Qatar
(1999)
Section I. Freedom of Religion
There is no constitutional protection for freedom of
religion. The state religion is Islam, as interpreted by the puritanical
Wahhabi order of the Sunni branch. The Government officially prohibits
public worship by non-Muslims; however, it tolerates and protects services
conducted privately with prior notification to the authorities. The
Government allows Shi'a Muslims to practice their faith freely; however,
community leaders have agreed to refrain from certain public practices,
such as self-flagellation.
The Government and ruling family are inextricably linked
to the practice of Islam. The Ministry of Islamic Affairs controls the
construction of mosques, the administration of clerical affairs, and
instruction in the Koran. The Minister of Islamic Affairs is a member of
the Emir's cabinet and participates in policymaking at the highest level.
The only official government holidays aside from the independence day are
the Eid al-Fitr, following the holy month of Ramadan, and the Eid al-Adha,
which commemorates the end of the Hajj. The Emir participates in widely
publicized "Eid prayers" and each year personally finances the
Hajj pilgrimages of many who cannot afford to travel to Mecca.
While Islam is the state religion, a large foreign
population practices other faiths, albeit privately and quietly. Most
foreigners are concentrated in and around the capital city of Doha. In
addition to Muslim foreigners, there are a significant number of Christians
(Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, and other Protestant denominations), as well
as smaller numbers of Hindus, Buddhists, and Baha'is living and working in
the country. The Christian community consists of a diverse mix of
Americans, Europeans, Arabs, Indians, and Filipinos. The Hindu community is
almost exclusively Indian. Buddhists are found among the East Asian
community, and a small number of ethnic Persians make up the Baha'i
community. The Shi'a community has a small number of mosques.
There are no reliable population figures available;
however, the population is estimated to be about 650,000. Of that number,
about 170,000 are believed to be citizens. It is estimated that the
majority of the remaining 480,000 persons are Sunni Muslim foreigners, and
that the rest are Shi'a Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, and Baha'is.
The police provide traffic control for authorized
Catholic services, which may be attended by up to l,000 or more persons at
times, such as on Easter and Christmas. In addition, Christmas decorations,
trees, and cards were all observed for sale in department stores during Eid
al-Fitr. In March 1999, a number of cards and decorations were sold that
carried depictions of the Easter Bunny, Easter eggs, and other secular
Easter symbols.
There are no restrictions on non-Muslims providing
religious instruction to their children; however, the public schools
provide compulsory instruction in Islam. The public schools generally are
closed to foreigners, most of whose children attend any of a number of
private schools.
Non-Muslims may not proselytize, and conversion from
Islam is theoretically a capital offense. However, there is no record of an
execution for such a conversion since independence in 1971.
The Government prohibits the publication, importation,
and distribution of Bibles and other non-Islamic religious literature.
However, in practice individuals generally are not prevented from importing
Bibles and other religious items for personal use. There were a small
number of incidents in which recordings of Christian music and videos were
seized by customs authorities.
Practice of Islam confers advantage in civil life. For
example, non-Muslims do not have the right to bring suit in the Shari'a
(Islamic law) courts. These courts are utilized to settle the majority of
civil claims; thus, non-Muslims are at a distinct disadvantage.
The overall trend during the period covered by this
report has been toward somewhat more religious freedom for Christian
worship. Private discussions between the Government and the ambassadors of
the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Romania, and
South Korea have yielded progress in the area of religious freedom. The
Government stated that it soon would allow the recognized Catholic,
Orthodox, and Anglican communities to rent private villas for use as
worship facilities; however, no outwardly visible symbols such as bells or
crosses are to be allowed. According to government officials, this is to be
the first step toward a long-term goal of allowing the religious groups to
use plots of land on which to build their own churches.
Such progress for Christians is due, in large part, to
their status as "people of the book;" the Koran accords special
status to Christians and Jews. The Government intends neither to permit
Hindus and Buddhists to worship openly nor to establish temples because it
claims that there is no Koranic justification for tolerance of polytheistic
religions.
There were no reports of religious detainees or
prisoners.
There were no reports that the Government forcibly
converted any individuals. However, a criminal may have his or her sentence
reduced by memorizing the Koran. For non-Muslim prisoners, this may create
an incentive to convert to Islam.
There were no reports of the forced religious conversion
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.
Section II. Societal Attitudes
Relations between persons of differing religious beliefs
generally are amicable and tolerant. Out of respect for the Islamic holy
month of Ramadan, which began on December 19, 1998, stores voluntarily
removed their Christmas displays in the days before Ramadan began. However,
a sizable percentage of the citizen population opposes the construction of
Christian churches.
Discrimination in the areas of employment, education,
housing, and health services occurs, at times along religious lines.
Non-Muslims hold jobs in the Government and military; however, they are
generally technical positions. In general Muslims hold all positions of
authority in the Government, with citizens holding higher level positions
and foreign Muslims holding lower positions. Shi'a Muslims experience
discrimination in employment in sensitive areas, such as security and
education. However, the critical factor in most cases of discrimination is
citizenship. Muslim and non-Muslim foreigners face the same challenges.
Health care, electricity, water, and education are provided free-of-charge
to citizens, while foreigners must pay for these services. Citizens also
may receive low- or no-interest home loans from the Government. Foreigners
must rent housing because they are not permitted to own property.
Section III. U.S. Government Policy
The Ambassador, Deputy Chief of Mission, and Political
Officer meet regularly with government officials at many levels to address
the issue of religious freedom, both in public and in private. The issue
has been raised with the Emir, the Foreign Minister, the Minister of State
for Foreign Affairs, the director of the European and American Affairs
Department, and the deputy director of the European and American Affairs
Department. Efforts to emphasize religious freedom are also being
coordinated with the Embassies of the United Kingdom, France, Germany,
Italy, Romania, and South Korea.
The Government has been receptive to the pleas from
foreign governments to allow the construction of Christian churches, as
evidenced by recent progress (see Section I). Its main concern is that the
process should proceed slowly so as not to create undue opposition among
more conservative elements of the population in the hope that, by taking
the time to lay the groundwork, opposition will be minimal.
The Ambassador has offered to host a reunion for a
number of Qatari youths who participated in the "Seeds of Peace"
program. This program brings Arab and Israeli youths together in a summer
camp atmosphere in the United States. The youths spend time learning about
conflict resolution and cultural and religious perspectives.
Sources: U.S. State Department - Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor |