Qatar tops MENA region in female literacy rate

Qatar is the only country in the MENA region where female adult literacy is higher than male adult literacy, which confirms the vital role women have come to play in nation building, says Qatari writer and Faculty Member of Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, Dr Amal Mohammed al Malki. Excerpts: Q: How would you assess the present status of Arab women? A: Arab women have achieved some critical

The world around nannies

During my routine evening walks, I see some six or seven small children verbally abusing and beating their nanny while playing. The nanny looks so feeble in front of them to defend herself. She tries to convince them, but in vain. I see a girl pleading for some mercy and the kids find it funny to abuse her. They enjoy screaming, yelling at her and occasionally beating her. I wish I could

My first National Day in Qatar

At the break of dawn, people were moving towards the Corniche not just to find the best seatbut also to find the nearest parking area, and to see the air show and the Army march in its full glory. Cars were parked as far as the HMC Complex on the one end, to the Musheireb area on the other end, while thousands walked towards the Corniche to watch the parade. Qatar Airlines flightPeople near the

Qatar’s capital glitters like a world city, but few feel at home

Along a skyline that feels as ambitious as it is ephemeral, there is a building named for its design — the Tornado. The renowned architect I. M. Pei built a museum here in a quest for the essence of Islamic architecture. Another tower, built by another famous architect, is sheathed in an exoskeleton and suggests a Saracen helmet.“It’s a mimic of a city that could have been built anywhere,” an

Stop asking us about kids, allow us to live our life...

I think this post will put a full stop to all those irritating questions, sarcastic queries, talking behind our backs and always hurting us by asking the same question again and again for the past four years. I stopped attending functions and wedding to avoid stares and questions. I’m literally fed up of answering the questions, such as “anything special?”, “no special news?”, “how long?”, “why

Purple Island in Qatar

We were thinking of going to Purple Island aka Al Khor Island or popularly known as Jazirat Al-Ghanim for a while. But last Thursday when Umer took us on a long drive to Al Khor, we also went to see the island. And unfortunately, it was too dark and decided to get back there on some other day. The very next day we thought of going there, but it started raining and still we made an unsuccessful

Children of the Hyphens, the Next Generation

After writing an article on how women should be allowed to retain their original surname after the wedding, a friend suggested me to read an article published on The New York Times. I found it interesting. Maybe it’s a new concept in India, but in the West, it’s quite often that children get both the surnames, surname of the father and the mother. Here’s the article, written by Rebecca