both Sat and Sun, be it a limited time on a sunday. I quite often do my shopping on a Sunday as its not so busy.

"what would you know" - lol

If what you say about Bedford then it's an exception to the norm and you shouldn't make generalisations about the whole country based on one place. Shops in the UK open on Saturday and Sundays. Fact.

Better to open a mall here in qatar exclusively for the bachelor. Or we so called "Bachelor Day". What do you think?

Dora, Next time you go to UK, give a vistit to Bedford ... what would you know...

British practiced a same methodology to keep the natives away from the countries they ruined to feed the mouths back in UK. Lots of history books testify the presence of boards stating “Natives Not Allowed” in India, Africa, …. etc. So it’s another version of a Great Britain’s (I really don’t know what’s great about Britain now, and still they call it Great Britain) contribution to the world.

Just don’t complain about the local customs. If you don’t like the country or the customs, simply get out, go to your countries and live happily.

indigo...absolute rubbish! Most shops are open Sundays....what would you know....

Xena,

I'll never forget the time I went with a Qatari friend, who was wearing Jeans and a t-shirt, to City Center on a Friday just when the whole family day issue was first implemented.

We, 2 guys, were both stopped and initially denied entry.

Imagine the look on my friend's face at being told that he can't come into the shopping center... 'But I'm a Qatari' he shouted and pushed his way through.

You can read into that anything you want, but the main point I am trying to make is that Qataris just don't see the racism that is stirring beneath the surface of their perfect little world here in Doha. But the second they are victims of it themselves, they cannot believe that the world could be that unfair.

I honestly don't think that they can see and understand what is happening in their society. And those who do see that this place is turning into a modern day apartheid state, refuse to stand up to it.

Indigo res that was TEN years ago maybe. We have 24hr hypermarkets now and all day drinking.

Bedford sounds like a happening place then! But trust me, go to nearly any decent sized town or city and you'll find all the shops open at the weekend. That's a fact.

Tallag - 15th July 2008, Stayed in Bedford for 15days and all shops close at 5.00 PM. No shops on Sundays. Few shops open on saturdays, except Tesco

from your profile.... actually, what you will find is the westerners mostly complaining about how racist it since there are special family days to keep certian nationalities out... but since you are part of the "chosen" group, it doesn't matter to you about who is let in or not, cause you can go anywhere and no one will say anything about you and your friends being bachelors....

Get off your high horse (or camel), and trying seeing things from the point of view of others less fortunate than yourself....

It unfortunately shows how short-sighted you are when you make statements like - westerners go home....

"if you don't like the heat... get out of the kitchen... but stop trying to fan the flames before you leave... it will burn you on the a** as you go through the doorway...." ME

visit www.qaws.org

indigo_res - when were you last in the UK? Shops there are open 7 days a week.

Or else you can go to UK where shops are only open from 9 to 5.pm and closed on Saturdays and Sundays. I don’t know how many brain dead’s are behind that idea or is it that all westerners are human and need to rest and animals working in city center do not need a day off. All these western morons who constantly complain about Doha (or else they say “See, in UK, it’s F***ing like that) shall return to their home country and happily live there after. I have no complaints about Doha and will happily stay away from City Center if their management decides its only for families in Fridays.

when i went to souq waqif yesterday around 9:30am and saw the Police there trying to get the single men walking around were asked to move out of souq.

for few nationalities!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! or is it that you cant find enough ppl to stare at there and have your moment bugger.

Grow up .

how does it become bad if These people frequent CC

Dont be racist

[img_assist|nid=50852|title=hmm|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=|height=0]

CITY CENTER BECAME A PLACE FOR INDIANS ..NEPALIES ONLY BUT QATARI PEOPLE GO VILLAGEO ..

 when is the bachelors day. they are off on friday only too.

Little Artist 

You can't teach experience...

Did u say Parks fubar :-)

Where can you find a lush, clean, uncrowded park in Doha with clean, new, unbroken, unfilthy children playground (tot lot)????

You see horrible broken filthy slides, swings, etc with a zillion rowdy children fighting for a ride in rumeila and sheraton parks where u can't see the grass because too many people covering it and no clean bathrooms for children so u can't hang around for long

If one has been to spain.. Then Qatar is no difference in terms of shop openings.. They also have a siesta and shops open late and stay open late..

Sunday shops are completely closed.. At least here friday shops are open..

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HE WHO DARES WINS

you're probably wearing a dish dash weasel...

I'm brown, and asian. I've walked past the guards on Family Day (Thursday) at Landmark, and at The Mall (Saturday evening) many a times. Never tried CC on Fridays though. Most Fridays I'm in bed / indoors and go out on Saturdays only.

I was there last Friday with the family.. I saw a wide array of "single" Arabs and Westerners, but not a single single Asian.

also i do not feel the guards do keep all asian guys out.... they have their own unique radr by which they guage which asian should be allowed in...

@ novita

i guess u dint see the newspapers 2 to 3 mnth back ..... it was the police who were keeping the single asian guys out of the souq ( as it was family day)..........

and u want them to call the police???

Samya - I can't believe you've been in Qatar 2 years and on QL for nearly all the time and not heard about "family day"!

Just search QL for it and you'll find lots of threads deploring how it's basically a cover for racism.

Novi - the police have said it's down to the individual mall's to make their own policies, so who can and can't enter is not written in law. But if someone disobeys the rules of the mall then the guards are entitled to remove them, and if they resist then the guards would be entitled to call the police. Whether any of them would do that is another question!

i just dont go to city centre on friday.

No ... i am not European.

Try to go Family Food Center and you understand why they start Family day.

Is quite rare see Europeans in CC on Friday

Check mate.....

City Centre and Villagio seems to suddenly turn the occasion on Thursday by 6pm as Family Day, whereas before 6pm, anyone can enter.

"Everything in this book may be wrong." Illusions: The Adventures of The Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach

I think if single guys insisted wanted to come in the guard wont be able to do anything. There is no 'law' that bachelor not allow to enter the mall on Friday.

Slightly out of topic, last week I had my monthly meets Mums In Doha at Villagio. One mum and I arranging chairs on the side way of Starbucks. One of the guard approached me said that I am not allow to do that said that the chairs is too far in the middle of the walk way. I told him if he is not happy he can call the police. He just walked away after that.

I was wondering if 10 single guys insisted the guard to go inside the mall, what the guard will do? Hit 'the bachelors' one by one? Shoot them? Call the police?

So...no bachelors on family day? :o

Interesting...I should get a family then :P

Cuando el viento del tiempo sopla, todo se lo lleva...

Whats the reason for them not letting asian men in?? i cant seem to see whats so wrong with it... ive lived here 2 years and never heard about this :S

if the guards stop you from going in just push them out of the way.

awadawad - rather than insulting people how about you tell us how would you describe it?

cool buddy, isn't it racism that I can't go inside the mall coz i'm asian and the guards just don't even bother to ask Qataris, Americans, Europeans in going in? IT'S RACISM

Friday is family day in City Center, but you have to remember that all shops are closed during pray time.

Meaning something like from 11:00 to 12:30 (maybe others can be more accurate about the timing).

I remember first time I was in Carrefour and they told me I had to go out during pray time... it was a shock...

I thought they were joking!

War looking for peace,

is like fornication looking for virginity.

really your name is enough

foolish and fool of [mind your language or you'll be banned]

racism my ass.

no

Goodness, you must be new to the GCC region. Family day means "bachelors" and notably (as Weasel said ABBSAM bachelors) are not allowed to enter the malls. It has nothing to do with entertainment for your family.

BTW my father always took us somewhere "free" - the beach, walks in the woods, skating and tobogganing in winter, etc. etc. where he was able to interact with us (and he usually took our friends too, every weekend). What do you do with your children in a mall to build a relationship? I'm not saying that you can't do so there, but it boggles the mind that you would want to especially as the weather is good right now?

Not just India / Paki. It's "anti-brown-skinned-single-asian-male" day. Or ABSSAM day, in short.

Its not family day.. Its anti-Indian / Pakistani day.. Bachelors of just about every other nationality are roaming the mall without being challenged..

You must learn to respect to country u earn something in here. and in Friday most people already knew CC when the shops will open except new comer here.

spending time on mall is called spending money hahaha...unless you have big income that would be alright for you..;)

I am narrowminded. When we were kids our parents took us to the park and the beach on the weekends, which is where I was this weekend.

We weren't lucky enough to be taken to a shopping center on our weekends.

I guess I'm narrowminded enough to believe that there aren't fun things to do in shopping centers for kids.

Alot of the shops open around 1 or 1:30, a few of the restaurants open (Eli France) at around 12 but the others do not. As everyone said, family day means only families are allowed to enter the mall..... Friday here is kiind of like Sunday back home (until Sunday shopping was allowed) except that here it is only closed a half a day rather than all day. _____________________________________________________

"Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock - Will Rogers"

Well they are the majority and they make up a good portion of the sales people too, hence the late start time on Fridays.

Funnily enough though there are lots of family activities going on at the mall on the weekends from 3:30 pm till the malls close.

Fubar thinks there are only muslims in Qatar.

I do not attend Friday prayers as it is not my religion to do so, and I do prefer spending time with my family. As for the remark about a mall is for shopping - clearly you live in a cocoon. Malls do in fact have playgrounds, movies, restaurants etc. Your comment is a sign of your narrow mindedness.

these saleslady are also human and get tired from a long week of 10am opening so friday is the only time for them to have a long rest and do their personal stuff so please be considerate, next time dont go early, 3 or 4pm would be an ideal time to visit the mall. ok?

Fubar, he might not be Muslim, so why would he go to prayers on a Friday?

That is cos you is a westerner SAMAEL!

Friday is my one day off, i just wonder in and pretty much ignore the guards... They rarely say anything anyway.

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I guess he'd rather be shopping and hanging at the mall with his kids than attending Friday prayers.

Darude, if the gay or lesbian couple should every have children of their own, then they are a "family" and may enter at will! ;o)

Blobul, u shoud have taken ur family after noon,, say after 2pm. It is famiy day means, i think, they allow only the family people, not bachelors. There ends the meaning of "fmily day".. dont expect any fun for kids

Which 'Family Activities' were you expecting in a mall?

It's a shopping center, not an amusement park.

means couple day so if gay couple or lesbian couple goes will they be allowed.

You are missing the picture entirely.

Family day refers to who can enter the mall, it has nothing to do with the time the shops open.

A lot of shops don't open til later on Friday for the reason gypsy stated. Carrefour also shuts for an hour or 2 at about 11am I think.

it's a normal thing.. every Friday, shops dont open till 1 pm.. some shops in City Centre even open at 4 pm during Fridays..

The stores don't open till 3:30, AFTER Friday prayers, which are the most important prayers of the week for Muslims.