‘Glimmer of Hope’ in Doha Abduction Case
‘Glimmer of hope’ in custody battle
From the Qatar Gulf Times
British mother Rebecca Jones has described the decision by a Qatari judge to bring her son to court as a “glimmer of hope” in her ongoing battle to regain custody of Adam, saying that the judge’s decision that the boy’s attendance is necessary feels like her first victory in the case.
“I’m thrilled that Adam will be given the opportunity to tell the court how he wants to come home to his Mummy, Daddy and little sister, and that the court will have the chance to see how he is suffering,” she told Gulf Times yesterday.
Jones, who claimed that her son was kidnapped when she was “tricked” into visiting the country in October last year, is particularly worried about the mental and physical state of her son, saying that he had been ill in recent weeks because of the stress surrounding the current situation.
However, the most recent ruling in the case has given her some hope that she may be reunited with him on a permanent basis in the not too distant future.
Earlier this week a judge ruled that Jones’ appeal will be held on February 11, and that both Adam and his 77-year-old grandmother who was originally awarded custody of him, should attend the court hearing.
Jones is also fighting a court case to increase her visitation rights with her son, something that will be decided on February 3.
She is hoping to be awarded more time with Adam, as well as the ability to spend time with him outside of the house in which he is currently living.
“He seems to be ill because of stress and has been physically sick recently,” she claimed, adding “he is very upset and very nervous on each visit – the second I walk through the door he asks me when he can come home.”
Another major concern for Jones is the educational aspect of her son’s life as it will shortly be the fifth month that he has gone without attending school.
But for now, Jones is just looking forward to the court hearing in which her son will finally be given a voice. “I truly believe that the court will do the right thing,” she added.
Ladies Bible Study in Doha
“Tell me the story of Noah” our priest said, and we all chimed in. Everybody knows the story of Noah, how God told him to build an ark, and how he did it. How everyone laughed at him, but he faithfully built. How he filled the ark with animals, and then it started raining and rained for forty days.
“OK, stop there” the priest said. “Is that what the bible says?”
Well, of course that’s what the bible says! We all know the story!
“Wrong!” he exclaimed!
“We have many stories with facts not in the bible, information gathered from another source – the Qur’an.”
We sat there, our eyes wide.
“No where in the bible will you find that Noah was living in a dry and arid place, or that his neighbors laughed at him – that’s in the Qur’an.”
The Episcopal lectionary is in Genesis right now, and so I have had a chance to read – and re-read – the story of Noah. The priest is right. There are details we all take for granted, not there.
One of the other details was that until Noah, the first instructions to Adam and Eve were that they could eat from every tree – no mention of meat. After the flood is the first mention of meat – but NO blood.
Genesis 9:1-17
9:1 God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. 2 The fear and dread of you shall rest on every animal of the earth, and on every bird of the air, on everything that creeps on the ground, and on all the fish of the sea; into your hand they are delivered. 3 Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; and just as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. 4 Only, you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. 5 For your own lifeblood I will surely require a reckoning: from every animal I will require it and from human beings, each one for the blood of another, I will require a reckoning for human life.
6 Whoever sheds the blood of a human,
by a human shall that person’s blood be shed;
for in his own image
God made humankind.
7 And you, be fruitful and multiply, abound on the earth and multiply in it.’
8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, 9 ‘As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark.* 11 I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.’ 12 God said, ‘This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13 I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.’ 17 God said to Noah, ‘This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.’
Now I have to go find a Qur’an and read what it has to say about Noah and the ark. I like it that our traditions don’t have to be at war with one another, but can illuminate and enrich one another.
Fireworks Junkie
In each of us resides the small child that never grows up. You look at me and you think “OLD! Over thirty!” but inside, I am still that kid who loves to see fireworks. Any time. Just tell me where and when, I’ll be there.
I repeat: Just tell me where and when . . .
Did you know there were fireworks on the Corniche last night? I was at Villagio! I would have been downtown, had I known there would be fireworks!
(Photo in the Gulf Times by Jayan Orma. Nice photo, Jayan!)
What is the point of a fireworks show celebrating anything if no one knows ahead of time there will be a fireworks show? I’m so annoyed, I won’t even mention the sponsor’s name. You would think they would be better communicators! Bah! Humbug!
Doha Food Festival – WOOO HOOOO!
Doha Food Festival from Feb 3
From today’s Gulf Times
As part of a cultural calendar celebrating Doha as the Capital of Arab Culture for 2010, Qatar Tourism Authority will host the first Doha Food Festival from February 3 to 6 at Doha Exhibition Center’s outdoor tent.
Organised under the slogan of ‘Taste and Fun’, the event will offer family entertainment. Hotels and restaurants operating in Qatar will showcase a wide variety of dishes.
As many as 50 exhibitors will prepare food on-site.
Live music and raffle drawings are scheduled. A grand prize for a restaurant, determined by public interest, will also be announced.
3 Months for Killing, One Year for Stealing
These articles are in today’s Gulf Times, under Court Roundup.
Jail term, fine for death crash
A local motorist has been sentenced to three-month’s imprisonment for reckless driving that led to the death of a 56-year-Pakistani pedestrian.
The Doha court of first instance imposed on the 26-year-old motorist a fine of QR20,000.
The fatal accident took place in the Old Airport area on September 27, 2008. According to the traffic report, “the accident occurred because the motorist was speeding.”
A traffic official told the court that the motorist was driving at 80kmph on a busy street.
Family members of the deceased can claim blood money in a civil court.
Man sentenced for stealing
A Sri Lankan driver has been sentenced to a year-imprisonment for stealing items including two gas cylinders and a vacuum cleaner from the labour camp of a private company. Four of the co-accused were sentenced in absentia to five years in jail.
The theft took place on July 21, 2008 in New Rayan area, the charge-sheet said.
Two Egyptians, who witnessed the incident, testified that they saw five men loading the items, estimated to cost QR4,000, on to a pickup from a store inside the camp.
The Egyptians said they captured three of the workers while the others drove away in the pick-up.
The police arrested all the accused and four of them were deported on an administrative order before the commencement of the trial.
Heart of Doha Creates Beauty out of Destruction
‘Heart of Doha’ construction work to begin
Web posted at: 1/11/2010 1:47:59
Source ::: The Peninsula / By Huda NV
DOHA: Dohaland, a subsidiary of Qatar Foundation, is all set to begin the construction work of its signature project “Heart of Doha”. Under the patronage of
H H Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned, Chairman of the Qatar Foundation, the foundation stone will be laid at a special event on Wednesday at a specially build venue at the Corniche.
“Heart of Doha has all together brought in a new language of architecture by understanding the essence of the place which led to rediscovering its poetry,” said Jawaher Al Khuzaei, Assistant Manager, Public Affairs.
“We have finished the preparation stage of the first phase of the project which is expected to be completed by February 2012. Embodied in traditional Qatari architecture are the timeless aspects of beautiful proportions, robustness, simplicity, ornament, along with tried-and-tested local responses to the hot climate and intense daylight. Local traditions have been studied and analysed to distil the essence of Qatari architectural character rooted in the past, appropriate for the present and looking to the future.”
The first stage – Phase 1A has Diwan Emiri Quarter which includes Emiri Diwan annexe, Emiri Guard head quarters and the National Archives. It also has a heritage quarter which includes the Eid prayer ground and four heritage houses – a Company House, Jalmoot House and Houses of Mohammed bin Jasim and Abdullah bin Jassim. Dohaland is working with Qatar Museum Authority to make the best use of the houses.
The first phase infrastructure includes central cooling plant, utilities and waste provision, basement service roads and parking. In the second stage, which will is expected to begin this year and conclude in 2013 a multimedia centre for arts, central hotel and serviced apartments, luxury shopping street, exclusive town house, a primary school, the Ferjan Square mosque and see the first satge of rebirth of Al Kahraba street. The later stages will include a connection to souq wakif, a retail mall, more hotels, offices apartment, shops, a tram system and an underground Metro station hub apart from to Nakeel Square.
“We have also done archiving of photographs of the area prior to demolition. The area will be for mixed use and will have house more than 25,000 people.”
The project with an estimated cost of QR 20 bn, and an area of 35 hectares is expected to be completed in 2016 in five phases. Heart of Doha will become a hub of activity as a place to live, work, shop, visit and spend time with family and friends once completed
THE PENINSULA
Update: Dohaland has been renamed Musherib.
The Party House
We stumbled into the upstairs lounge, all four of us, sleep muzzy and disheveled, but then again, it was 3 in the morning.
“What is that?” asked Mr. Ambassador, who is no longer Ambassador anymore, but still gets to be called that. He was asking about a wailing, like that of an injured cat, only accompanied by music.
I blushed to the roots of my hair. Fortunately, it was dark. No one could see the depth of my humiliation
“It’s the party house.”
This was punctuated by shrieks of laughter from the new influx of ‘hostesses’ invited to entertain the male guests when they ceased their karaoke singing. Doors slamming, karaoke machine at it’s highest setting, the party is in full swing.
AdventureMan broke the ensuing horror-filled silence.
“We are SO sorry. It hardly ever happens. Most of the time they aren’t even there. You just happen to be here on the ONE night.”
With the beautiful weather, we have our windows open. We make up the beds in the rooms on the other side of the house, close all the windows, and turn on the air conditioning to muffle the alcohol-fueled revelry.
“Can’t you do anything? Can’t you complain?” my good friend, the ambassador’s wife, whispered to me.
“It’s their compound. We tried complaining. Nothing happens. I can’t tell you how embarrassed I am that this would happen while you are here, as our guests,” I replied.
She laughed – diplomatically – and brushed my embarrassment aside. She’s a good friend.
Natural Pearls at Natural History Club
“The Al Fardan collection from Qatar . . . ” Ahhhhhhh.
From the time I arrived in Doha, I have heard whispers about the legendary Al Fardan pearl collection and it has been my dream to see it. This temporary exhibit will be a dream come true. I can hardly wait for this it to open at the Doha Museum of Islamic Art on January 29th, but meanwhile – this should be a fabulous meeting of the Doha Natural History Club.
From the Gulf Times:
History group meet
The Qatar Natural History Group will hold a meeting on Wednesday, at the Doha English Speaking School.
Dr Hubert Bari, curator of gems and jewellery at the Museum of Islamic Art and manager of temporary exhibitions for the Qatar Museums Authority, will give a presentation on the subject of natural pearls, ahead of the major exhibition on pearls scheduled to open at the MIA at the end of this month.
Dr Bari will give the audience a pre-view of some of the treasures gathered from all over the world which will be on show in the exhibition, including the famous Hope Pearl and the Pearl of Asia and, for the first time, the Alfardan collection from Qatar.
For my friends and family who do not live in Qatar – exhibits at the Doha Museum of Islamic Art are free. Free. No entry fee, no fee. Qatar sponsors priceless exhibitions like this for the population gratis. Free. As a public service. How amazing is that?
“Cross-Dressing” in Qatar – Girls in Thobes? Gutras? Egals?
When I read “Cross Dressing ‘on the rise in Qatar’ in today’s Gulf Times, the article below was totally not what I expected.
What do you think this ‘abnormal behavior’ might be? Girls wearing white thobes, with gutras and egals? Or girls wearing jeans? Girls wearing pants? Maybe girls wearing t-shirts, or pantsuits?
This article would be hilarious were it not so sad. The ‘abnormal’ girls are to be secretively counseled. That sounds very very scary to me.
Cross dressing ‘on the rise in Qatar’
As much as 70% of girls who have taken to cross dressing remain adamant and refuse to give up their abnormal behaviour, says a report published in the local Arabic daily Arrayah.
Quoting the director of the Abdullah Abdul Ghani centre for Social Rehabilitation in Wakrah, Buthaina Abdullah Abdul Ghani, the report says that the phenomenon of cross dressing seems to be on the rise in Qatar and other countries in the Arab world and abroad.
However, in Qatar it is not an alarming situation but efforts to redeem this misguided lot should continue persistently, she said.
The problem has to be tackled carefully and secretively since many of these girls refuse to come out of their closely knit circle. The centre had announced a programme of counselling for these girls.
Highlighting the reasons for the spread of this phenomenon she mentioned lack of parental control, programmes on the satellite channel that seek to encourage wrong values in life and the illusion of being independent in life.
This problem was the subject of a debate in the monthly Lakom al-Qarar TV programme a few months ago. The deputy chairman of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development said in his concluding remarks that this problem is a serious menace to society.
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