Dear Doha Diary

So here's an interesting question….. A few days ago, when having dinner with a European colleague, I was describing my affinity with my arab friends and at times feeling more arab than English…. he then said "oh so that means you'll start wearing the hijab?".  Now I hadn't said I felt more Muslim than Christian…. but I was perplexed by his question.  It unsettled me a little and caused me to reflect deeply on this point….. and by the way, at the time, I was wearing the male head-covering - the keffiyeh/ghutra…. as is my habit when in the souq. So why do I wear the keffiyeh?… I dress like an arab man, not an arab woman, although I do own an abaya and hijab and have been known to wear it occasionally and certainly while I was in Yemen….as seen in this photo (it was a must).  I don't have an objection to wearing it and actually found it very comforting, although I did so out of choice of course. However, my preference is to wear the male hea...

Qatari nationals make up around 12% of the 2.3 million  population of Qatar, at around only 278,000. Much of the population are or originate from Bedouin tribes.   The term Bedouin translates to 'desert dweller' and in Qatar they remained living in desert dwellings until around 50 years ago when they started to move into urban dwellings in what is now Doha city and vicinity. There are few if any Bedouin who live in the desert now, but families continue to practice traditions, usually on weekends, spending time in desert camps, sitting around a fire, cooking traditional dishes and sleeping under the stars.   I have the incredible fortune to have Bedouin friends from both Yemen and Qatar and learning about their culture and traditions has been a fascinating discovery.  I was lucky enough to spend some time with them in the desert one recent weekend when I was invited along to their private camp by the sea in the very far North of Qatar, 90 minute...

The beginning of another year in Qatar and a cool (sometimes cold!) breeze descends on the souq.  I love this time of year. .... With the change in temperature so a change of colours......white thobes and ghutras turn to blue, brown, black, even red (as sported by my friend Nasser).  Ladies getting into different colour abayas and hijabs like the two ladies who passed by my table tonight dressed in all shades of pink!  And on National Day 18 December, the colours of the Qatari flag are worn in many ways to celebrate the day in 1878 when Sheikh Jassem became Qatar's ruler and unified the tribes of the country towards beaming a nation state.  The atmosphere is beautiful for sitting out in the evening with shisha, coffee, heavenly Arabian mint tea and the gorgeously refreshing lemon mint juice. This year has only seen one or two days of rain so far, one of which I sat outside my favourite cafe and refused to budge even though ...

I've been in Qatar now for over 18 months and I find it hard to describe the impact this change has had on my life.  Being the end of the year and the end of another contract without the certainty of another yet again, I'm in reflective mood.  Those who know me  know all too well that I have sought to understand and embrace Arabic culture rather than continue my English life abroad.  My feeling being that a life seeking knowledge and cultural understanding is all the richer for it.  So I shrugged off my British reserve and resistance and opened my mind and my heart. To quote from Muhammad Asad's extraordinary work 'The Road to Mecca', "when water lies motionless in a pool it becomes stale and muddy, but when it moves and flows, it becomes clear".  So too the heart and soul and indeed the mind of man. So…. I have Arabic friends, I frequent the souq as my relaxation space of choice, I listen and dance to Arabic music, occasionally smoke shisha, dri...

My blogs about my trip to Yemen have so far sought to describe the beauty, the warmth and the friendship of the place which many refer to as the cradle of civilisation.  Indeed many in the Middle East trace their ancestry back to the country which is home to the most welcoming and hospitable of any people in the world. But as Ive hinted, there is a darker side to Yemen and in recent weeks, the security situation has deteriorated still further and it would now be even more dangerous for a westerner to travel there, particularly through Sanaa, which in September, was taken by the Houthis - a Shia group which during the summer led protests against rising fuel prices and a lack of representation in the Yemeni government.  Clashes continue between the Houthis, the Government and Sunni Al Qaeda militants who are fighting back against the Houthis takeover. So far the trouble has been focused around Sanaa and the North but it is moving towards the south, with the captu...

……so there I am, an English girl in Yemen.  As the taxi drives us from the airport, I can see that every woman is dressed in the abaya and full veil….. I ask Yazid if I need to buy a veil.  He reassures me it will be fine.  There are areas where I will need to be careful but in busy places such as the mall and tourist spots, I should be OK.  I'm pictured here wearing the abaya and hijab on one of our trips out.  I would always wear the abaya in the car and then when Yazid and his friend felt it was safe, I could remove it and wear western clothes in certain areas. As we drive through the streets, I can see the neglect and the poverty.  Rubbish piling up along the roads, buildings fading with only memories of the long forgotten good times, when Aden was a thriving tourist destination.  When the beaches were packed with holiday makers from around the world, there for the guaranteed sunshine and warm waters of the Gulf of Aden. The driving...