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ISO 9001:2008 CERTIFIED NEWSPAPER 9 November 2013 6 Moharram 1435 - Volume 18 Number 5878 Price: QR2 ON SATURDAY Kerry in Iran talks amid hopes of deal GENEVA: Top world diplomats rushed to Geneva yesterday amid rising hopes for a long-sought deal on Iran’s nuclear programme, but warned there were still major obstacles to overcome. After cutting short a Middle East tour to attend the talks, US Secretary of State John Kerry struck a note of caution as he joined his British, French and German counter- parts who had converged on Geneva. Jordan set to take up Saudi seat at UNSC UNITED NATIONS: Jordan is expected to take up a UN Security Council seat that Saudi Arabia won and then rejected, diplomats said on Thursday. Envoys said Jordan had been reluctant to take up the Asia-Pacific seat on the 15-nation council but had been persuaded by the Saudis. US and Israel ‘lose Unesco voting rights’ PARIS: The United States and Israel lost their Unesco voting rights yesterday after suspending funding to the organisa- tion in 2011 over Palestinian admission, a source from the UN agency said. Neither the US nor Israel provided docu- CULTURE mentation by yesterday needed “to avoid losing their right to vote,” the source said on condition of anonymity. Both countries stopped paying their con- tributions after the Palestinians gained membership two years ago. Blatter rules out 2022 World Cup in January ABU DHABI: Fifa President Sepp Blatter yesterday ruled out a January THE ISSUE World Cup in Qatar in 2022 and said November/December was the only alter- native to a summer tournament. Faced with an influx of “The Fifa World Cup can only be played reserved and that prevents them from easily was to help preserve and restore them and in November/December 2022, no way it is foreign workers due to the interacting with people from other cultures, introduce them to the foreign workforce to going to take place in January/February,” launch of several projects, says Dr Marzouk Basheer. create an understanding of host culture. he told a news conference in Abu Dhabi. Qatar needs a clear strategy In a paper he presented last year on the It was with this in mind that a full-fledged subject, he said Qataris not easily opening up ministry of culture, arts and heritage was and vision about how to to other cultures are in a unique dilemma: established, a researcher said. Saudi women getting maintain its own culture and they are neither able to resist the onslaught The Ministry of Culture, Arts and nor are they in a position to accept and Heritage, the Qatar Museums Authority, the driving licences identity, say several members assimilate with the alien cultures. Souq Waqif and the Katara Cultural Village of the community. A lack of civil societies that would work to are some of the institutions which are acting DOHA: While the controversy about help conserve Qatari culture and traditions as a link between Qatari and foreign cultures. Saudi Arabia banning women from makes things more challenging. The Tourism Authority has now also come driving rages, Qatar has issued driving here is a debate raging in the New and emerging technologies and the into picture. licences to a number of Saudi women. social media about the positive and exploding social media resulting from these According to a researcher, there is a posi- Last year alone, licences were issued to negative effects of the huge influx technologies have worsened the situation. tive development, so to say, of the impact of an unidentified number of Saudi women Tof expatriates into the country. The new generation of Qataris speaks in a foreign cultures on the GCC societies in the here. Though this issue is nothing new and has language that is a mix of theirs and others. post-oil era -- the role of tribes in people’s Qatar’s traffic chief, Brigadier Mohamed been hotly discussed since the arrival of Many experts say that there are no studies lives has been pushed to the sidelines and the Saad Al Kharji, told a symposium at expatriates in the Gulf decades ago, what on the subject of how the Qatari culture is governments have taken control. Dammam University in Saudi Arabia has given it urgency and importance is the undergoing a sea-change due to the presence Meanwhile, speaking at a ministerial con- recently that his country did not discrimi- unusual increase in the number of expatri- of migrants and how to conserve it. ference in Paris, the Minister of Culture, nate against women in the matter of issuing ates in Qatar. And not all citizens are worried At the same time, the government has Arts and Heritage, H E Dr Hamad Abdulaziz driving licences. about the adverse impact of the expatriate launched initiatives to preserve Qatari cul- Al Kuwari said yesterday that Qatar’s policy Local Arabic daily Al Raya reported yes- PAGEpresence, as many 6 look at it positively and ture and traditions. The Department of is to maintain its old Arab-Islamic culture terday that earlier Saudi women used to go say it can help in the transformation of the Culture and Art decades ago began to docu- and at the same time encouraging cultural to Bahrain, the UAE and other GCC states Qatari society. ment local art and dance forms, and tradi- diversity and openness to other cultures. to get driving licences. Now they are com- Qataris are by temperament cautious and tional handicrafts and vocations. The aim See also page 2 ing to Qatar as well. THE PENINSULA & AGENCIES www.thepeninsulaqatar.com [email protected] | [email protected] Editorial: 4455 7741 | Advertising: 4455 7837 / 4455 7780 NOVEMBER 9, 2013 ON SATURDAY 02 www.thepeninsulaqatar.com Home Bridging the cultural divide Debate is raging again about the impact of expatriates on the host culture BY AZMAT HAROON chances of women interacting “Families now need at least with men also increase. This also three to four maids. Households contradicts the social ethics of cannot work for a single hour he debate about pre- Qatar, based on segregation of without them,” points out serving Qatari culture the sexes. Mohammed Saleh, a young against a surge of cul- Single migrant workers are Qatari. Ttures brought by expa- seen as encroaching on ‘Qatari Dr Saed Harib said in a recent triates in the country has come spaces’ when they move in public study that nearly 80 percent of to the forefront once again. and in residential areas. Although the children in the GCC speak Statements made by the locals there is no official ban on labour- Arabic with a level of difficulty, show that they are keen to pro- ers entering local malls and while 75 percent of them use tect Qatari traditions and values souqs, security guards at times English words in their daily life. from outside influences. Segments shoo them away when they see Saleh said that many Qatari of Qatari population also oppose many families inside the places. children now communicate in the idea of celebrating festivals Such issues were taken up by the ‘broken Arabic’, with words and marked by expatriates in public. Central Municipal Council and phrases they learn from their On the eve of Halloween last ultimately led to a ban on labour maids and drivers. week, many locals welcomed the accommodations in residential “And then we send our children move to not allow people wear- areas. to foreign schools where they pri- ing costumes or with face paint Housemaids also play an marily communicate in English. to enter restaurants. important role in Qatari families We are not leaving space for them Among a number of threats the because of their interaction with to learn Arabic language and our Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) children. Some say that local fam- culture.” countries face today, experts say ilies have become so dependent Many expatriates, according the influx of expatriates is a major on domestic workers that Qatari to Saleh, did very little to learn one. households would practically stop Arabic and were not being influ- In a population of over two functioning if it were not for the enced by Qatari culture. million, expatriates predomi- housemaids. One of the benefits of the grow- “I have been here for two years different nationalities are now integrate with people from dif- nate. Official figures suggest that ing expatriate population in Qatar now but I have never really inter- coming to Qatar, and we should ferent cultures. citizens of more than 70 countries has been that the readership of acted with a Qatari yet,” said honour them for serving our “Ultimately, we need to live in Qatar, and the majority of English newspapers among the Joseph, who only gave his first country.” strengthen our education and them come from India, Nepal and locals has increased over the name and said he worked in the The challenge for Qatar, media sectors to ensure that the the Philippines. years. This was discussed at an IT industry. He said that he had according to him, is to manage the two main parts of our culture, Dr Theodore Karasik, Director official forum held in Manama lived in the US for nearly five cultural changes that are taking Arabic language and Islamic val- of Dubai-based Research and recently, where media experts years prior to coming to Doha place with many foreign workers ues, are kept intact,” Dr Al Shawi Development at the Institute from the GCC said that there was and found it easier to mix with coming to work here.

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