Debate: Are Qatari youths losing touch with society?

Marriage is increasingly becoming a costlier affair in the Qatari community but for many families, that doesn’t pose a problem since their income is also going up.

What, then, community elders find more worrisome is that Qatari youths are losing touch with society and are distracted by social media.

This was the gist of discussions at a Ramadan tent at a family ‘majlis’ of Yusuf Sultan Al Majid. 

It is common this Ramadan to see private ‘majalis’ (living rooms) of prominent Qatari families taking up key social and economic issues for debate at Ramadan tents.

The income of Qatari families is consistently going up and Qatari public servants are among the highest paid government sector employees in the world, debaters said at Al Majid’s Ramadan tent.

According to local Arabic daily Al Arab, debaters noted with some concern that the Qatari youths were being distracted by social media.

They were spending more time entertaining themselves with social media than spending time with their families and society in general.

“We want to guide the youth. They should get into jobs after education and marry at an early age and begin their lives,” said Hassan Mehdi Al Khayyat.

The youths aren’t focusing on religion and society any more. They are least concerned with building their families, Al Khayyat added. 

They travel overseas for fun and frolicking almost twice a year. “But we are not against their changing lifestyle. What we want is that they follow into the footsteps of their forefathers, get married at an early age and begin their lives,” said Al Khayyat.

The Peninsula | Photo by Sameera Abeysekara