Qatar Snubs Saudis for Modernization

Wall St Journal ^ | 10-24-02 | YAROSLAV TROFIMOV

[SJackson]

DOHA, Qatar -- When Jehan al-Meer was growing up in Qatar, there wasn't much a woman could achieve in the one nation that shares Saudi Arabia's ultraconservative brand of Islam.

Laws banned women from driving, voting or holding government jobs where they would supervise men. Ms. al-Meer was permitted to study in the U.S. only because a male guardian -- her brother -- was there to keep an eye on her.

[Alouette]

Let me know when the Qatari Church of Christ and Doha Chabad House celebrate their grand openings. Otherwise this is nothing more than lipstick on a pig.

[CROSSHIGHWAYMAN]

The times......they are a changin'

The George W. Bush revolution is coming to an arab country near you.

[RayChuang88]

The bad news for Saudi Arabia is that what's happening in Qatar is also starting to happen in the United Arab Emirates, too. I think Qatar and the UAE realize that the oil tap ain't going to last forever and they need to revinvent themselves to be economically relevant in the 21st Century. Already, the UAE has invested heavily to become a major trading center; both Abu Dhabi and Dubai are major ports, and Sharjah has become one of the largest air cargo airports in the world.

No wonder the Saudis are concerned; the Arab brethern in the Persian Gulf are thumbing their noses at Saudi Arabia, and the Iranians could sign big deals to ship out oil from the Caspian Sea and from the post-Saddam Hussein Iraq, which could really put the hurt on Saudi Arabia.

[wideawake]

Hmmm . . . yeah - I noticed how their chief modernizer is also a vocal advocate of suicide bombings, and that Qatar is the home of al-Jazeera.

Traditional Islam is an iron fist raised to strike us. Modern Islam is an iron fist in a velvet glove raised to strike us.

[Valin]

That wasn't always the case. In the 1980s, Mr. Alansari, a campaigner for women's rights, was described as an "apostate" by Qatar's Saudi-trained chief religious judge

You're absolutly right. It's been all of 20 years and they still don't look like Toledo Ohio.
< /sarcasm>

[HamiltonJay]

It will sadly only be a matter of time before the Saudi bred Wassabists decide to attack this nation, mark my words.

[sneakypete]

The George W. Bush revolution is coming to an arab country near you.

That's so true! You know he invented sunshine and is the second coming of Christ,didn't you?

Geeze,and people on FR used to wonder how Bubba-1's followers could be so blind.

[sneakypete]

It will sadly only be a matter of time before the Saudi bred Wassabists decide to attack this nation,

They already have. Weren't you paying any attention to what happened on 9-11 in NYC? It was in all the papers.

[HamiltonJay]

It will sadly only be a matter of time before the Saudi bred Wassabists decide to attack this nation,

They already have. Weren't you paying any attention to what happened on 9-11 in NYC? It was in all the papers.

The this in my statement refered to Quatar.

[js1138]

Perhaps that's why we have troops there. Let's be intelligent about this. Qatar and its kind are the reason for the current frenzy. We are winning the culture war, and the sheetheads can't stand it.

think about this: in a culture where rich men can have all the wives and slave girls they want, the only way an ordinary joe camel can get laid is to blow himself up in a jewish cafe, and hope the 72 virgins aren't as ugly as his mother.

[js1138]

It's not W's revolution. It's the Pepsi generation. It's western culture and capitalism against eastern culture and socialism.

[Destructor]

Sounds like there might be one Muslim country where some measure of sanity is in place.

[Destructor]

"That's so true! You know he invented sunshine and is the second coming of Christ,didn't you?"

"Geeze,and people on FR used to wonder how Bubba-1's followers could be so blind."

I think you have Dubya confused with the greatest inventor of our time- Al Gore. If you'd prefer to have that @$$hole in the oval office, then you're the one who's blind!

[Go Gordon]

No wonder the Saudis are concerned; the Arab brethern in the Persian Gulf are thumbing their noses at Saudi Arabia, and the Iranians could sign big deals to ship out oil from the Caspian Sea and from the post-Saddam Hussein Iraq, which could really put the hurt on Saudi Arabia.

From your mouth to Allah's ears :-)

[SunStar]

It will sadly only be a matter of time before the Saudi bred Wassabists decide to attack this nation, mark my words.

Fine. We'll be there to defeat the Saudis. After all, our 5th Fleet is located in Qatar.

[Shermy]

Bump