Modesty campaign

In normal dress I presume..

does that mean fully naked fathima? or to what extent, I don't mean to be offensive, i'm just curious as to how its all supposed to go down :P

A man is permitted to see the lady he intends on marrying without her abayah and hijab before any engagement. This is in fact mandatory cos if not one is,as you so not so subtly put it, stuck with it!

Canadian Achilles - with a no!

thanks

this campaign is not worth supporting at all.

it imposes religious sensibility on everyone through a dress code..

there's nothing wrong with showing some skin, it's nice to be admired.

It's also a way of advertising your body, after all, your offspring are going to look similar to you..

i've always wondered how you're supposed to gauge the goods under the abaya before you marry a lady in islamic culture.

It must be like a game of deal or no deal, except after you make the deal, you're stuck with it and in some cases, have condemned your gene pool :/

I answered that in my first post with an explanation, and yeah now the topic has gone ummm...a bit off track. But as I always say:that's QL for ya!

Nope

The ladies are free to show what they like

and the guys are free to look where they like

until things start to cool down and become normal

I am intrigued..

The post was about a campaign - so my simple question , do you think the campaign is worth supporting..

A simple YES or NO!

Modesty is often mistaken to simply mean dress code when in actuality there are far more characteristics that are required to make a person truly of the modest.

yes indeed ..this is the true character of being modest not only in dressing but also in character and behavior towards others

I sure do appreciate that insanity, they can wear what ever they want. And I would appreciate the same from them in return.

"...You don't need to be a rocket scientist just to know that human life is more sacred than women's knees...."

This question crops up when you have to decide between saving life vs modest dressing and there is no difference on this point.

However as I said earlier even modest dressing as per islamic hijab is also important for many people which should be appreciated by those who dont wear hijab

You might respect women in hijab, and may Allah bless you, but not all men do! You may not do stuff like flirting with women, but not all men are like that.

Nom of the men who have tried chatting me up,mind you one incident was at Lulu's when I was innocently buying yogurts, some were Arabs too so I know what you mean.

And tahsin..I tell you there are other ladies I know also, who wear hijab, abayah etc and have men harassing them.

If at the time of our Prophet a Sahabi was raped, how can we say men don't harm women with hijab.

Again I'm impressed that you are the way you are, but that dosent mean you assume all men to be this way.

And remember in the Quran, before God tells women about their hijab, He first tells men to lower their gaze. Why? Because for men this is a issue..

Tahsinmim i think you are absolutely wrong..

About locals giving the utmost respect...yes, many do.

But let me tell you what I have experienced. One time I went to Villaggio with some Qatari ladies, we were all covered, married ladies with no interest at all in any guys.. Once we left the car, at least 3 people , out of their cars, called at us, threw papers at us..I was surprised! And I mentioned it to the ladies...they shrugged their shoulders and said this is totally normal, happens all the time.

Oh, don't say WRONG now, or I will take it as if you say I lie.

This is a true story.

Hijab or no, makes little if any difference.

and if you don't believe it, wear it and see for yourself. lol

YOU might have that respect, that does not mean everybody else does.

How can you say Fathimah is wrong if what she describes is what she and others have experienced?

Are you saying she is lying?

Or are you insinuating she is not wearing her clothes properly? Fathimah of all people...:P

How can you say that I am wrong. I have been followed by perverted men twice(it was very scary as I was all alone) , and some men have even tried coming to chat me up and I wear jilbab and niqaab!

How can you say I am wrong when I know ladies who wear hijab and have been sexually harassed.

Are you saying this dosent happen? My brother, this world is not as righteous as you think. There are some very vulgar and desperate men out there who even harass hijabi ladies and us niqabi ladies too.

Brother, we ladies have been commanded to wear hijab by Allah yes...but men must also learn to lower their gaze and treat women with respect.

It saddens me that you would think I speak without knowledge when I mentioned I have had first hand experience in this matter.

And what disturbed me most about men hitting on me is that not only am I in niqab and jilbab but they don't even know whether I am young or old, yet due to their evil minds they chose to harass me.

May Allah protect the women in your family from experiencing what we have...Aameen!

Ah, tahsinmim, you wear hijab often?

Hajji.. I would appreciate if you share your idea about the inhuman treatment of the ordinary workers here, who are also humans in all the way.

I would like to brand that as a modern day slavery done by the people who are not supposed to do so.

Why it is happening ?? are those people are not god feared..???

ETHICS

That's a nice word. Hear that, crancydutch?

Education should be righteous, has virtue, morals, and ETHICS.

You should not accept exposing your kids to issues that lack the above.

You should always teach them that what's wrong is wrong, even if billions of people practice it...it is still wrong.

Ethics, plain and simple, it's as usual, the lack of ethics.

nomerci...as long as humans are keep forgetting the humanity and its value, the world won't be at peace. You can see numerous examples everywhere from Mid east, Africa, Asia, Europe to Americas.

Rational thinking is the need of the hour, not just imaginary fantasies.....!!!

eapolo, well, as we know now..uncovered knees and shoulders are way more offensive to some people.

It is what it is....priorities ;)

Good on you for helping those guys :)

Here we go again......How about a serious campaign against traffic offenses? They kill...knees and shoulders don't....as far I know.

Or, how about a campaign against inhuman treatment of workers?

Or cruelty against animals? They can start at Souk Waqif....

But no, let's be offended by knees and shoulders....

It is pathetic that no body wanna share their ideas about what Nomerci is highlighting.

Just y/day I visited some of the workers from my country dumped in a no man's land along Dukhan road. Their cabins were gutted while they were out at work saving only their working cloths. When they said they wanna go home, the company dumped them in that place, 14 people in a 10x 12 square room with a bulb and refused to provide food even. Since we came to know about this tragedy , we helped them in any way we can with their needs and taken them to the country's embassy to do the necessary stuffs to arrange their departure ASAP. How any one of you are gonna explain this. The middle management of this company who are incurring this inhuman cruel treatment are the followers of the religion which is supposed to pay the dues before the sweat dried on the workers body. SIGH :(:(:(

I'm covered from head to toe.

My head is covered by my hair.

My torso is covered by a blouse

My arms are covered by sleeves

My legs are covered by pants

My feet are covered by shoes.

But apparently that's not enough.

Neither does the niqab for that matter..and I speak purely from my own experiences. If a man dosent know how to behave, and has perverted intentions then the fact that the woman is covered from head to toe even will not stop him.

nsanityOO7: One thing I’m unsure about is how exactly the hijab “protects” women?

Just take a walk through the narrow Souq Waqif corridors on a Thursday evening, and see how many times women in the loosest of Abayas get hit harassed and hit on by men.

So please don't lecture us on how modest and righteous covered women are as opposed to women who don't cover.

We are but putty in their hands :O(

Cleavage...an interesting issue...specially in NZ

check it out:

http://nz.lifestyle.yahoo.com/fashion/features/article/-/15421893/how-cleavagely-confident-are-kiwi-women/

Thing is...modesty is not necessarily dress related.

Let those who wear what they please sit next to those who smoke where there are no smoking signs. Most countries don't have a dress code but shopping malls often do - no shirt, no shoes, no service. Then the two groups of transgressors can complain about each other.

heheheheheheheheehe.

Answers to your question:

"Why do some men have to stare at it like they are starving and its food?"

1.Actually, your question has part of the answer. Some isolated Asian men ARE indeed starving and they can't help looking at things that look like food (sweet melons)

2.Every person like/admire beautiful things and is free to look at them (architecture, cars, women, paintings, colors, cleavage, legs, fashion, shoes...etc)

3.Put a blond person among some isolated African tribe in some jungle and they will not only look, but they will touch also. Because this person is different from them.

No offence meant

How do I show respect to a cleavage? Is it ok to bow down infront of the cleavage?

Next time I see a cleavage I will definitely pay my respects?

are the same or they are different in length?

are all people think in the same way?

I personally find it strange and very strange when a woman show her cleavage and got embaressed and try to cover it or hide it when somen look at it, on the other side I do not see it strange when some women walk showing their cleavage and do not care about people looking it because these women do not care actually whether men look at it or not, or probably these women want to show it.

What do you mean by look respectfully? could it be a look which is 2 seconds maximum.

Why do some men have to stare at it like they are starving and its food? Why can't the men look respectfully.

if she decide to wear a dress showing her cleavage why does she get embaressed when some men look at her cleavage?

It is then better to wear dress not showing her cleavage.

when some women show their cleavage and hide it or try to cover it when some men start looking at it.

Segmund, I also find your comments interesting...

Cross my heart!

Thank you both.

I do not know myself how this transfiguration did occur.

I find his comments very interesting too..May Allah bless him!

Well said bro. And I agree with you on the boy certainly deserving a suitable legal penalty for what he did wrong, but like you I too denounce the brutally beating him up approach, and I say this as a woman, a Muslimah, and a mom of a young girl.

But I'm wondering: how did this thread, about a modesty campaign in Qatar, get intermingled with your one? QL is an amazing place!

The two things have extremely weak correlation. In case of the a woman wearing miniskirt, she is not doing so in the hope of getting raped. Nor is she expecting that out of all the women wearing a similar dress, she would be singled out to become the victim of such a dreadful experience. In a place where there is adequate safety, there is no reason to blame a woman wearing a miniskirt.

However, if this woman, who chose to wear a miniskirt, also decides to visit a place, where for example, it is not very safe for a woman to stay anyways, for instance, a neighborhood with a high crime rate, then if something happens to her, I think she is certainly, in part, to blame, especially, if she could avoid the situation.

In the case of this man, this is 10,000 per cent clear that if you mess around with women, you get busted badly. I believe no one should harass girls even if there is no threat of immediate reprimand. I mean the girls did not come out to be bullied by a random boy.

By the way, most of you, who do not criticize the behavior of the boy, seem to be blind to the fact that girls are denied education anyways. I know of scores of incidents in which girls are simply stopped from going to school because the brother or father sees a guy standing in the street, and right or wrong, assumes that he is there with a bad intention.

To the extent that the boy was beaten up barbariously, I denounce it. But I really do not have any more pity for this guy than that. I think he should have realized the consequence of harassing girls on the bus.

By the way, do you know that, even in American law, staring at someone can tantamount to sexual harassment. So those of you who say 'he just gave a number, duh?' should try to look at it from the perspective of those girls.

Segmund...about your post at 2.05....is that just like when a woman wears a mini skirt and gets raped?

You bad boy! :)

Yes you did and that makes you as primitive as the other three men, I wouldn't be surprised if those were good friends of yours LOL just joking!

Sorry for the hijack! :D

Here we are not talking about primitive men and your good looking wife.

I am talking from my own personal experience, not from books. I understand that we could see it differently coming from different background.

But believe me it was not about the primitive men thing there. In that culture, you simply STAY AWAY from women. They will crack your head like an egg sometimes even if you dare to stare.

This guy had a serious problem with understanding his own culture. I felt sorry for him that he suffered such humiliation and torture, but I still hold him responsible for whatever happened to him. I am not, let me repeat, I am not saying it was justified.

Would an example make it any different?

A man has to rush to his office as he is late. On the way he finds that the road is buried in thick fog. However, he decides to drive at a high speed, hits a tree and get killed. Who is responsible? If you are not devoid of reason completely, you would know the answer. Now, if I say he is responsible for whatever happened to him, am I, in any manner, implying that his death is justified?

I never justified the man's beating. I only said he should have been prudent enough to imagine the consquences of being a daredevil to throw his phone number written on a piece of paper in a conservative society like that.

Segmund, it's okay to dislike or disagree with someone as long as you don't kill the person for his beliefs.

I could also disagree with a guy who doesn't have enough people skills to approach a woman in a proper manner. Trust me, I know what it's like when primitive men try to approach my good-looking wife, but what to do yanni? I know she can handle it, so what?

Step into the real world Segmund, you will learn so many good things that books don't...

You know what? I am starting to like you. You are not a bad boy but someone who wants to look like a bad boy.

I never justified the beating. I only criticized the guy for inviting unto himself unnecessary maltreatment.

I could also say that I do not like someone who appears blind to three girls being harassed in broad day light, but I wont do that, coz as I have said, I am starting to like you.

"The uproar that the campaign has effected upon this website is much larger than any effect from it seen elsewhere. Most of the people hardly even know about it."

Are you conducting a survey?

Sorry, but I cannot give credit to someone who justifies three men beating someone up based on "moral" reasons.

The campaign is targeting all "expat" women. Not just Western.

NM, says...

I think that many Western women feel insulted by this. Simply because most of those women do dress modestly, not because they are in Qatar, but they generally do .

thank you for your post. That is excatly my point.

I am one of those Western Women who dress appropriately. I lived in Egypt, and Lebanon besides here, so I see many, many women of Arab decent wearing the controversal clothing Western's are being accused of wearing in Muslim countries. I always wonder, why these women that are wearing the Abaya bother.... they wear it very tight fitting, or un-buttoned from waist down, so we see the skinny tight jeans, and very high heels.

It should be up to the individual if there is not going to be a law like in Iran or KSA. Until then here it is freedom of choice. But if you do, then be aware you will be stared at. I just chose when I am out, to respect the culture.

The uproar that the campaign has effected upon this website is much larger than any effect from it seen elsewhere. Most of the people hardly even know about it.

People on this site are into the habit of blowing things out of proportion. Folks here are ranting here more vociferously than they would care to comment on, let us say, the Gaza conflict.

The opponents of the campaigns appear so concerned as if, in real workaday life, tomorrow, a strict ban on all dress-sans-abaya would be promulgated with immediate effect.

I agree with you on not to judge someone by their clothes. I have been mistaken a many times. I once went to a department in the University of Peshawar, and by judging a man there on his clothes, took him for a peon. He took me to the chairman's office, and there, he sat in the chairman's seat: he was head of the department of English, and a Harvard graduate.

There are many women of enviable character who would dress just normally, and the opposite is true as well. Although, decent dressing always appears graceful, at least to me, I do not think we should make any judgment as to someone's character on account of the way they dress.

I think that many Western women feel insulted by this. Simply because most of those women do dress modestly, not because they are in Qatar, but they generally do . In all my years in

Qatar I have not seen a Western woman show her midriff, sure, they may wear summer dresses that show the shoulders,or a skirt that ends a centimeter above the knees, but those are still very modest.

Generally, I think this campaign may have the opposite effect from what it aims at.

I'm just wondering what would these women feel if they are told 'you are one of us' in any European or Asian countries? Would they oblige or protest?

Lucky_gal--it's commonly referred to as a muffin top, but I find it hysterical that whoever designed the poster has this impression of style.

The whole "it's their country" line is getting tiring. Qataris are hardly a homogenous culture; this campaign is just one voice of many. I'm all for a little public decency, but being told how to dress as an adult is a little much.

Find it funny how the third lady in the pic has love handles showing...modesty is a heart issue, also different cultures has their definition of modesty. However I'm curious to hear how modesty is defined here in Qatar... Would a skinny jean with long top covering your behind be considered modest? Or all have to be loose?

Let's not forget campaign against air stealing.

People coming here polluting our oxygen to CO2.

Shame on them!

Insanity, I think it is wrong to conclude who or what a person is by what the person wears. The saying "don't judge a book by its cover" comes to mind.

I truly believe we must give people the chance to show who or what they are by interacting with them.

And to show why modest dress has been prescribed by the creator...well, that implies that everybody believes in the same faith, or generally has faith in a creator. That just is not the case, therefore presumptious and will foster resentment.

You aid in your post that "...I believe it is important what is INSIDE a person, not what is on the outside..."

While I could'nt agree more with u on the first part, I still believe that it is also important for a person that both his inside and outside are in sync.

"....what about women who dress as per the islamic values HERE, and then change once they leave for vacation?..."

muslim women are expected to wear hijab to obey Allah's command which is mentioned in the religious texts.

If some women wear hijab for other reasons then it is for them to answer to Allah in the hereafter.

And, I think this should be one of the focal points in this campaign to encourage women to make them understand the reasons why modest dressing has been prescribed by our creator and also to highlight the ill effects of immodest dressing in the society (rather than just focussing on Qatari values and culture )

If GCC nationals visit and stays at your countries, attending universities and colleges, going as tourist or even opening up businesses.

Will you accept their complaints about your country's way of dressing or displays of public affections because they feel it is not right?

Let us all remember that we are in their country and we should respect their culture and sensitivities. If they decide to change, and they are slowly changing, let us be supportive but not critical (complaining that its not fast enough).

And for people complaining that GCC countries are making it hard for people to apply as citizens, look at your countries first. Almost all countries are now implementing a more stringent immigration policy.

The state of Qatar will not implement a dress because it is almost impossible to enforce, goes against the notion that Qatar is a multi-cultural and tolerant society, and it will play out very badly in the world media at a time the government is seeking to raise Qatar's profile. The article I cited in the OP was discussing the negative implications for the World Cup.

Having said that, there is nothing wrong with a private campaign that kindly requests visitors to behave within the cultural norms of the society (eg be good guests). In exchange Qataris should be expected to be good hosts.

or other aspects of religion and good manners, I always prefer to lead by example, bro. Truly No point in preaching what I myself don't practice,sah?

From a religious point of view:

*For one thing I don't believe it's right to impose a dress code on non Muslims when the Prophet Himself, as the ruler didn't do so, as far as my admittedly limited knowledge goes. Anyone who claims otherwise will have to site the proof!

*As for Muslims then merely telling Muslim ladies to cover their shoulders and knees makes no sense. They'll have to then make it mandatory for them to wear a full loose abaya and hijab in accordance to the Quran and sunnah, which of course will be impossible for many reasons!

*A Muslim wearing hijab and abaya for the sake of the law and society alone and not for God's sake with knowledge of the religion,, hence they remove it when they leave the land and only wear it when there, is committing a bigger sin than those who don't wear it at all. They are hypocrites and that is never a good virtue in Islam.

On a social or cultrural point of view:

*How can one tell people that merely covering shoulders, knees and midriffs are modest, when you got all these ladies wearing skin tight, leaves nothing to the imagination type-jeans and tops oh and even ahem ahem abayas.

*The very usage of the words "us": cos not all of the "us" (or should that be "them"..confusing) themselves dress modestly nor support it, hence it makes the whole campaign senseless.

In actuality for many such reasons and the complications arising due to them,this campaign will remain as it is...a few lil matchstick folks on paper plastered over a few places and doing its rounds in the media. Nobody is actually bothering to heed the ban cos truth be told there is no such law being imposed with any seriousness except in a few places like Aspire Park which seems to be a bit of a out of whack place anyways! Expats wear what they wish anyways, and no one to date has ever emerged nude..phew!

The truth is modesty ultimately lies in the heart and mind of any human being. A Muslim man or woman doesn't need laws imposed on them to be religious or to make practicing their religion easier for them. They should know when faced with the temptation and the possibility of committing sins, to look away and turn away, aka lower their gaze.

Likewise a modest human being, whatever be their perception of modesty, will be modest regardless of those around them. Telling others to be what your idea of modest is again makes no sense.

Elsewhere, tahs

Was waiting for one of your zingers....

A good idea. perhaps they do. i don't really know :O)

A friend of mine went on holiday and loved wearing a sarong so much, he now wears it at home in blighty ..

So much why not adopt this new attire in their home countries.

Why would they ?

Guys this song, pretty relevant here, just plucks at the deepest strings in my heart.

Would they continue doing it in their home countries?

Possibly so. I also know quite a few who preferred it , because they don't need to worry about matching, ironing etc.. :O)

I think you misunderstood, I meant to say that yes many have said well hey I can pretty much wear what I want underneath, but I think they're desperately trying to find SOME positive in their current situations.

Exactly! So, when in Rome.....

I think modesty is subjective to the culture you come from.

What’s considered modesty in this country is just insanity in my culture.

Ask nomerci ....

Hate to admit it, but many have expressed this point as well, but I think they're desperately trying to find some positive in something that they're forced to do.

you mean wearing sarees, thats in Air India too but covering midriffs.

Now just traveled Sri Lankan Airlines recently. The flight hostesses had their midriff showing!

Many do. It means they don't need to worry too much about what is being worn underneath..

good idea, what about adding Rizky's full lungi also in the distribution menu :)

its loose clothes that cover most of your body which is been suggested here covering the head or not is not an issue!

really tash..so you can wear a tank top with shorts with hijab ?

I think they should distribute scarves and abayas at the airport immigration counter with every tourist visa issued!

Friends living in Saudi , and believe me they do NOT enjoy wearing abayas.

This should be posted at the Airports and shopping malls for general awareness for the new comers in Qatar.

Despite such campaign in UAE, Dubai police carries long scarves to distribute ladies, not following modesty rules.

Yes I have UK. It was the end of November and I was still sweating like crazy.

And yes tahsinmim, it is because they have to. My female friends complain about them ALL the time.

Sometimes it is better to heed suggestions because the alternative may be a lot worse.

Miss Mimi have you ever worn an Abaya?

They do it because they have to UK, not because they want to.

UK Eng: Saudi is ultra-conservative clergy ridden state. Even Saudis wanna get the hell out of there.

Abaya an answer to women's prayers in the Middleast!

The local girls wear jeans in 50C, then they don an abaya on top? why cant the expat do the same..:)

Because who really wants to wear jeans in 50 degree temperatures Brit? No matter how strongly its suggested?

That I couldn't show my knees or shoulders here. However I was told people will stare....well you know what, if you don't like it don't stare.

I do however cover up in malls. Signs ask us politely to do so and I oblige.

I do agree with you. Having said that , what is wrong with acting on "suggestions" ? They are coming from the government aren't they ?

UkEngQatar : Saudi is changing, slowly but surely. I know Expat women in Saudi, that don't cover head when they go out. Sometimes I watch the Saudi English service channel onyoutube, and see Expat women being interviewed, inside malls without the hardcover, all the time.

to cover their the shoulders and Knees?

But they need to wear an Abaya right?

I think that's because there's no ground for interpretation in Saudi Brit. You do it. It's law and there are muttawa around to enforce it. End of story.

I've said time and again, if the Qatari's want expats to dress a certain way, make it law. Stop suggesting and start enforcing.

tinkerbell10 said

I havent seen NUDE people ...

I havent seen NUDE people here!

How about a campaign against all those outlets that sell skimpy wear?????

___________________________________________

Yes you have TB, lol my skin color is very nude...........

so is most of the population...and BTW the skantly clad women are from a Arab country starting with the lettter L.....

MN-01 Saudi is part of the GCC!

Brit: Well Saudi is another planet, if you ask me :P

True Brit, expat women there don't have any issue to cover their heads and wear abayas when they go out!

NM: here is no need to enforce the fact that a very large number of Muslim women choose not to wear head-covers. And, it is likely that some of the ones who choose to wear hijabs, do so more to drive please society rather than to acknowledge the inherent utility of Hijab.

Having lived and worked in three GCC countries, I have seen expats adhere to the dress code in Saudi without any great rumblings.

This law is been strictly implemented at one place in Qatar! By men in white on their Golf carts in Aspire Park!

Now that's something worth campaigning about.

should be launched that how to wear an abaya/hijab modestly. The way some women wear the abaya and hijab is much more indecent. nothing is left for imagination.

Agree with NM. Wish I saw this much passion go into buckling up kids in the car. :(

two thumbs up for MS

"human life is more sacred than women's knees" posting it on FB lol

Insanity, let's please stop talking in the name of "All Muslims". You don't need to be a rocket scientist just to know that human life is more sacred than women's knees.

So I have to agree with Nomerci, we need to get our priorities straight.

insansity--not all Muslims believe that showing knees and shoulders is immodest, as made clear by the host of Muslims that show shoulders and knees when they are in the West (on the plane rid their). Or, for that matter, in Qatar.

Insanity, yes I understand. I still believe that the priorities are in disorder here.

And then...what about women who dress as per the islamic values HERE, and then change once they leave for vacation?

I have seen this happening.

Look, do not get me wrong, I do not care one bit how other people dress, but I wish this was reciprocated.

I believe it is important what is INSIDE a person, not what is on the outside.

But I am just an expat....;)

"...They kill...knees and shoulders don't....as far I know.

Or, how about a campaign against inhuman treatment of workers?...Or cruelty against animals? They can start at Souk Waqif...."

There are people fighting for different issues, everything goes in parallel. Also the level of importance which a person gives to different things differs based upon the his ethics and principles.

So for you displaying of knees and shoulders may be a small or insignificant issue but for muslims it is not a small/minor issue as it is related to modesty of women and the negative effect that immodest dressing has and the far reaching consequences it has on the society as a whole.

I think they have, and they have not included a detailed dress code. Think of all the laws that govern behavior--traffic laws, criminal laws, laws on drink driving, etc.

Exactly. There would be court rulings and penal laws to defining the dress code issue if this was, in fact, the intention article 57.

Article 57 merely states that if there was such a dress code in law, then all in Qatar should abide by it. But, again, there is no legal dress code. Hence there reason for the campaign.

tahsinmim, a proper legal system should be more specific... leaving it to interpretation causes more problems in the long run.

Article 57 states:

Respect for the Constitution, abiding by the laws issued by the public authorities, abiding by public order and public behaviour, following the national traditions and norms is the duty of all residing in the State of Qatar.

It says nothing about dress, decent or otherwise. Nor does it define what decent is. More important, this campaign is a privately lead one, not an official one.

Cool. I'll have to get rid of my muffin top then.

As far as I'm concerned you can.

Brit: what I find despicable about the dress code is that A- It’s a kiss up superficial nod to the conservative members of this country.

B-The conservatives are not telling the Israeli trade representative or the American universities to leave, but they'll tell women to cover their shoulders.

C- It’ a severe infringement on our personal rights.

D-most of us (at least the expats I know) actually do put in an effort to respect the traditions here.

E-if they enforce this law the way they enforce the traffic or workers' rights laws, then I might feel less offended by this stupid code.

F-do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

So if I don't have a muffin top, can I wear a belly shirt?

Excellent points. I'll cover my chest hair when they start observing the UN declaration of universal rights and treat foreign workers accordingly.

britexpat--I find the display of all that purple flesh in the poster offensive. What are these stick figures trying to prove anyway? Perhaps they are trying to lure the men's toilet sign.

No we have to be "one of us" only when it comes to respecting their culture in their country...rest of the time we have to be "one of them".

If the expats are "one of US" does that mean they will be getting rid of preferential treatment for citizens and instituting equitable labor laws?

What exactly do you find distasteful about the campaign ?

how about a campaign against Arabian attire in the west ,( including Abya and scarf’s ) ?

And the motto should read something like this “If you are in our country you are one of US “

What a pathetic campaign!

Ryan Canuck, Not a single tweet result for that hashtag.. Lol, some campaign..

Lets campaign against voilation of labour laws instead...modesty is all relative and i dont think expat women dress immodestly

This was also on twitter and the local paper..

https://twitter.com/OneOfUs_qa

http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=544539&version=1&template_id=36&parent_id=16

It is obvious that if the QTA is promoting this, then it has the blessings of the powers that be.

Perhaps they feel that it may be better to bring about gradual change through such mediums, than introducing laws and enforcement

Segmund,

Nevermind Segmund... have a nice day!

I don't think is actually a law yet, just a private campaign that the Qatar Tourism authority is now endorsing and starting to share at the airport and in the travel info it distributes abroad--breathing life into an almost-dead campaign.

For the record, I don't think anyone with the body of the third figure should be dressed like that. Muffin tops just aren't that flattering on men or women.

Segmund--the most scantily clad women in public in Qatar are not European.

Further nudity...where? When? what did I miss?? Naked people:0

Can we also organize a campaign against humid weather? I can't open my window in this country.

Try looking for #oneofus_qa on Twitter (as advertised in their little JPEG there). Yeah, I couldn't find anything either.

I have no doubt to say that the authorities just want to keep things from going too much out of hand. It is pretty obvious the campaign has never been launched in the earnest. It is just a preemptive message to avoid further nudity.

Do you really think if the government really want to come strict on this one, they would have a problem. Tonight they will make an announcement, and early in the morning all the saleswoman in the malls even would be draped in black abayas.

So everybody out there, do not panic. It is just a measure to keep a check on insenuations of the western culture from assuming the monstrous proportion of a tidal wave which would, clearly, have every potential to swipe the culture here.

Do not worry, these are just reminders, nothing serious as yet. Please do not feel alarmed ok.

'You are one of us'. lol how about offering us some citizenship?

The fourth one is a man, no? lol

belly is showing ......

uhm, why is the 3rd one not allowed?

shoulder and knees are covered..

ryan,,,,YES please!

Can we please have a campaign against roundabouts?

Except I fear the same outcome for such campaigns too! The truth is nothing can be achieved unless laws are not only prescribed but also implemented strictly.

Oh...let's make it real exciting! Let's have a campaign against racism..:P

Here's the image:

relax. so they might be prepared for the 2022 when the revelers and spectators will drinking n dancing in the streets.

you have to accept this as part of your rapid development n influx of expats of all backgrounds.

Here we go again......How about a serious campaign against traffic offenses? They kill...knees and shoulders don't....as far I know.

Or, how about a campaign against inhuman treatment of workers?

Or cruelty against animals? They can start at Souk Waqif....

But no, let's be offended by knees and shoulders....

Whatever be their motive and the exposure they are getting, this campaign is not successful in the least.It's been months since they started it, yet expats around the country continue to dress as they wish,in broad daylight, with no fear of any reprimanding or penalties, thus I believe this is just one of those "looks good on paper" (at least to some) type laws that in reality will not be implemented.

TFS ... i think sharing and spreading the message in this form will not only be more appropriate but will be more acceptable to many .... without feeling offended .