How can this be offensive?

"Reem, someone can be offended by just about anything ..."

Yes, you're right.. and that precisely did offend me.. as simple as that(peroid)

"if you impose your desires, what about other Qataris who might be offended by your more conservative values?"

first of all I'm not imposing.. I'm expressing and describing my desires.. I (felt) sorry.. it's not imposing.. :)

and simply gave reasons for this feelings...

Also what you see as conversative values.. I believe that all Qataris know that it comes mainly from our religion not our culture..

"I am just not sure how it is you expect that all Qataris will agree with you and don't have the right to encourage and accept change."

I'm not saying that, but as long as they or anybody expresses his/her opinion.. I'm also entitled to do so.. without being judged and critisized of being "closed minded"...!!

So, why do they (not Qataris but in general) keep telling to accept it? read back a little bit please.... It's MY opinion..

whether I do agree to it or not is entirely up to me..

Not accepting, approving of or agreeing with whatever word you want to use.. is based and will always be on my religious beliefs and teachings... even if that will make others say that I want to live in this small world of mine...

To be true to myself is more important to me than to be accepted by others and be what I'm not..

:)

if you impose your desires, what about other Qataris who might be offended by your more conservative values? I understand your fear of losing your culture. I am just not sure how it is you expect that all Qataris will agree with you and don't have the right to encourage and accept change.

"No one is asking anyone to "accept it", the issue here is that these people are so focused on her choice of clothing rather than her contributions to the museum."

They ARE saying accept it and move on but not in a direct way, but some did say it in a direct way...:)...

I didn't deny her contributions and I'm not concerned as much as I'm sorry...

I said it and will say again it it's offensive for me I'm saying my true feelings here, so sorry for having a heart to feel!!.. and I do understand why some people did see it as offensive..

and the question was how and I did answer that.. so the "how" for me doesn't matter if it suits you or anybody for that matter.. It just have to agree with my view on the issue...

I didn't know that my "how" should be to the acceptence of others...

"instead of worrying about other people's observance of islamic teachings, worry about fixing up your own weaknesses"

So you say I should shut up and only work on my self and not to say anything that concerns other muslims, and not to have a say...

I can see now why we are heading to where we are heading!

Only me me.. is a great way to live.. and the hell with others.. Don't feel angry or upset over anything that goes against everything you were proudly brought up with...!! wow that's sounds great..

but not for me...

I'm not perfect.. and I'm full of mistakes..

but still if only who is perfectly perfect human will have the right to have a say.. then I guess no one will ever say anything..

May God bless us with his mercy...

To me it just seems like typical Qatari male insecurity...& i understand this because this same insecurity (albeit @ a MUCH lesser level) is visible in Indian society...Indian women are going ahead by leaps & bounds,they no longer NEED a man to support them...they're intelligent,educated,hold good jobs & are no longer tied down to Indian men but for a lot of Indian men that have been brought up by their old school parents & lack a brain or simply don't use theirs,this kind of Indian woman is a threat to them because their idea of an ideal wife is their mother who will stay @ home,cook & clean for them & obey their every wish without having an opinion of their own...

Similarily,Qatari men would obviously be very threatened by a Qatari woman like this & what's the best way to put her down?...label her unislamic because she didn't/doesn't cover her hair...it's a valid argument if it's brought up in truth,but i would like to ask these same Qatari men,have they been strictly following the tenents of Islam in their lives???...have they not looked @ a woman the wrong way? have they never consumed alcohol? have they been faithful to their wives? have they been fair & honest in their business dealings & in the treatment of their employees?...maybe Ms.Al Khater ought to ask them these questions in response to their accusations...

Thanks genesis, been a little busy lately but I do come here at times for the more interesting threads. :)

@no merci they don't know her or care to, her clothing alone is enough to give them all they need to know, lol.

I think to judge a person's ability to represent others, one must KNOW this person. It is one thing to see what this person is wearing, another, and IMHO, the most important thing , is to know what is is in this person's heart and mind.

So, those who judged her, do they really know her?

Or is it definitely enough to see what a person is wearing to judge her ?

Nice seeing around :)

No one is asking anyone to "accept it", the issue here is that these people are so focused on her choice of clothing rather than her contributions to the museum. Nobody can say with absolute certainty that they have never behaved in a way that contradicts any Islamic teachings, so instead of worrying about other people's observance of islamic teachings, worry about fixing up your own weaknesses.

Are those who were outraged by her clothing also aware that the world's largest collection of Islamic Art is owned by Nasser David Khalil who is Jewish? I know I would have more faith in him taking care of that collection than a lot of the clowns who tout themselves as Islamic leaders today.

"It’s her choice, she will be held accountable to GOD. Not to you or me"

You right.. but if you want me to accept the fact that Some Qatari women are dying to take off their skin gradually to match up to western standards and abandon Islamic teachings..and be fine with it, then I'll never do it...

You know the hadith the Prophet (peace be upon him)said about al Monkar.. right? I will give the meaning of it. not totally the accurate wording of the Prophet( peace be upon him)

Whoever sees a wrong doing.. has to change it.. whether by hand,,if he/she can't.. then by tongue, if he/she can't.. then by heart.. and that's the least of being a true believer..

and I have the tongue and the heart, So I have the right to speak up about what I believe is wrong according to islamic teachings.. and to deny it in my heart...

I'm not talking about her of being less of a muslim, but still what she is doing regarded as wrong in islam..

at the end the question was how it was offensive?

Ofcousre to non muslims it's nothing wrong...

but for almost all muslims, I mean muslims who do practise islam in their lives with true belief.. would say it is offensive...

The Arabian Peninsula was known to have the islamic roots..

What's happening right now is just a shame.

So never dare ask me to accept it...

if the interview was about her personal life then why fuss all about, but

if she was representing Islamic culture , then forgive me dear so called liberals of Islamic societies , no one can call it Islamic culture, better u call it inferiority complex of two cultures.

and wearing tight jeans & shirt or mini skirts, roaming with uncovered head, and blah blah blah, does these are the sign to get membership of the developed countries club?

You know what bugs me...when a man speaks no one looks at what he wears. They concentrate on the subject matter. But when a woman speaks, it's more to do with what she wears, that what is in her head.

An interestring article about Qatari women by Yousra Samir on QV...

How do we expatriates see Qatari women? Women who are covered from head to toe in black, faces veiled, surrounded by servants who carry their shopping? Are they women who have little freedom, have to answer to their fathers, brothers, or husbands for everything and cannot speak to men who are not related to them? Do Qatari women spend half their lives rotating around shopping malls buying whatever they want and then the other half sitting at home gossiping with other women? Do Qatari mothers spend their days grooming their daughters to marry them off as soon as possible?

Because other than at work, speaking to and interacting with Qatari women for many expats seems to be a no-go-zone, we end up constructing our own ideas of what Qatari women are and what it must be like to be a Qatari woman, and unfortunately, many of our ideas about them and perceptions of them are wrong.

Eman Al Ma'adeeed, a Qatari friend of mine from university, put it quite perfectly:

"Probably the worst [misconception] is that we're all stuck up snobs who care about nothing but what bag is in our hands and what brand of shoes is on our feet. [I feel] like it's impossible for me to hold an intelligent conversation without exploding into a thousand little Hermes bags".

Every human being is guilty of mentally putting the people they encounter in boxes. I confess, I have been guilty of doing just this with Qatari women.

While studying for my degree at Qatar University, most of the women that studied alongside me were Qatari. For me, there were four types of Qatari women: the first were what my friends and I called the "Barbies", young Qatari women who came to university every day with a kilogram of makeup on their faces, hair backcombed to within an inch of its life and skyscraper high heels. As soon as they walked through the doors of the university their sheilas (headscarves) came off, and they spent most of the day parading themselves around the campus, eyeing other women up and down as well as sitting down together in groups and gossiping at Starbucks. They believed that they were the most popular women at the university. Many of them also had the lowest grades in the university.

Then there were what my friends and I classified as the "Wahabbis". These women were covered from head to toe in black, plain wide abayas, big sheilas, nikabs (face veils) and abayat raas (an abaya which goes on top of the normal abaya which covers the head, has long sleeves and is open at the front, a bit like a black hooded cloak). They never plucked their eyebrows or waxed off their moustaches and spent their days in the university mosques and at Islamic lectures. Their husbands and families allowed them little or no freedom. They also constantly complained that the university was getting too liberal.

The next category were the "boyas", a Khaleeji term for a tomboy ,and they are a very taboo subject both here in Qatar and around the Gulf. These young women had short spiky hair, wore men's clothes and shoes and had custom-made abayas which often looked like men's thowbs. You did not mess with the boyas. They were known to break out in physical fights. Whenever I saw a boya while at university, I would walk past them as quickly as my feet would carry me, never making eye contact.

Finally, there were the normal Qatari women, the ones I was friends with. And actually, most Qatari women are "normal". My friends wore sheilas and abayas, a normal amount of makeup, loved to go shopping and knew everything about fashion, but at the same time had brilliant minds and studied hard. We talked about everything together, went out together to have lunch and see a film in the cinema and joked about men just like all women do. Many of my Qatari girlfriends are now going abroad to do post-graduate degrees.

I have come to the learn that the way I put Qatari women in boxes while at university was wrong. Each person is their own individual and assuming that someone is a certain way because of their exterior appearance is not viable. While in many cases the women that my friends and I categorized were what we classified them to be, there were "Barbies" who were very intelligent and hard-working, there were "Wahabbis" who made the personal choice to be so conservative and religious, not their husbands or parents, and there were "boyas" who were very kind and gentle.

What is the truth about Qatari women? The truth is that they are the most beautiful, intelligent, ambitious and assertive women you will ever meet.

It’s her choice, she will be held accountable to GOD. Not to you or me

Many Qatari Women choose to abandon the Abyya Abroad, that does not make them less Qatari or less Muslim

I don’t understand why recently many are obsessed with what women wears here. Let anyone dress what they like as long as it shows modesty

Good to see, that now those will dictate us what to wear and what not to wear, who don't know exactly shall they wear or shall they not.

Wow.. so now you will tell me what Qatari women wore a 100 years ago?? That's great!!

Do you know her to say she doesn't wear abaya outside?

anyways...

"How can this be offensive to "us"?".. was the question..

and I said and always will say whatever suits me and my beliefs...

Hejab is a part of Islam.. so I really feel sorry for her.. having abandoned it...

and It is offensive having her look like that and represent us as a Qatari woman..

I wouldn't care if she did it in her own private life.. but to show an example of modern Qatari woman which would be without her Islamic scarf.. doesn't make me any proud and do offend me greatly as a Qatari muslim woman...

So to accept the change or not is really my own business..

when you say she wouldn't dare walk around without an abaya and scarf, but apparently she, and other members of her family, do go around without abaya and scarf. They dress according to what they think is decent (and from this video, I agree) and as far as I know they have the freedom to do so. How come people like you are always so quick to say you are not forced to wear the abaya and hijab but when some woman exercises her freedom not to wear it, you want to jump on her and force the issue. Talk about coercion...

Get a life, lady and stop trying to micromanage everyone else's. No culture exists without change and as much as you may feel threatened by change on your own little peninsula, you can't stop it. The best you can do is learn to gracefully accept it and define yourself in ways that count as your nation matures. The abayas you cling to as your culture are not what women in the past always wore in Qatar. That alone is evidence that you can't stop change so why do you care if this woman shed hers?

If we were talking about what she said then it was great..

but if it was about her outfit.. then yeah it is offensive.. according to Islamic teachings and Qatari traditions... which say an adult muslim woman should cover her hair and wear loose clothes.. and especially for Qatari women..Shela and Abaya are our non replaceable piece of clothing..

So for her, to show up promoting Qatari heritage and culture in an Islamic museum wearing this is quiet offensive...

For I assure you... she wouldn't dare walking around without her abaya..

It's always known that the dark spot in a white thobe would be more eye catching than the white thobe itself.. and that's what these naive girls wearing tight Abayas are...

if she's representing Islamic culture, then Yes , her uncovered head is offensive, and if she's just like other Local Girls with tight abaya, then a big No.

i don't recall reading that! many Arabs from different nationalities, Iranians & Pakistanis wear thob

i've read in the newspapers before that some locals are calling to prevent not local of dressing the "thoub".

and the newspapers were supporting them.

Drive safely tonight & remember that local children roam the residential areas for treats

I wish you & your little ones a Happy Grang'ao :)

Personally, I dont consider her dress offensive. She looks pretty decent there. But, is her attire according to Islamic Dress Code? If yes, then the people criticizing her are making a fuss out of nothing.

I just noticed the irony :(

nothing offensive at all.

looking at an islamic prespective her head is open and her pants are too tight so " yes it is offensive for those looking thru qatari cultural eyes"

a qatari father and a qatri mother will find it offensive

looking at modern prespective " every thing is fine with her dress"

looking at ultra modern/fashion faux pass

"did she looked in the mirror b4 she walked out of the house"

If she is the face of modern Qatar, then this country has a lot to look forward to.

It saddened me that while she is busy trying to promote Islam as a 'religion of peace and tolerance' (her words) on the BBC, people are slagging her off because of her clothing.

In my own opinion she is far more decently dressed than the girls who sashay through the malls with skin tight abayas hugging their asses and hips.

The "old guard" does not accept change lightly. I personaly think she came accross as charming, beautiful and articulate. A great advert for the modern Qatari woman.

However, many would feel that since she is talking of "culture", she should have portrayed herself in a more conservative manner as befitting Qatari culture.

As I said, change is slow, but sure. I remember in Saudi, ten years ago, hardly any local lady was seen without the full hijab. Now thare are many with just a head covered and face showing...

She's wearing an outfit which I would deem decent and she seems very comfortable in it.

What is the point in wearing a skin abaya, with a chelah that half covers the head. It's like pointing an arrow saying at yourself saying "Look at me, look at me".

It matter not what she wears and but how she conducts herself on the global stage as Qatar's representative.

simply, it’s the fact that she’s not covering her hair that caused the debate

Many suffers from “ Holier-than-thou” attitude , I guess. She is not the first or the last renowned Qatari Women who chosen to abandon the abbaya while still preserving modesty in official duties.Yet, Many seems to pay attention to what they wear rather than what they achieved

not a big news at all, it is common out here

I really wish that others should take into notice about the works that she has done and not the dress that she has worn...

the offense was the hair exposed, the reaction is absurd

Offensive mindset, that all

even the First Lady is not spared

Agree with all of the comments, but I can see that she was descent and very respectful, but we have to look at the matter from their point of view to be able to judge at those points, we have to know exactly why and then to decide if it was okay or not.

but may be Qatari find her outfit too skimpy and being She is the Dy Director and a Qatari lady, expectations are different. Her macro level description of culture and tradition is perfect :)

This culture is all about getting into everyone else's business, why are you so surprised.

tradition is tradition and culture well remain the same.

as what she said "change of mindset" is needed!

Body hugging Abayas are vulgar and provocative. They should be banned.

drmana, that's what i said that i didn't get anything offensive in it...That lady is fully covered with her dress except covering her hair...what's the big deal then???

I really think that no one should consider the article as offensive..We should be proud of what that lady has achieved..Please guys! don't drag her in between this..

Soniya, issue here is her dress not her comments or article.

oh she is gorgeous!

I didn't find anything offensive in the article..Or did i miss something in it???

Come on, she is fully covered. Not an ounce of skin show. What is wrong in her attire? If this is wrong, then those body hugging fashionable abaya which is quite popular these days should be offensive as well.

One should be proud of her achievements rather than focusing in her attire.

Is it that she hasn't covered her hair or that her trousers are tight? I would have thought people have better things to do in Ramadan than worry over one woman's fashion choice.

Thanks for the link, mate.