QATAR FORT

These forts aren't "real" - they are movie sets built north of Doha in the desert. They are now tourist attractions (yes, this does say something about the number of tourist attractions in Qatar!).

Anyway, we spent a pleasant afternoon visiting these sites and watching the beautiful sunset. One thing I didn't get a photo of is the ostriches. This area is an ostrich "farm" and they run free. We could see them from a distance. When Andy and Grant came Boy Scout camping here Thanksgiving weekend the ostriches came much closer to their group - so close that the boys had to change their hiking route (you want to give ostriches their space!).

Just outside the large fort I stopped to take a photo and the rest of the group went on. A car full of Qatari women(in full abayas - long black robes and veils - you could only see their eyes) motioned to me and said, in English, "Hello - come here." I went over to the car and said "hello" - more Qatari women came up on foot. A few of them spoke English and they asked me if I liked Doha and where I was from. This was an unusual experience for me. I have been in Qatar 3 /12 months and have been spoken to by exactly 2 Qatari women. They asked if they could take my picture - I said yes and immediately they started clicking with cell phone cameras and a video camera. Then, the old lady in the group said something to one of the girls in the car. The girl pulled out a spare veil and handed it to the old woman. She took it and motioned that I should put it on - I kept smiling but said No. The woman was insistent, she said "here, better this way" (which one could take as an insult) and pushed the veil at me. I kept smiling and saying No. She then (gently) took me by the arm, removed my sunglasses, and pushed the veil at me. I (gently) took back my sunglasses and backed away. She followed me with the veil. I then told her "I will put it on if you take yours off." I don't know if she understood that, but I think some of the younger women did. Anyway - with that comment I said "goodybye" turned around and left.

I rejoined my family, who watched the whole thing from a distance. Unfortunately I had the camera so no one got a picture of me with the ladies. I made sure I stayed close to Grant when we passed by them to leave, and they ignored me because they wouldn't want/aren't allowed to interact with a strange man.

So - women out there - what would you have done? I really don't know what the intention was of these women, or whether they all had the same intention. Did they want to get a before and after picture - me without the veil and then with it? Would they have laughed if I put it on? Did I insult them by not putting it on? Would any of them like to refuse the veil? I don't know. Our cultures are so different, especially when it comes to male-female relations and their roles in society. What do you think?

Still without a veil (though I could use one on bad hair days!),

CB