Is Doha for families only?
Last Friday afternoon I was driving along the Corniche and as it was nice afternoon, I decided to stop for a walk and take some pictures.
As I was about to walk along the water front, I was stopped by an unidentified man wearing a maroon sports wear suit. He addressed me in Arabic in what appeared to me a very rude and aggressive tone. I asked him if he spoke English and he just shut back “out, out”, pointing his finger to my cars direction. I asked him how was he and if he had any identification, with no results as he insisted to push me back to the car. I saw 2 men sitting near by and asked them if they spoke Arabic. As their answer was positive, I asked them to ask the other guy what exactly he wanted. They were kind enough to do so and after a brief dialogue, they told me that the guys was a undercover police who was chasing out of the Corniche bachelors. He told them that bachelors were not allowed to walk on the Corniche on Fridays. I commented back that I have never experienced this kind of restriction in Dubai, Middle East or else where in the world. I commented back that tourist and visitors are better of going to Dubai rather than Doha as it remains hypocritically discriminator. After I expressed my frustration, the undercover police suddenly started to understand English and he told me that I finally could go for my walk and the purpose of his and many other colleagues of his along the Corniche on Fridays, was to keep labors and some nationalities out.
I could not believe what he was telling me, it was worse than the “bachelors” segregation!
This segregation is felt all over Doha, just to state 2 other examples: The Mall on Thursday’s evenings posts a sign “Families Only”; he Oasis Club on Friday’s does not allow bachelor’s in; to enter certain bars or clubs such as at the Rydges’ or The Admiral, you are not allowed to go in if you are a bachelor, etc, etc, etc….
Really, what kind of society are the authorities trying to set up here in Doha? Do they think that with these social segregations, they will attract residents with decent values and morals?
Why aren’t these rules written and police well identified, so people (including tourists and potential investors) won’ get surprised and disappointed on the spot?
Thank you all for your comments.My point was understood by some of you.
I am not so much worried about the fact that I was kicked out of the Corniche. After I compared Dubai with Qatar and mentioned that potential future investors may feel like walking by them selves along the Corniche on Fridays, I was quickly invited to walk back in which I refused.
I am lucky enough to choose to stay or leave. I do respect the local customs but it seems to me that they are somehow discriminating and racists when they have no written rules or public signs and they select only certain “bachelors” (which means for them in this particular case 1 man walking alone).
My point was, exactly like some of you mentioned: the injustice treatment given to the labor force in this country, the promotion of racism and discriminating behavior – clear violations of Human Rights and for those who are religious - an offense to God of any religion!
Will Qatar attract the needed external investors and residents to sustain its existence if this image is projected internationally?????!!!!
different countires have their own set of laws, and every expats, tourist have to respect and abide by it. remember as an expat or tourist your stay here is what they call privilege and not a right.
Think I had the same food there Vegas...
i dunno coz i will be campin fri-sat sogonna miss out once again.....
life's too short so make the most of it, you only live but once.......
Ok for chow hall food...
Had some corn chicken and beef....
No carbs today...Had some carbs at breakfast....
So is everyone really gonna go walk the Corn on Fri???
I would but geeze...The traffic to get there on Fri night???
I think I will just relax with a drink at my pool...
Have to do the dog walk thing early sat morn....:)
You can't teach experience...
l
ya did not miss much , how was lunch?
life's too short so make the most of it, you only live but once.......
Ha only one post since lunch LOL
It was a good one Sholders and three mile run/walk...
Have fun with yours...
You can't teach experience...
how was yr work out?me gonna work soon....
life's too short so make the most of it, you only live but once.......
What will I get to read after I get b ack from lunch...:)
You can't teach experience...
Try to have any women on Friday .No problem you can pay for here then you will be a family. with any beech you will be a family. People here will tell you take It or leave It better for you to leave It .I will do the same at the first chance although my family will arrive soon. I faced same situation the Friday before. I understood what he said because I’m Arab. We have to suppose that what he said is the low and he doesn’t need to let you see his Id .This his country , Gas and petrol . This country for the slaves, leave early as much as you can.
Medo_qatar - "i already asked my co. manager to shift me bak to Dubai office and he already agreed, "
Wait for long long. Our Jonney Boy boy has the same problem and his management also agreed fot the transfer. They agreed to his request more than 1 year ago and He is still waiting :)
BTW - can you design a house for me. THIS IS NOT A JOKE OK
I had the same since i came from dubai
also it was Eid and the refuse to let me enter city center, also 2weeks before cops on cornich road ask me and my friend to leave that cornich immidiatly since we are without famliy
, by the way my friend works as bank branch manger and i am sr. architect, so we are not looks like labours, and we are arabic also
what is made me really mad that cop and security in city center let the qatari ppl to walk and enter the mall, and also some other nationality
and in landmark some qataris men abuse arabic lady on front of the police office there and the cop there didn't move from his place
at all i already asked my co. manager to shift me bak to Dubai office and he already agreed,
ok i am wrong then......
life's too short so make the most of it, you only live but once.......
You are totally wrong. Labourers are thrown in to the National Area by Thousands on Thursday Night and Friday whole day. You have no space to walk even.
iheard that in AD in the city or the malls basically most places you dont see the lower income group, they are sent to their worksite then taken back to their accomodation and in the city you dont see them either .it is totally diff than here so maybe this is wat they want to do , slowly but surely?
life's too short so make the most of it, you only live but once.......
I know I am just not nice lol but I am sure and Abaya will suit you
It appears that they aren't trying to create a "family only" day, but a "no labourers" day. Can't believe they're allowed to get away with it.
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http://tall-and-ginger.blogspot.com
u like marmite?ilove bovril have it with butter on my toast ......scrumplicious
i hope i wont be swoonin or croonin....lol
life's too short so make the most of it, you only live but once.......
Oh sure - I broke into what the Victorians called 'a swoon'.....
I needed two spoonfuls of marmite to recover.
omg so i best be prepared with an 02 tank the next time i go to the corniche ya never know i may just bump into ya>winks....just dont wanna turn blue after loojkin at yr legs
life's too short so make the most of it, you only live but once.......
Hmmmm.....You would think that it would make more sense to make Saturdays family only days. Because I can see the need for Family only days, given the culture and the huge percentage of men in this country. THis way the labourers can enjoy the malls and Corniche on their one day off.
"I am not a pretty girl, that is not what I do, I ain't no damsel in distress and I don't need to be rescued. So put me down punk, I'm not a maiden fair, maybe there's a kitten stuck up a tree somewhere." Ani Difranco
This is a family friendly site. I don't want to fill your head with salacious thoughts. I will just say this. I ran into Oryx (literally) on the Corniche on Friday and she had to sit down and catch her breath after seeing those legs. I am not even sure if she has yet recovered.
The time has come to substitute caution for courage. Martin Luther King, Birmingham, Alabama 1963
life's too short so make the most of it, you only live but once.......
is it as long as a giraffe's leg??just trying to envision them long athletic legs
life's too short so make the most of it, you only live but once.......
It must be my intimidating physical presence and my high level connections as well as my long athletic legs.
The time has come to substitute caution for courage. Martin Luther King, Birmingham, Alabama 1963
Long Athletic Legs??????????????????????????????????
thanks for the warning oryx if i need to use the loo i shall go home......been practicing on my holding power tis mind over matter....hehhehehhhe
life's too short so make the most of it, you only live but once.......
will you join me and lilly and vegas and the dumped smokey for a walk on corniche friday night :) i need more cousins for this event :D
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Who dares to question / stop Richard123 in Qatar. They are so scared of you Richard.
Then I will have to go running in an Abaya and deny the girls the pleasure of seeing my long athletic legs!
The time has come to substitute caution for courage. Martin Luther King, Birmingham, Alabama 1963
This is true-
A few weeks ago I saw this.... and the men in maroon were being really rude. There were a lot of men in maroon along the Corniche. They weren't asking them to leave politely and explaining why. The just said 'go - get out'
They added, 'Dont come back!'
However this was only directed at Asians not at Arab men or Caucasians!
I would like to add there is never a copper when you want one. There was a man in the ladies loos on the corniche the other day. I told him to get out and he just laughed. After I left he went back in....
becareful!
looks like tis a buffet or anything on the menu goes......lol
life's too short so make the most of it, you only live but once.......
Of course only death is free and this costs your life lol.
well cousins you know can be many lol
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CB did not know you a snitch??do u get any commission?
life's too short so make the most of it, you only live but once.......
darude man make up ur mind....first donkeys then females now your inviting vegas too? dont tell me for a quickie
Where there is Fire...There is Coke. Where there is Rum..There is Smoke - Sir Smoke-a-Lot
I am going to report you, why should you jog alone on the cocniche when poor Nic can't even take photos lol.
no problem man you can join me any time any where :D
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woohoo them the party animals i reckon huh? with special visas too?lol
life's too short so make the most of it, you only live but once.......
vegas thats what happens when your OLD..leave the quickies to us young folks :)
Where there is Fire...There is Coke. Where there is Rum..There is Smoke - Sir Smoke-a-Lot
i have seen 4men with 1 woman
not a big deal right.
and our pretty member ooo who left Qatar used to go to parties with 2 men.
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I go running on the Corniche on Fridays and a few evenings a week and have never had any trouble. Never have had any trouble going into the malls on Fridays either. Have I just been lucky?
The time has come to substitute caution for courage. Martin Luther King, Birmingham, Alabama 1963
yo vegas mornin, so ya likes quickies??
life's too short so make the most of it, you only live but once.......
You can't teach experience...
ah so the plot thickens no wonder 1 lady and 2 men walking arm in arm is allowed .......hehehhehhe wonders wat happens if 2 guys walking hand in hand??
life's too short so make the most of it, you only live but once.......
who was the most handsom .....me or the .........other one
i thought i was dumped somewhere before even reaching the corniche...so that leaves lilly with darude...who i'm guessing took the undercover cop to walk hand in hand with him
Where there is Fire...There is Coke. Where there is Rum..There is Smoke - Sir Smoke-a-Lot
do they look out for that too??
life's too short so make the most of it, you only live but once.......
ohhhhhhhhhh don't likethe sound of that one lady and two men - you can get picked up for that lol.
miss lilly here went for a nice walk with 2 handsome men
life's too short so make the most of it, you only live but once.......
where when with whom am still here at my office didnt even see you. :/
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you went to the corniche and back already??? my oh my that was quickie....y alikes quickies huh??>winks
life's too short so make the most of it, you only live but once.......
Guy, I am back...
Our walk was really nice, on the arms of 2 handsome men
uh oh how did this happen??>perplexed i am
life's too short so make the most of it, you only live but once.......
life's too short so make the most of it, you only live but once.......
hehhehehehhe my newfound word for the day 'literally'........hehehehhehhehe
life's too short so make the most of it, you only live but once.......
lol spice mom always taking the jokes literally hehe
Where there is Fire...There is Coke. Where there is Rum..There is Smoke - Sir Smoke-a-Lot
i didnt mean literally pissing as piss, wanna take piss go to the loo,
life's too short so make the most of it, you only live but once.......
i prefer not pissing on anyone or anyone pissing on me thank you very much!
Where there is Fire...There is Coke. Where there is Rum..There is Smoke - Sir Smoke-a-Lot
you either 'piss' them or you get 'pissed' (so to speak)
life's too short so make the most of it, you only live but once.......
Big Deal.
i am also alone and i do go to corniche and i do go to city center on friday and saturday morning.
sorry for what happened to you. you just need to know how to piss those nonsense security gaurds.
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surprizingly not even a single comment from you guys on the situation I faced..
the only reason she's dumping me and going with YOU is to make sure u get caught by the undercover cops so that my coast will be clear :)
Where there is Fire...There is Coke. Where there is Rum..There is Smoke - Sir Smoke-a-Lot
you misunderstood he was going to dump you with smoke and then go to the corniche because he wants to meet up with the undercover cops and get arrested.
guess lilly dumped you too now :P
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NOOOOOOOOO lillyyyy after all the good advice i gave u :( fine if you must walk along the corniche with your BROTHER i dont mind lol
Where there is Fire...There is Coke. Where there is Rum..There is Smoke - Sir Smoke-a-Lot
i can see it till this day .........lol it was hillarious when i said that i had many husbands......
btw just got back and had nasi lemak antarabangsa in kg bahru....awesomeeeee
life's too short so make the most of it, you only live but once.......
that is so sweet. I will walk on Corniche with you., We will leave Smoke and his twitching tail behind.
Spicemom, I would like to see the face of the guard...
Très loin de gratin dauphinoise et nasi lemak..uhuhuhuhu
life's too short so make the most of it, you only live but once.......
how lucky for some that their collegues do tell them all the rules and some of us dont have that privvy.....
life's too short so make the most of it, you only live but once.......
Darude let us analyse that sentence for a moment shall we:"then i will make sure i dump you some where on my way to corniche with lilly"
so you will dump me along with lilly on ur way to the corniche...now why would u want to go to the corniche alone and get caught by undercover cops?
Where there is Fire...There is Coke. Where there is Rum..There is Smoke - Sir Smoke-a-Lot
Emmmmmm, sad that none of your collegue inform this unwritten rule to you. You are not welcome to Souq Ahmad on friday also unless with family or some friends.
Respect local people & culture, they will leave you alone. As working mom said earlier, this is Qatar.. I have been in this country for 2 months, the 1st thing I try to learn & grab is what to do & what is the no-no. If you are non muslim, its maybe hard for you to understand or appreciated, but, as expatriate that is a very small cost to pay.
You may think its weird & funny but, I do not came across any incident that people dying & going to comatose BECAUSE thay cannot walking along cornicle on friday.
Cheers..
2 yrs ago sonhad a bday party then later he and his buddies (they were 14 then) wanted to go to landmark mall on a thursday, so i went with them and the security guard asked if theywere all my children and i said yes. the security guards mouth fell as the boys were pretty colorful (pakistani, malaysian,sudanese, south african and korean)and he asked again sure??and i say yes i have many husbands.....lol you should have seen his face.....i hurriedly got the boys in the mall before the guard recovered fr his shock.....hehhehehhehe
life's too short so make the most of it, you only live but once.......
I understand that the reason they have "Families Only" nights at shopping malls is because some women feel uncomfortable going to public places where there are lots of men. I have no problem with that, and have seen security at Landmark turn away single Qatari men on these nights, so the rule applies to all.
However, I don't think they should do the same to The Corniche. There are "Family Only" parks where people can go if they wish. One of the nicest things about The Corncihe is the diversity of people there.
But what worries me more is that this undercover policeman said the reason they're doing it is to keep out labourers and certain nationalities. That is blatant racial discrimination.
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http://tall-and-ginger.blogspot.com
I stay in West Bay. City center is the only store near to my house. In December the city center announced it is only for families and I was not aware of it. I have a shocking situation on that time. I have a one year old kid and I stock milk(tetra packs) in home for the kid. We found the milk was spoiled, though its expiry date is mid of 2008. I have to rush to the store to buy milk before the kid wakes up, so I rushed to city center (Carrefour) and the uneducated basterd is standing at the gate, and he is not even listening to me,,just keep chanting the word 'NO' NO..NOI requested a lady who is going near by to buy me a milk bottle ,as it is very urgent for the kid. I don't want to waste time in the arguments ,which will be a futile task. Surprising the family values in Doha is higher than a milk requirements for the infants.
then i will make sure we dump you some where on my way to corniche and i go for a walk with lilly :D
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hold on there Mr. Darude...i'm not looking to make anymore relatives...if we get caught u can say lilly is ur sister and i'll say she's my wife :)
Where there is Fire...There is Coke. Where there is Rum..There is Smoke - Sir Smoke-a-Lot
would be your cousins for sure
They won't consider that they don't even consider brothers bwahahaha my husband and brother in law were not able to to enter Villagio during Eid
Since when you are not allowed to rydges if you are a bachelor???
On Thursdays you should usually go in a mix gender group or as a couple, but nobody would forbid you from getting in only if you're a bachelor.
They just want to keep it mixed, within certain proportions.
I agree, it's not cool sometimes, but I can understand.
If you're looking for a problem, you're probably gonna find one.
it happened to DH and DS once , they went to the park hoping to get 30 mins or so of jogging then they we stopped at the entrance saying no bachelors allowed only family, but DH said that DS is his son and the guards laughed and still refused to let them enter. so they came home and then i went with them and voila we were allowed entry. i reckon they thought that DH and DS (he is 16) were out to oogle at the women there.......now i think they should have a special card to say that 'we are family ' or something like that huh?
life's too short so make the most of it, you only live but once.......
to join us for a walk at corniche and if got caught will say we are lost cousins :D
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Police and Lekhwiya personnel at wvery juction entering inot corcniche ....but the poor labors and worker got one day off and they are not allowed to malls and on corninche.
the authorities wantto confine them to Ind Area only....
you have to bear this flood of labors and workers at every place if you wanna devlop at this pace........
i feel for these poor ppl.....
No need to carry marriage cert for woman if you under husband's visa and wit h kids... As I said this is Qatar different rules today and different rules tomorrow mwehehehee
That could make him a "husband" alone
hmm so lets see then another situation...lets say i take my father and try to go into the mall...does a father and son qualify as FAMILY?
Where there is Fire...There is Coke. Where there is Rum..There is Smoke - Sir Smoke-a-Lot
If you are married here in Doha and you go out by yourself you could be considered as bachelor Try to got to Landmark Thurs. afternoon the guard will not let you enter the mall lol
ah your kids are enough to prove that you are a married couple.
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wow really??? i never heard about this before. Qatar become such a controll freak huh..
Everybody is right and Everybody is wrong, its depend where you stand
i fail to see the usefullness of a corniche if it cant be used by one and all on a friday, u want a person to drive all the way to umsaaied or dukhan just to have a walk?
Where there is Fire...There is Coke. Where there is Rum..There is Smoke - Sir Smoke-a-Lot
do we have to carryour marriage certificate around to show that we are married??
life's too short so make the most of it, you only live but once.......
he wants to go to corniche
tell him go get lost to umsaeed or some other place wakra or zubara or dukhan.
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An interesting viewpoint.
ok so i'm just wondering...lets say a man is married with his family here in doha, and for some reason the husband just wants to take a nice quiet peaceful walk on the corniche by himself on friday...does that make him a "bachelor" too? Damn only in Qatar you can become a bachelor again without getting a divorce hehehe!
Where there is Fire...There is Coke. Where there is Rum..There is Smoke - Sir Smoke-a-Lot
Being a single does have it's drawbacks lol.
Nic,
This is Qatar, this is not UAE and not KSA either lol. Every country has its own rules so take it or leave it.
Spot on Smoke such a tragedy lol.
well isnt it torture for the single women to go everywhere everytime and not see handsome single guys like us there?
Where there is Fire...There is Coke. Where there is Rum..There is Smoke - Sir Smoke-a-Lot
ah man females are allowed any where any time
its just us single male who are tortured lol
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i wonder if its ok for single women to go to the corniche on fridays? is there a rule for that?
Where there is Fire...There is Coke. Where there is Rum..There is Smoke - Sir Smoke-a-Lot
is more likely for families now not for singles to visit corniche.
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