PAUL GARWOOD / AP
Yemenis chew qat leaves in the capital San'a in October. Chewing the leaves, which produce an amphetamine-like effect, is a centuries-old social custom that the government blames for everything from poverty to high cholesterol.
Posted on 12/01/2005 11:05:56 PM PST by neverdem
Associated Press
SAN'A, Yemen — The writer winked conspiratorially, shifted the golf ball-sized bulge in his left cheek and tapped his temple gently.
"Qat is good for the mind. I can't stop writing once I start. But the next morning I read what I wrote and tear it up straight away," chuckled 35-year-old Hatem Bamohriz, nibbling yet another leaf of the mild narcotic.
To many government and aid officials, qat has ceased to be funny: Yemen's government is making another push to cut the use of the rubbery green leaf with amphetamine-like qualities that is blamed for many of this country's ills, from widespread poverty to growing health problems.
But there is little progress. Up to 90 percent of Yemeni men are believed to chew qat daily, and growing numbers of women and children are also chewing, the World Bank says.
"Qat is a disease, and I hope for the day that they'll take it away," said Samra Shaibani, spokeswoman for the World Bank, a leading anti-qat campaigner. "But if they do, there would be a revolution because the people have little else and rely on it so much."
Qat is a centuries-old social custom that stimulates mental activity, long conversations and tall tales in this tribal-dominated nation at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula. Qat chewing is ubiquitous — as common in Yemen as wearing a curved dagger on the belt.
Historical records show qat in regular use in the 15th century when Sufi Muslims — a deeply mystical sect — chewed the qat leaves during prayer and meditation. As time passed, ordinary Yemenis increasingly took up the practice at special celebrations.
But now, many experts have come to believe it's at the root of Yemen's 40 percent unemployment rate, its status as the poorest country in the Middle East and its growing national health problems.
Critics blame qat for everything from the country's low economic productivity to excessive water use to irrigate the qat crop. Some blame it for eating disorders and high cholesterol rates.
Government leaders from President Ali Abdullah Saleh on down also have announced that they have given up the habit, hoping others will follow their example.
But many complain that Yemeni authorities are not committed to combatting qat because the crop is such a moneymaker for senior officials and influential tribal leaders.
PAUL GARWOOD / AP
Yemenis chew qat leaves in the capital San'a in October. Chewing the leaves, which produce an amphetamine-like effect, is a centuries-old social custom that the government blames for everything from poverty to high cholesterol.
it's like no-doz with a redbull chaser. Since it isn't prescribed by a doctor, it's gotta be bad for you, society, and most specially the children, so it must be regulated, classified, banned, and enforced by armed thugs busting down huts all across Yemen. Qat must be eradicated so that Prozac, Ritalin, and other prescription medications are more prevalent.
There ya go. Extract the active ingredient, put it in a suppository and free up the hands and mouth for gainful employment. They should be able to operate heavy equipment, fly airplanes, cut diamonds,...anything.
Viqing Qitties?
"Hey Hatim....qat got yer toungue?...Har har har!!! I'm killing my self!!! I love Amer-dica,.... John Wayne... Lucy Ball.....Rosie O'donut!!!"
Qat - the only "Q" word not requiring a "U".
Just swap it out with chewin' tabacco and they'd fit in here :)
Qanats - It's an irrigation technique used by ancient Persians.
Maybe we can dump this stuff on iran or syria...
Don't forget qoph and qi...
Don't forget qoph and qi...
I stand corrected!
One day... Bush's fault...
The next day it's "qat."
If I can't pronounce it, I can't blame it.
I STILL say, "It's Bush's fault!"
There's no "U" in Iraq either! :)
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