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עמוד:*53
53 * However, there were still signs of the loose Qatari attitude . Qataris who needed to entertain foreigners for their socio - economic or professional goals held a permit allowing them to purchase alcohol . This attitude in various subjects led one contemporary observer to consider the unofficial Qatari motto : "Do whatever you want and think is right – but don't make waves" . 63 Sheikh Hamad's era In 1995, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa became emir when he seized power from his father in a peaceful coup d'état . During his reign, the state experienced the development of a globally recognizable national identity, which sought to develop Qatar as a tourist destination . In 1998, the Supreme Council of Culture, Arts and Heritage was formed, followed by the establishment of the Qatar Tourist Authority in 2000 . The Qatar Museums Authority was established in 2005, and in 2008, the Museum of Islamic Art opened . 64 Qatar became a sponsor of the arts, including a Doha version of the Tribeca Film Festival . 65 Qatar has long sought to develop tourism . The first significant wave of tourism reform came in the late 1990 s . Then, the laws regarding the availability of alcohol were liberalized, and the state supported the modernization and expansion of hotel capacity through the state - owned Qatar National Hotels Company ( QNHC ) . 66 A 1998 survey stated : Liberalization of laws governing the availability of alcohol now being served for non - Qataris at restaurants in the major hotels bodes well for the country's desire to increase the tourist trade . However, the industry is at present embryonic, depending mostly on visits by family members of expatriates employed in the country and package tours to the Gulf by academic interest groups from Germany and Austria . 67 The "open" approach is also documented in literature for tourists . According to the Explorer Guideline for Qatar in 2006, the state is a "fairly tolerant and welcoming country," with few restrictions placed on foreigners . The publication added that alcohol is "available in licensed hotels" . 68 The availability of alcohol in Qatar is mentioned in Ibid . 63 Karen Exell and Trinidad Rico, "‘There is No Heritage in Qatar’ : Orientalism, Colonialism and Other 64 Problematic Histories", World Archaeology, Vol . 45, No . 5, ( 2013 ) , p . 678 . James M . Dorsey, Qatari vs . Saudi Wahhabism and the Perils of Top - Down Change, BESA Center 65 Perspectives, Paper No . 676, 7 December 2017 . Matthew Gray, Qatar : Politics and theChallengesof Development ( Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2013 ) , 66 pp . 178 - 179 . Gina Coleman, “Qatar Survey”, The MiddleEast , Issue 281 ( August 1998 ) , p . 30 . 67 Explorer, TheComplete Resident's Guide : Qatar ( Dubai : Explorer ; Chailey : Vine House, 2005 ) , p . 13 . 68
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אדמוני, אריאל
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