|
|
עמוד:*48
48 * informant may either be a self - interested person or an impulsive calumniator - in any case abominable and base . 30 The ruler's long answer seems defensive and evasive . As seen above, the drinking habit was common in Qatar . Therefore, the only possible course of action for the ruling family was to deny the issue . The Qatari Solution and its problems The Qatari government tried to contain its indigenous population's exposure to foreign cultures, such as drinking . Governments across the Arabian Gulf were troubled by the steady rise in the urban population and attempted to reduce the number of immigrants flocking to the cities . Housing projects were planned for the foreign populations working in the industrial sites . The housing of foreigners there, away from the cities, was intentional, aiming to reduce contact with the local population . The authorities believed that building modern recreational facilities at these work centers, facilities not available in the towns, would prevent the immigrants from flocking to the cities after working hours for leisure opportunities . Umm Said in Qatar is an example of this concept . 31 Rooms were provided to foreign singles in Umm Said and Dukhan . The amenities in the work centers, such as clubs with more than one bar, were limited to them . People in these centers could not rely on the city and were thrown upon their own and company resources . 32 British oil experts were restricted in their movements and behavior . They were not allowed to enter towns, villages, and Bedouin camp sites without permission from the ruler, and even then, only under close escort . They were allowed to consume alcohol only inside their camps, where no Muslims were among them . Any misbehavior was reported to the ruler . 33 This separation seemed to work . One foreigner described in a late account how there was a lot of party - going in the foreign community, but the mix between the indigenous population and foreigners was minimal . 34 The separation of the communities appeared in official documents . Regulations for the port of Umm Said stated that no alcoholic liquor shall be conveyed or sold by any person or firm on the shore to any person without the appropriate permit issued by the IOR / R / 15 / 2 / 1330 ] Translation of letter from H . E . the Ruler of Qatar to the Political Agent Bahrain, 13 [ 30 May 1947 . Avi Plascov, Security in the Persian Gulf 3 : Modernization, Political Development and 31 Stability ( London, Gower, 1982 ) , p . 127 . See also : A . C . K . Nambiar , The Socio - Economic Conditions of Gulf Migrants ( New Delhi : Commonwealth Publishers, 1995 ) , p . 104 . Owen, The Golden Bubble , pp . 133 - 135 . 32 Al - Marwani, IslamicReligion inQatar During the Twentieth Century, pp . 87,370 . 33 Graham, Arabian Time Machine, p . 315 . 34
|
אדמוני, אריאל
|