The rights of women have been widely questioned during the World Cup in Qatar, due to the customs they have in that country. But for Juan Diego Alvira it was impressive when he saw it first hand: the sun, the breeze, the sea, the sand and suddenly a woman walking, at 30 degrees of temperature, with her ‘burqa’, which is the black dress that leaves very little in sight.
“This is how women have to come to the beach,” exclaimed Juan Diego Alvira, surprised by what he was seeing on a Sunday morning when people were resting.. She approached some tourists who were in a small straw tent that protected them from the sun. On the three Doha beaches that Juan Diego visited, she found the same scene, although the Qatari authorities have had to be flexible with Western tourists who have other customs.
That image led Juan Diego to reflect and inquire regarding the rights of women in Qatar. Although in recent years efforts have been made to try to create better conditions for them, if we talk regarding freedoms, that still does not happen today.
To get married, they have to ask permission from the men in their house: their father or their brother, and for other important decisions they must also have the consent of their husbands.
The tradition “is different from one family to another. Sometimes the mother chooses the wife of her son. Afterwards, the woman his mother chose and her son must first sit down to make sure they are compatible and agree to this marriage. They discuss it together and then they do get married. There must be approval from both sides of both the man and the woman.”
This is how a Qatari woman told Juan Diego Alvira in a cultural center where there are women who have even gone through prestigious universities such as Cambridge.
In Qatar it is also accepted that a man can have several wives, despite the fact that there are many more men than women in the population of that country, perhaps because many of them are not willing to submit to such a regime. Those who want to travel abroad or study must also ask their husband, father or brother for permission.
The communicator wondered how it is possible that such prepared women can live in a country so challenged by the violation of human rights and where the difference between men and women is so marked.
In fact, Juan Diego Alvira said that he avoided asking the women of this cultural center many more questions, to avoid getting them into trouble with their husbands or even at the government level, since speaking ill of the Qatari regime can be very dangerous for its residents.
The truth is that even though they are covered from head to toe, they do not lose their vanity and use some rather curious tricks to, for example, smell good. For example, they light essences in a kind of incense, something similar to incense, and take advantage of the smoke to impregnate the aroma in their costumes.
At the cultural center, Juan Diego Alvira also had the opportunity to taste Qatari delicacies. In reality, the kitchen does not have major complexities: casseroles, stews and rice. Of course, “it is abundant and of good flavor, said the communicator.” After lunch, what would be a coffee is offered, but in reality, according to the presenter, the drink is more similar to tea.
After eating, Juan Diego Alvira put on a typical Arab costume, with a camel skin blanket worth 1,200 dollars. Back in that country, religion is the one that governs the rules of coexistence in society. According to these texts, women are definitely relegated. It is true that because of the World Cup, the rules have had to be relaxed.
