Villagio Indecent Security-Hate Villagio

that's racial descrimenation,right? how about asian decendant but american citizen..how about that..

That this incident didn't change your mind about buying the stuff you went for.

The family day is understandable but the idea of filtering people by their ethnicity is too much.

ひどいですよね！

Has the Draft Constitution ever been promulgated, Tallg? It was very exciting when everyone was voting on it but it doesn't become law without the Emir's approval and I can't recall that being given. In any case, it talks about everyone being "equal before the law", which is not quite the same thing as rejecting racism. Other references to equality seem to refer to citizens.

I believe the constitution of Qatar states that no one should be treated differently because of their race. Not that that constitutes a law or anything, I was just pointing it out.

Anyway, best thing to do is just walk past them. They're not likely to do anything.

Racism isn't against the law in Qatar, in fact it is written into the law. Employment laws stipulate that employers should discrimination on the grounds of race and religioun when employing people. The order (if I remember it correctly) is 1) Qataris, 2) Gulf Arabs 3) Other Arabs 4) Other Muslims 5) anyone else.

The malls positively boast about the "families only" days, because they reckon their customers like it. In a country where discrimination is not outlawed, it is their prerogative to refuse entry to their shop on whatever criteria they like. I think we all know that at the heart of this is a desire to ensure they are not swamped with low-income labourers who have nowhere much to go.

The authorities - not shops - have adopted similar policies for Souq Waqif and the Corniche. There's a guard at Rumeilah Park who makes me walk in the gutter every time I go past, because it is "families only" - and I'm white and English. So I wouldn't hold out much hope of any complaint to the government getting anywhere.

When Souq Waqif was what it used to be (before they rebuilt it all) you often couldn't move in it for all labourers, who can now be seen hanging around places where the buses from the industrial area stop, and near the Sofitel. Imagine what the new souq would be like if all those people were wandering through it - does your opposition to racism extend to that? Personally, I didn't mind it the old way, but I know my wife and her friends sometimes found it intimidating.

I can't imagine embassies or human rights organisations making an issue of racism, either, so I'm afraid you probably just have to accept it as being part of the price of living here.

yes skdkak... shame on those policy makers. Every expatriate here has the right to have an access to malls whenever and wherever they want.

this racial-discrimination-disguise-as-family-day should be junked.

why don't we sign a signature campaign and send to the management of these malls?

OR HATE CAMPAIGN?

dont go to that place again

Racism in Qatar? I don't really understand what happened. If it was just because you were an asian that they threw you out, oh then its so bad.

gr8 thinking but without any +ve effects.

Need this info to go to concerned government agencies and departments who make such laws.

Malls only implement them

another reason why we have WARS

Can't we just get along in the Malls?

If what is happening in Doha is true, I have few basic questions to whom-so-ever is concerned to listen:

1) Most of the bachelors are from poor asian countries

2) these guys are not allowed to bring their families due to restricted salaries

3) these very bachelors live in pathetic conditions in labour camps

4) and these very poor fellows are not allowed to shop on the only weekly off (friday)

5) now if this restriction also is applied to all the malls - where does govt / mall owners want them to go

this is a shame on policy makers and their advisors

SHAME SHAME SHAME

Guys, Lulu is owned by a god fearing Indian, thats why they don't have any such crazy rules. Hope atleast now some of these Indian bashing members will take note. Even during the black days of South African struggle for equality among races, Indians supported Mandela the most!

it is not just villagio who does racial profiling. check this previous posting about Souq Wakif!

http://qatarliving.com/node/418737

They can have family day, but can't accept their whites only day policy. The outside world will soon note this and will have a bad effect on Qatar's image. But is someone worried.., I doubt.

i try to copy paste again one good response from Gulf-times report of Family day..The author's argument is great!!!

I just cannot understand the logic behind the ‘family day’ policy imposed by certain malls.

First, Qatar is a society trying to be modern without leaving its cultural blueprint behind. I don’t see anything anti-cultural in malls allowing all demographics to shop or just wander around their premises all days of the week.

If crowds can mingle without any problem in the malls on Saturday to Thursday, why can’t they do that on a Friday?

It is understandable that some sectors of this society want to maintain a certain amount of ‘privacy’ or ‘exclusivity’ on a certain day. But Friday? It is when all people are usually off their works, and so this is the only day when bachelors, especially those who come from as far as Dukhan and Ras Laffan, can afford to enjoy the pastime called ‘malling’. That is why it’s called a regular holiday!

Especially now that there is a summer festival - which is actually a huge bore for they have shown nothing but the same stuff for the past years, but that’s another story - going on, it is quite disappointing and puzzling to see bachelors getting shunned by the security guards from entering the malls. Don’t they have the right to enjoy these ‘festivities’?

Second, malls are there for business. Merchants rent shops in the malls for profit. Cinemas are there for profit. Restaurants are there for profit. It doesn’t require a Harvard business school-trained mind to realise that bachelors are also customers who could invigorate these businesses, and hence provide more profits!

Managers who design and implement policies that are meant to minimise rather than optimise profits are simply not thinking progressively and wisely. They should know that whether a bachelor belongs in the high-income or low-income group, he still needs to buy groceries; he will still buy clothes and shoes and other stuff that are within his budget; he will still be hungry no matter what and spend some money for snacks; and hence dismissing him is dismissing a business opportunity.

I always thought, whenever I see the ‘family day’ only signs on malls, that if I were a merchant renting a store inside the mall, I would lead a protest with my co-merchants against this family day policy because it surely has an effect on my profit.

Third, Qatar is promoting tourism. What if a male tourist is rightly barred from entering a today-is-for-family-only mall by a security guard who is disposing of his duties diligently? Where is the Arabian hospitality Qatar is known for that Qatar frequently uses to woo tourists?

If you were a traveller who spent dearly to experience the wonders Qatar supposedly offers, wouldn’t you wish you had travelled elsewhere if this is how you’re treated in a public place?

At any rate, that male tourist will only be lucky to explore the mall if the guard discriminates, or is asked to do so by his supervisors or the mall management, between the ‘affluent, well-dressed’ Arab or Western male and the ‘dirty, blue-collared’ expatriate.

Which brings me to last, but not the least, point: this family day policy is not strictly implemented. While the obviously blue-collared expatriate workers are being barred, local and Western males get to enter the malls without any problem at all, as if no such policy is in place. I personally witnessed this last Friday when I went to City Center. I was extremely glad that the same observation/conclusion has been reported in a report in your paper on the Sunday that followed.

Unless we want to throw logical thinking altogether in a world that needs it most, the Friday-for-Family policy in certain malls should be junked.

we are still lucky since Lulu did not follow-suit for this racial-discrimination disguise as "family day".

just to copy paste one of the responses from Gulf-Times:

had the privilege of seeing ‘family-days’ being implemented by some malls in Doha and it was amusing.

On the fourth day of Eid, which happened to be a Friday, I did not imagine in my wildest dreams that after three days of ‘family-only’ rule at malls, the ban on bachelors would still be in place. I was decently dressed on that day and I certainly did not smell! Still the guard at the entrance stopped me. I’m not into arguing, so I chose to wait outside and wait for my friends who had gone inside.

And thus I ended up on the bench outside the Villagio Mall entrance along with other ‘smelly’ and ‘unkempt’ men. During the 30 minutes I was ‘benched’, I counted not fewer than 50 bachelors going inside the mall; the guards didn’t even bother to look at them. The difference was that they were all Arab or Western single men. When these men approached the gates, the security guards had a trick to let them in; they got busy talking to themselves or looked away in amusement at something happening at a distance. Of course some people who were unlucky enough to look like Asians got filtered! Definitely the ban was 100% for all single Asian men - Indians, Pakistanis, Filipinos, Chinese.

One interesting scene was that of a Filipino couple who had the husband’s brother with them. Pretty well dressed and educated, they were stopped at the gates as the guard wouldn’t let the brother inside. They argued with the guard but to no avail. At one point, I felt the guard got a bit confused and would let them inside when the guy took out both their ID cards to show the same family name, but then he stuck to his decision and refused to be influenced. I did wonder at that point, if the elderly couple had a grown-up son, they would be forced to leave him on the bench with me!

In a country where two thirds of the population is single men, I still have not got a decent justification as to the whole purpose of the ‘family-only’ days. More than half a million single men toil in far-off areas and many of them visit Doha only once a month only to be turned away like social outcasts, saying they smell! They are the ones who clear our garbage, build our offices and homes, transport our goods and keep the country running. Yet they are not the kind we can let inside our malls and supermarkets.

Though not anywhere near, a thought did cross my mind, of Rosa Parks, the African American activist who was asked to give away her seat to a white passenger and of Mahatma Gandhi, who was thrown off the first-class compartment of a train in South Africa.

Isn’t this another form of the same discrimination/racism/class-ism we all cry about is happening still in the West? Or when it happens there, it is all of the above, but here it is to stop harassment of our women and children?

Instead of beating around the bush with all the dignified answers given in press interviews, they might as well say it loud – don’t come to our malls, we don’t like your kind. I don’t know if they’ll follow suit, but I appreciate LuLu group for not enforcing, so far, such irrational regulations.

aahh..the infamous family issue. Happens to all of us doesnt it ? It happened to me and frends as well. All we wanted to do was watch a movie!!After hours of traffic and finding a god-for-saken parking space, you have to face the security guard looking at your shoes, clothes, skin color and of course their unmistakable ability to recognise what race we are from.

I suggest we all call them (security desk) before hand and tell them that we are coming and asking if we will be allowed in. Also drop in the hint that you/we are short, ugly and capable of wearing attires that havent been to the laundry in ages.

anyhuu..as a escape manouever(wrong spelling?), you cud try telling them that you have tickets to movie waiting inside and if they dont allow you in, THEY will have to reimburse us and they can escort us to the ticket desk. just hope that the security guard is lazy enuf not to escort you!!

the BLUE pill or the RED pill ??

I experienced that numerous times already but I always end up entering the mall. How? Do one thing, go to the entrance near the Virgin store and when the guards will stop you. Just explain to them that you came from the other gate and you need to give them reasons(I often use these two and it never fails)1. that I need to go to the pharmacy to buy cough syrup(do the sound effects ok?) 2. I will pay my credit card bill in CBQ which is due today.

Tell them also that the guards from the other gate told you that you can come in through this gate and assure them that you will not stay long inside.

In these situations, we need to improvise and be confident with ourselves. The kind of system they implement sucks. The capacity of a person to purchase goods does not lie on his RACE.

Enjoy shopping!

i'm a local and those actions makes me feel shameful, i have studied and lived for a while abroad and the only thing i found was hospitality and appreciation of my humanity.

first suggestion is to take this incident and others all the way up to human rights comittee here in Qatar , or to your embassy and let them know that their citizins are being treated on racial basis,and declined entrance to public places.

second thing i wonder what would happed if Qataries were treated the same during their vaccations in europe and were forbidden entrance to a certain mall just because of their race,

this is total racism and pure discrimnation .

Stupidity has no limits

I already told this story before, but in one of my QL Mums coffee I was arranging long table and chairs in starbucks. The security approached me and in the rude manner said that i set the table too far in to the walkway and i have to put it back inside the starbucks area. I told him straight him in his face, if you are not happy you can call the police. You should see his face when I said that ... he did not know what to say back and do and just walk away after that.

I am actually think if you guys bachelor insisted wants to come in and charging in, how these security guards would react? Beat you? Shoot you?

a strong word to use,and so is racism.is it cultural,chronic or congenital?im way past the DOORMAT and SHABBY treatment.ill blow my earnings in another country where the security guards are nice and the mall managers are RACE friendly...lol

They probebly woulden't know what to do.

Will those security guards really going to beat you up if you guys just charging in to the door?

i am also comfortable on this policy,but they must stick with their policy, without exceptions for those WHITES!

Remember all color of skin, if you slash it, we will have the same color of whats beneath on it.

its not about black and white..........

its about lots of people go in undreeseed,smelly,etc which is just annoying

Im the one and only

With all due respect buddy, I doubt whether many would have the guts to stop you :)

I also doubt whether an "African American" would be stopped once the heard his accent or saw his ID.

I haven't really seen many guards at villagio, if any, or guards stopping people.

cat.inc, you forgot what the security said 'allow single white men.' Would you review your comments about 'uncomfortable situations'. The fact that only 'black and brown' skin tone are responsible for increasing discomfort levels of ladies is insulting to many single asian men.

isn't that an oxymoron- "racism...but I like the policy". Having your cake and eating it too? What's your stand really, when it comes to things like this? If I had my way, I'd be holding a big sign saying BOYCOTT, of Villagio and to any Mall having this family day policy, but unfortunately maybe this will grant me a free stay at the local jail plus free and quick passage home. Ok, would you agree if family day falls on a wednesday or any weekday instead, for us without families to freely do our shopping or window shopping on a friday which is the day off for most workers here in Qatar. Would that be hard and asking too much from the enlightened(?)managers of these malls for these people who are, by the way, made Qatar into what it is today?

[Mod note: Swearing on public forum isnot allowed]

I know this is raceism and I should be the last to accept the situation however I like the policy. It make me comfortable to know that the wife and kids can go to the malls and parks on their owm without thousands of men hanging around.

Unfortunately the situation is that the proportion of single men to all women in this country is disproportionate and it makes for uncomfortable situations.

I have also been stoped from entering the malls and acutaly understood. I came back later with the family with no problems.

I would vote for the policy to remain in place but the country should make it easier on people who want to bring their families over.

which we consider as ultra conservative to our tastes has no similar policy. We merely go out or give way to the local ladies if we are uncomfortably close. Uniquely Qatar which will land them, perhaps, in the Guinness record pages. It defies business logic. Now, Lulu is laughing on the way to the bank!

Say NO to Villagio and C;centre , simple.

______________________________________________

Listen to Many..Speak to a few.

Now they put the bachelors the same level as dogs...OMG...such a disgrace

yesterday morning, my family and I went to aspire park, since my yougest son (2 years old) was too lazy to walk(forgot to bring his stroller) we decided to just sit on the bench with my other son (4 yearss old) playing scooter around the area, my husband and his nephew (25 yrs old,only one week old in Doha) then walked to see the cabin house,a security guard asked my husband if he is with his family,and informed him that friday is family day in the park, we have seen these kind of scenerio at the malls around doha and we hated it, now even the park is haunted by the family day policy, before we can bring our lovely dog in aspire park to play and run but I also read in QL that dogs were not allowed. they should put a notice then that " bachelors and dogs are not allowed" very humilating, it's getting into my nerves.

oh well... =(

“Lukewarm acceptance is more bewildering than outright rejection.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.

They have cameras on the entrance at gate 1 , gate 2 and gate 3 at villagio . I entered from gate 1 where he told me to show my face on camera . The Nepali security guard had his boss sitting in control room seeing my face from there . His Boss saw my face on caamera and realising that i am asian community , indicated to nepali guard " mafeeh entrance " . Then this nepali guard pulled me out .

Mind you , i am earning very well , have blackberry phone , was wearing coat when i went to villagio with leather shoes . So thatz VILLAGIO MALL in QATAR -A SHAMEFUL MALL i must say after this experience . I have been to all malls in Dubai , UK , France , Holland but this was my 1st experience in QATAR .

thing is, however loud we shout racism, they still wont change their policy, sad huh...

Tsk tsk tsk.... Racism.

I would have bought it at the LuLu...

I know it BS but that guy saved you lots of money...

Lulu rocks...:)

You can't teach experience...

that's bad.. sorry to hear that brother.. these scenarios must not be tolerated and should be reported to the management/authorities...

WE ARE ALL HUMANS HERE!!!

It's a crime and absolute humiliation to all of us! These offenses must be reported to the press.

I understand a Family Day, but exceptions based on color tone? Is the guard going to run a background check on each one of a mixed race who is neither white nor black? or half Asian half Canadian?!

Mercy!

Salam

we've experienced same thing before. but the difference we are group and it was only Thursday during that time! And i am not a person who will accept such embarassment especially when i know i'm right. What I did was, I looked for their office and tried to talk to their security head. But one lady kabayan was there and introduced herself as the wife of the head security. I've discussed with her what had happened and the usual thing, she will convey everything to her husband and so hoping that this incident won't happen again. I think the management of Villagio should know about this....

what a messed up place.

What if the person is African-American!? This story makes me sick to my stomach to just think about!.

Salam

- Took you where?

- Used which camera?

- How did you hear his boss?

- I don't recall guards in Villagio, is there security now?

"he took me and showed my face on camera to his boss -security head -who advise the nepali security -fellow -"Allow only white singles , not blacks or asian"

I can understand this policy...I just can not...

It is a disgrace, you are completely correct. I am sorry for your inconvenience and embarrassment and I am sorry for the policy.

Mandi