Qatar is a very friendly place for newcomers...even if you or your wife make a mistake, Qataris are very forgiving of cultural faux pas and make an effort to kindly teach outsiders their ways.

As I'm sure you have seen from some of the other posts here, there is quite a diversity in nationalities and dress here, and while some say that "anything goes", as an American woman here in Doha who knows quite a bit about the Arab world and Islamic culture, I personally don't understand those women who insist on wearing Western skimpy clothes out in public -- is it just to prove that they can? To me, it is more a question of respecting local traditions. As I and some others have mentioned before, this does not mean your wife has to wear an abaya or shayla, although she may choose to.

And if you are lucky enough to make friends with some Qataris and be invited to their homes, your wife will find that the ladies do indeed dress in the latest Western fashions in their homes and all look far more glamorous in their homes than Americans could ever dream of doing! Don't be fooled by those who claim the abaya is a tool of opression, because the Qatari women I know are anything but oppressed!