Remarkable Women in Doha Debates last night

Oh Pardon me Pitstop! I am from the "not so civilized" part of the world. So it's natural I know very little of such things as I have not travelled so much. So I ought to stay quiet...

edifis, "They are building the world's tallest towers but they are not putting in the same effort to civilize their society!" Excuse me? Have you ever been to anywhere in the World? Civilization should be an International Commitment.

Yes the Jumeirah beach is OK. But the Hotel at the end of the beach takes money even to enter it! So stupid!

only problem in dubai is they are over crowded or let say over populated with expat and goverment facing difficulties to control it. i was in dubai fm 2003 - 2005 and it was totally different from the present.

DON'T LET FANTASY ROB YOU OF YOUR REAL LIFE BEAUTY

eldifis have u visited the walk, al riqqa st, zh zayed rd, d garden, dic, dmc, jumeirah and many too mention? there's no such perfect place but dubai still trying to be like singapore and i give credit for that.

DON'T LET FANTASY ROB YOU OF YOUR REAL LIFE BEAUTY

Within Dubai Deira and Meena Bazaar are the only two such places with such narrow streets.. I have been all over that city.. Those were the days when I couldn't sit still at home so used to roam around for hours doing nothing..

How did you know? I was talking about Deira. Near the Fish market. Is that the only bad place?

edifis that will be defend in ur lifestyle how u will gonna like the places. but i can say dubai still have a long way to go.

DON'T LET FANTASY ROB YOU OF YOUR REAL LIFE BEAUTY

Those narrow streets, They are Naif Road in Deira and Meena bazar in Bur Dubai. You just mention those areas to a taxi driver and he will look at you as if you are the worst human being in the world.. One way roads with parking alongside, traffic nightmare..

I don't know I could never settle there, the day I resigned from that job is one of the happiest in my life :)

I have seen very little of Dubai. Only a few days. But whatever I saw didn't attract me. Only the main streets are good. But have you seen the narrow alleys? How dirty! There is lack of hygiene everywhere!

They only have shopping malls and big buildings. But it takes 2 hrs to reach any place! All the streets are so cluttered!

I think Doha is much better.

Expats mostly...

Were the offenders Khaleejis or Expats?

Prostitutes being locked in a room during the day, short-circuit, them getting burnt to death with no way to escape...

Went to a client's home, he went outside to take a call, his maid holding my feet begging me to get her out of there..

Drugs used openly despite their "strict" policy

Betting on cricket matches going on openly..

People drunk with the power of money throwing my month's salary on a girl standing on the road...

Too many things man, I can go on and on and on.. It was just too corrupt a society for me...

Like what Sandee? What made you sick?

Morality has no place in Dubai edifis... Some of the things I saw there made me sick.. Glad I haven't seen anything similar in Doha yet or maybe I stay at home in Doha more...

They are building the world's tallest towers but they are not putting in the same effort to civilize their society!............ trafficking children to make better camel jockeys! Isn't that shameful!

I understand scattered cases of domestic violence, which happens in other countries too! These cases rarely come out in the open, so they do not reflect the moral fibre of the society, rather they are the bestiality of the individual involved.

But camel racing isn't done inside the closed doors of a private residence. It's being watched by thousands of people including the authorities. I think this is where moral values and humanity are set aside and only values that count is money. Human rights are being sold here!...

So this is the great Civilization of Dubai!

And all we tend to see is Dubailand and the Burj..

Alexa: There are groups intiated by non-western expats also here in Dubai doing good work. I happen to be a part of one of em (well, not to an extent I wud really like to, coz of work and blah,blah y'know..). Know quite a few of them in India too. None of them westerners.

Alexa,

The lady I was talking about was shown in a report on Al-Jazeera TV Arabic broadcast..However, i managed to find a vedio which may deliver the same point:

http://www.mefeedia.com/news/25700252

I am not sure if he is the same guy.

The lady I wrote about should of been able to get help from her family but in this case her family I guess didn't like the guy so they told her it was her problem, so in each situation their are reasons. Plus, here it would be such an embarrassment until the last few years of the countries growth it was more a village than a city. I even tried I called him and he went off at me that he loved his wife I wanted him to know people knew and were not going to ignore it. His problem was alchohol.

these matters are handled by families and peers in the family

If matters still remain out of hand, then a graceful separation could follow

Its not like there isn't womens abuse happening in other parts of the world

different parts of the world handle it differently

Alexa, if someone next door to me what beating his wife, I would surely report it and make sure it ends. But then, is the wife strong enough to fight and not go back?

doesn't always have to be a public affair...

"In the case of abuse I think making a stand so that others will join and those who abuse are openly put to shame, has the greatest benefit."...

not necessarily...

Those issues are hard to eliminate anyway...

For example, a man set a fire on his wife- believe it or not. He burnt her alive. Luckily she was rescued and survived but her look is affected by it. This happened in US. He is sentenced i believe which is good but tough penalty even won't eliminate those issues but hopefully reduce them.

It will be very rare in my opinion for someone to break into someone's house and intervene between a couple!

However, here in Qatar, if someone knocks on your door asking for help and protection from pgysical abuse, he/she will be welcomed and protected at least to get it to the police hands or at least it will be dealt with somehow especially if she is a lady..

I honestly think if I interfere in any abuse situation, I would get myself into a lot of trouble. I could be the one eating the beating next.

But a local won't call the police against a local its considered his business so to speak, I wish we had someone like Sharla here maybe she can mentor someone here and do the same, its been great what Speed and others have done for humanity here and their respect for people who are abused be it maids, workers or wives, we need more such activities. I found out their is a student human rights group here. Many things here are considered a private matter, its just been in the last five years you see handicapped people in public before that they would never take them out.

It is part of Arabic and Islamic culture to not advertise one's charitable actions... there are a lot of men and women who do great acts of charity but make a deliberate effort to hide it...

Its probably easier for a Westerner to do the work Sharla does since its controversial families would never support their family member doing such activities. We used to live next to a local who would beat his wife everynight and all we could do was call and ask him to be quietier, its not acceptable to call the police. Plus many police here and in Dubai are not locals they are from Sudan ect. don't so they don't understand some cultural issues and they don't have the power to do anything either, they don't like to make waves or they will be deported.

The point is that there are good people everywhere and bad people everywhere regardless of kind of religion and whether a westerner or easterner.

I'm not naming names and not pointing fingers. Details on the activities done by the locals or the expats, I have no idea about. What I know is there are good people out there that are helping the people that need help. They buy tickets for them to go home. They provide temporary shelter for them, and they do other very very very kind things for them.

And about the 'not allowed' question. It isn't permission that people are seeking. It is authority and recognition.

There is a smart answer for you Alexa..

Thanks PITSTOP

Alexa, the difference between the locals and the expats is one simple thing (sometimes). Locals don't and aren't allowed to be in the media, even if they are doing good the others. That is were culture and tradition come in, in some cases.

People people, don't turn this against each other. Each person is entitled to their own opinion. This Woman was helping the needy in her way since she was 12. I don't think religion has anything to do with it, so don't get religion involved.

As for it being a personal matter, I sometimes agree with that statement. Yes, we want to help and make things right and better, BUT it doesn't always happen that way.

Not that I want to start anything again, but the Adam/Fawaz case. She is calling out to the world to help her, but in reality she is hurting her chances in ever getting her son back. Why? Its a PERSONAL FAMILY MATTER.

LOL, how did this thread deviate this way?

Of course the local men of Dubai would prefer their wives don't get any assistance when they are abused, even here they never call the police and their families won't help they say your married now its your problem so they have no where to turn. You can't do what Sharla does without making some enemies, its a very sensitive cultural issue!

Alexa,

Your analysis are pathetic to be honest. Why would you attribute her good deeds for being a Westerner?

I could have attributed it for her being a muslim!

Be reasonable.

Some people have accused her of "interfering" in domestic issues, which should be handled by families themselves..

"I have told her sometimes I think she is wrong, she goes too far," said Lieutenant General Dahi al-Khalfan, the chief of the Dubai Police, who has supported Musabih in the past but now tends to criticize her work as divisive. "There is a case between husband and wife; let the court decide! Leave it."

Source: New York times

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/world/africa/23iht-dubai.1.11339800.html?_r=1&pagewanted=2

nothing special, all women are remarkable.

I have no idea Alexa, but I will ask my colleagues at the Doha Debates about her.

There are a lot of women doing similar things, but in private and in their own way.

If only more people like her existed ... and got the support to succeed ...

sob

thanks for sharing..i was moved by the situation. it brought me to tears.

WOW!

Amazing woman. Kudos to her husband and family for fully supporting her and her cause...

She deserves all the praise..

Amazing lady..nice name for the shelter! City of Hope!

P.S. Who would abuse such a lovely German beauty!