Eight Roundtable among Expatriates’Communities in Qatar

05 Dec Eight Roundtable among Expatriates’Communities in Qatar

The Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue organized, on 29 November 2017, the 8th Round Table of Communities under the title of Communities under the Siege: Solidarity and Challenges, bringing together academics , personalities from media and civil society, as well expat’s community representatives and citizens.

The Eight Roundtable addressed the situation of Expatriates’ communities during the siege period.

Impressions of the participants

– Al-Nuaimi: Fulfillment of all citizens and residents in one crucible of love of Qatar.

Makarios: The blockade has contributed to Qatar’s ability to achieve its self-sufficiency.

– Al-Khulaifi: The blockade violates the principles and rules of international law and the basis of relations between states.
Al-Abdalqader: The siege is a continuation of the desire and the pursuit of hegemony by the four blockade countries.
Al-Kahlout: We have not seen any hate campaign emanating from Qatari side.

Kimble: When communities feel itself as a part of society, their resistance to the crisis is greater.

Opening session

In his speech to the opening session of the seminar, Dr. Ibrahim bin Saleh Al Naimi, Chairman of the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue, declared : ” this Roundtable is a continuation in the serie of Meeting , launched eight years ago , and bringing together academic, expatriate communities leaders, Qatari citizens, decision makers, to discuss on issues of common interest for all Qatari diverse society components.

SESSIONS

First Topic

The first Topic was entitled “Challenges arising from the siege crisis and its impact on communities.”, focused on the following subtopics :
– Human rights violations resulting from the siege of Qatar.
– The humanitarian dimension of the blockade from the perspective of the law.
– The economic challenges resulting from the crisis.
– How the Qatari government has managed the siege crisis.
In his speech during the course of the first session, Mohammed Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Khulaifi, Dean of the Faculty of Law, said: International law is the main reference to the regulation of international relations, the rights and duties of each State, as well as the various issues related to international affairs.

Second topic

The second theme addressed the Expat’s community’s position during the siege crisis and analysis several point that include several points, namely :
– The stability and steadfastness of the communities alongside the citizens,
– The position of the communities and their supporting role to Qatar,
– Lessons learned from this crisis,
– And the honorable positions of the communities in belonging to the Emir and the State of Qatar.

For his part Al-Naimi said: “no doubt that the blockade of Qatar, has been affecting all people who live on this land, citizens and expats communities, we are in the 177 days of the crisis. Therefore, this is perhaps one of the few and important opportunities in which the siege crisis is discussed differently from the usual political and economic approach, namely through the eyes of the communities residing in Qatar, the effects of the crisis on them, the challenges they face in dealing with them, In which, Standing side by side with Qatari citizens”.
Al-Naimi quoted the speech of His Highness the Amir at the last General Assembly of the United Nations at its 72nd session: “Let me I express my pride in my Qatari people, along with the multinational and multicultural residents in Qatar. The people have withstood the conditions of siege, and rejected the dictations with resolve and pride, and insisted on the independence of Qatar’s sovereign decision, and strengthened its unity and solidarity, and maintained their refined manners. “

He stressed that the phrase refers to two basic issues pertaining to the communities. It is worth standing up to them: Addressing His Highness the Qatari citizen and the Expats , the current blockade has affected all . The blockade countries wanted was not only the strife of Qatar and the interference in its national sovereignty, but also the destabilization of its unity and the solidity of its internal front. Therefore, His Highness was proud of both the citizen and the Expatriates alike.

in addition to that, it is impressive see the degree of interdependence and unity that he has experienced – personally – among the Qatari people and the residents. He has hardly seen a difference between a citizen and a resident, as everyone melted into a single crucible, Qatar, which in turn was reflected in the extent of love and the appreciation accorded to His Highness by all who live on the land of Qatar.

For his part, the Archbishop of Qatar, Father Makarios, said: ” there is doubt that the people of Qatar, citizens and residents, have been affected by this siege imposed by the neighboring countries since last June, but we are looking at the crisis with a positive vision” . He added : “The community of the residents has supported the Qataris since the beginning of this siege. The Christian community appreciates the generous initiative of the Government of Qatar to take care of the Christians by providing them all facilities to practice their beliefs freely. It is clear that the illegal blockade imposed to Qatar since June, has divided families, forced the students to leave their studies, influenced the business and trade, and on our part as leaders in the church we asked our subjects to practice their lives normally, and ignore all rumors.

Makarios pointed to the impact of the negative siege, as well as the positive, saying: This unfortunate situation or blockade affects both Qataris and Expatriates alike. On the other hand, this siege has contributed to enhancing Qatar’s ability and capabilities towards self-sufficiency, encouraging new strategies and orientation.
He concluded by saying: “These opportunities do not mean the exclusion of any restorative efforts. We believe that dialogue is the solution to this illegal crisis. I also call for peace solutions between all Gulf countries.