Qatar
(2001)
The Constitution provides no explicit protection
for freedom of religion and the Government continues to prohibit
public worship by non-Muslims; however, it does permit private
worship for "peoples of the book," (i.e., Christians
and Jews). The official state religion follows the conservative
Wahhabi tradition of the Hanbali school of Islam.
During the period covered by this report,
the Government took substantive steps to improve religious
freedom somewhat by continuing to recognize officially some
Christian congregations and by proceeding with plans to construct
Christian churches in the capital, Doha. Non-Muslims may
not proselytize, and the Government formally prohibits the
publication, importation, and distribution of non-Islamic
religious books and materials. However, in practice, individuals
generally are not prevented from importing Bibles and other
religious items for personal use. At times government practices
may have the effect of discriminating along religious lines.
For example, all government positions of authority are reserved
for citizens, which effectively limits those positions to
Muslims. Also, Shi'a Muslims, with close family and sectarian
ties to other countries in the region, effectively are barred
from employment in certain sensitive areas involving state
security.
There are generally amicable relations
among persons of differing religious beliefs; however, many
Muslims oppose the construction of permanent Christian churches.
The U.S. Government discussed religious
freedom issues with the Government in the context of its
overall dialog and policy of promoting human rights. The
U.S. Ambassador and embassy officials meet regularly with
government officials to discuss issues of religious freedom.
Section I. Religious Demography
The country has a total land area of approximately
4,254 square miles and its population is estimated at more
than 650,000 persons, of whom approximately 170,000 are believed
to be citizens. The majority of the 480,000 non-citizens
are Sunni Muslims mostly from other Arab countries working
on temporary employment contracts, and their accompanying
family members. The remaining foreigners include Shi'a Muslims,
Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, and Baha'is.
The Christian community is a diverse mix
of Indians, Filipinos, Europeans, Arabs, and Americans. It
includes Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, and other Protestant
denominations. The Hindu community is almost exclusively
Indian, while Buddhists include South and East Asians. Most
Baha'is come from Iran. Both citizens and foreigners attend
a small number of Shi'a mosques. There is no information
regarding the number of atheists in the country.
No foreign missionary groups operate openly
in the country.
Most foreign workers and their families
live near the major employment centers in and around the
city of Doha, although a growing number now live near the
natural gas projects located in the northern part of the
country.
Section II. Status of Religious Freedom
Legal/Policy Framework
There is no constitutional protection for
freedom of religion, and the Government officially prohibits
public worship by non-Muslims; however, it does permit and
protect private religious services that have received prior
authorization. The state religion is Islam, as interpreted
by the conservative Wahhabi order of the Sunni branch. While
Shi'a Muslims practice most aspects of their faith freely,
they do not organize traditional Shi'a ceremonies or perform
rites such as self-flagellation.
The Government and ruling family are linked
inextricably to Islam. The Minister of Islamic Affairs controls
the construction of mosques, the administration of clerical
affairs, and Islamic education. The Emir participates in
public prayers during both Eid holiday periods, and personally
finances the Hajj journeys of poor pilgrims who cannot afford
to travel to Mecca.
The Catholic, Anglican, and Orthodox churches
received de facto official recognition in the latter part
of 1999, when the Government made a verbal commitment to
allow the churches to operate without interference. The Government
has respected this commitment in practice, but it has not
granted these churches formal recognition by the end of the
period covered by this report. The Government does not recognize
any other religions, officially or unofficially. It does
not maintain an official approved register of religious congregations.
The Government officially celebrates Eid
Al-Fitr, following the holy month of Ramadan, and the Eid
Al-Adha, which commemorates Abraham's sacrifice, as well
as the country's independence day.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
The Orthodox, Catholic, and Anglican churches
operate openly, and the Anglican Church, with its ties to
preindependence British influence, has bank accounts in its
name. However, the lack of formal government recognition
limits their ability to obtain trade licenses, sponsor clergy,
or, for Catholic and Orthodox churches, the ability to open
bank accounts in the name of the church.
Non-Muslims may not proselytize, and the
Government officially prohibits public worship by non-Muslims.
However, it does permit and protect private services. Converting
from Islam is considered apostasy, and is technically a capital
offense; however, there is no record of an execution for
such a crime since 1971.
Non-Muslim religious services must be authorized
in advance by the Government. Although traffic police may
direct cars at these services, the congregations may not
publicly advertise them in advance or use visible religious
symbols such as outdoor crosses. Some services, particularly
those on Easter and Christmas, can draw more than 1,300 worshippers.
The Government does not permit Hindus,
Buddhists, or other polytheistic religions to operate as
freely as Christian congregations. (The Koran does not specifically
enjoin toleration for such religions.) However, there is
no official effort to harass or hamper adherents of these
faiths in the private practice or their religion.
Discrimination in the areas of employment,
education, housing, and health services do occur, but nationality
is usually a more important determinant than religion. For
example, Muslims hold nearly all high-ranking government
positions because they are reserved for citizens. On the
other hand, Shi'a Muslims generally are restricted from employment
in areas deemed critical to national security.
Non-citizens, including both Muslims and
non-Muslims, do not receive the same benefits as citizens.
They must pay for health care, electricity, water, and education
(services that are provided free of charge to citizens),
and they are not permitted to own property.
The Government formally prohibits the publication,
importation, and distribution of non-Islamic religious literature;
however, in practice individuals generally are not prevented
from importing Bibles and other religious items for personal
use. In previous years, there were sporadic reports of confiscation
of such materials by customs officials; however, during the
period covered by this report, Christian worship groups reported
having no trouble importing religious instructional materials
(i.e., Sunday school materials and devotionals) for their
use. In addition, religious materials for use at Christmas
and Easter now are available readily in local shops.
Islamic instruction is compulsory in public
schools. While there are no restrictions on non-Muslims providing
private religious instruction for children, most foreign
children attend secular private schools.
Muslims may enjoy some advantages in legal
proceedings. For example, Muslim litigants may request the
Shari'a courts to assume jurisdiction in commercial or civil
cases; non-Muslims are restricted to civil courts. Also,
Muslim criminals may have their sentences reduced by memorizing
the Koran.
The legal system follows Shari'a law in
matters of inheritance and child custody. Muslims have the
automatic right to inherit from their spouses; however non-Muslim
spouses (invariably wives, since Muslim women cannot legally
marry non-Muslims) do not inherit unless their spouse formally
wills them a portion (up to one third of the total) of their
estates. In cases of divorce, young children usually remain
with the mother, whatever her religion. However, the Government
will not allow noncitizen parents, even if they have custody
of their children, to take them out of the country without
the permission of the citizen parent, which effectively discriminates
against non-Muslim parents.
There were no reports of religious prisoners
or detainees.
Forced Religious Conversion
There were no reports of forced religious
conversion, including of minor U.S. citizens who had been
abducted or illegally removed from the United States, or
of the Government's refusal to allow such citizens to be
returned to the United States.
Improvements and Positive Developments
in Respect for Religious Freedom
The overall trend during the period covered
by this report was toward somewhat more religious freedom
for Christian worship. Private conversations between the
Government and the ambassadors of the United States, the
United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Romania, and South
Korea have encouraged the Government to maintain this atmosphere.
During the period covered by this report,
the Catholic Church developed plans and raised funds to begin
construction of a church. The church building is to be located
on a portion of the site reserved by the Government for the
Catholic, Anglican, and Orthodox communities. However, fundraising
problems have delayed the other congregations in completing
their plans. The Government has voiced concerns that a rapid
pace of progress may provoke opposition among more conservative
citizens.
Section III. Societal Attitudes
Relations between persons of differing
religious beliefs generally are amicable and tolerant; however,
a sizable percentage of the citizen population opposes the
construction of permanent Christian churches.
Section IV. U.S. Government Policy
The U.S. Ambassador and other embassy officers
regularly meet with government officials, both publicly and
privately, to address religious freedom issues. Such matters
have been raised with the Emir (the Chief of State), the
Foreign Minister, and several other government officials.
To increase the impact, the U.S. Embassy coordinates these
discussions with the embassies of the United Kingdom, France,
Germany, Italy, Romania, and South Korea.
U.S. Embassy officers have taken the lead
in bringing government officials and lay church leaders together
to discuss toleration and understanding of non-Islamic worship.
The Government has been receptive to quiet dialog, as evidenced
by its offer to donate land for, and assist in, the construction
of Christian churches.
Sources: U.S. State Department - Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor |