This is supposed to be an Islamic country. According to Sharia, and binding contract (such as the selling of a ticket for an event) is a serious issue. You have to keep your end of the deal. Yet, there is this simply barbaric and feudal attitude common here that you can simply shirk your end of the deal and cover it up by trying to project an image of magnanimity and hospitality. The Asian cup fiasco is just another example of this general pattern. This can and should change in this culture to make it more Islamic and more just. If you screw up or for whatever reason are not able to keep your end of the contract, then you have to release the other party from their end - by refund or some other just means. Justice is not a matter for negotiation, barter, or face-saving. Basically they are telling the world that if you come here, you can be ripped off and have no rights to redress. I love Qatar and the Qataris. For that reason, it is not the image of Qatar that I care about, but the substance. I don't care that other people think Qatar is a good country - I want it to be a good country. And it is. But some things - like all countries - need to be improved. So why should I care about this one in particular? Because I have chosen to live here, so I have a responsibility to the people I live with. This includes telling them the truth even if they might not like it. That is what good friends and brothers in Islam do.
This is supposed to be an Islamic country. According to Sharia, and binding contract (such as the selling of a ticket for an event) is a serious issue. You have to keep your end of the deal. Yet, there is this simply barbaric and feudal attitude common here that you can simply shirk your end of the deal and cover it up by trying to project an image of magnanimity and hospitality. The Asian cup fiasco is just another example of this general pattern. This can and should change in this culture to make it more Islamic and more just. If you screw up or for whatever reason are not able to keep your end of the contract, then you have to release the other party from their end - by refund or some other just means. Justice is not a matter for negotiation, barter, or face-saving. Basically they are telling the world that if you come here, you can be ripped off and have no rights to redress. I love Qatar and the Qataris. For that reason, it is not the image of Qatar that I care about, but the substance. I don't care that other people think Qatar is a good country - I want it to be a good country. And it is. But some things - like all countries - need to be improved. So why should I care about this one in particular? Because I have chosen to live here, so I have a responsibility to the people I live with. This includes telling them the truth even if they might not like it. That is what good friends and brothers in Islam do.