Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06DOHA362
2006-03-09 13:35:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Doha
Cable title:  

QATARI WOMEN ON ELECTION ISSUES

Tags:  PGOV PHUM PREL KWMN KDEM KMPI QA 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO3570
RR RUEHDE
DE RUEHDO #0362/01 0681335
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 091335Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY DOHA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4453
INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DOHA 000362 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARPI, NEA/RA, DRL

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL KWMN KDEM KMPI QA
SUBJECT: QATARI WOMEN ON ELECTION ISSUES

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DOHA 000362

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARPI, NEA/RA, DRL

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL KWMN KDEM KMPI QA
SUBJECT: QATARI WOMEN ON ELECTION ISSUES


1. Summary. The political section recently met with a group
of Qatari women as part of Post's outreach activities to
Qatari women in support of their efforts to realize broad
political participation in society. Young and old women from
various professional backgrounds credited Sheikha Mozah, wife
of the Amir, with opening their political horizons and easing
cultural barriers to women's political participation. They
critiqued current election training programs for excluding
men, observing that including men in these trainings would
facilitate broader acceptance of women's political
participation. Finally, they expressed optimism that women
would be elected to the Advisory Council in the upcoming
elections and were eager for more election training
opportunities. End Summary.

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Tea with the Ladies
--------------


2. A recent gathering with Qatari women included professors
and students from Qatar University, a candidate in the first
municipal elections, a member of Qatar's Permanent Election
Committee, members of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs
and legal experts from the Ministry of Justice. In a
discussion lasting almost three hours, the women spoke
unreservedly and animatedly about their role in society,
their political experiences, the barriers they've
encountered, and their predictions for the upcoming
legislative elections.

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A Top-Down Approach
--------------


3. All the women believe that Qatar's tribal heritage, which
utilizes a hierarchical, top-down approach to ruling and
decision-making, dictates that change, to be effective and
swift, must come from the top. Without gestures from the top
leadership, women cannot play a greater and active political
role in Qatar. To this end, the women asserted that they owed
their political activity and conscience to Sheikha Mozah, the
wife of the Amir. They credited her with opening the horizons
of Qatari women. Sheikha Mozah first took the lead by
appearing in public and at various social functions and later
by promoting educational reform and education for girls and

women. Her efforts have legitimated an expanded and more
substantive role for women in society. In short, Sheikha
Mozah eased the social and cultural barriers that Qatari
women faced and which prevented them from playing a more
active and effective role in society.

--------------
Weaknesses of Current Training Workshops
--------------


4. Of the twelve Qatari women at the gathering, seven had
participated in awareness campaign workshops sponsored by the
Permanent Elections Committee and Supreme Council for Family
Affairs. These workshops were delivered by Smart Global, a
local consultant company, that provides election training and
other services. The participants described the various
shortcomings of the workshops. The format of the workshops
was not conducive to promoting feedback from and exchanges
amongst the women; the women found the lectures somewhat dull
and not instructive; and the organizers did not incorporate a
follow-up program in the training. A follow-up program would
provide not only ongoing information and support to the
participants but also a mechanism for assessing the
effectiveness of the training.

--------------
Targeted Training
--------------


5. Another weakness of the workshops stemmed from the manner
in which invitees were notified. Although the workshops were
billed as being open to all women, in actuality invitations
went out only to select women. The women questioned why some
women were invited and others were not. One professor, who
was unaware that these workshops were takng place, objected
to no receiving an invitation and wanted to know the basis
for deciding who got to attend the workshops. The member of
the Permanent Elections Committee asserted that the workshops
were advertised broadly and well in advance of being held,
but in fact, that was not the case. At most, a small
announcement of the workshops appeared in local papers two
days prior to the event. Many of the women also expressed
concern that the same women were repeatedly targeted for
training.

--------------

DOHA 00000362 002 OF 002


Where are the Men?
--------------


6. The women also objected to the lack of involvement of men
in these training workshops. The women observed that
excluding men from these exercises did everyone a disservice
and undermined women's chances at full participation in the
elections. Given that Qatari society is tribal and
male-dominated, training programs should involve both men and
women as a means of facilitating interaction between both
groups, they argued. Mixed workshops provide the opportunity
for both sexes to exchange viewpoints and openly discuss the
concerns that men have about women holding legislative
office. Only through open dialogue could there be any hopes
of resolving these apprehensions and fostering a change in
mentality. Including men in these training sessions would
demystify the issue itself and facilitate broader acceptance
for women's political participation. Lastly, men have to be
equally engaged in this educational process as they too need
to understand the importance of participating in elections.

--------------
Religion and Women's Political Empowerment
--------------


7. Some of the more religiously conservative women were
outspoken about the capabilities of their sex. They
acknowledged that women have been appointed to high ranking
posts simply to present a positive image of women's
empowerment and strides in democratic reform. However, they
were quick to point out that women are capable of holding and
functioning in sensitive leadership positions. They further
observed that there are no religious restrictions preventing
women from holding high legislative or executive positions.

--------------
Golden Era of Women
--------------


8. The women at the gathering described the present time as
the "Golden Era of Women" in Qatar. Qatari women are making a
difference in society, and those appointed to key positions,
as well as the woman elected in the second municipal council
elections, have become positive examples of the capabilities
of women and have advanced society's belief in women's
abilities. Some women advocated for an official policy on
appointing women to the Advisory Council. Given that society
still has some maturing to do before reaching the point where
it fully accepts women in political positions, a policy of
appointing women would ensure women's presence in the
legislative body. Those concerns notwithstanding, many of the
participants were optimistic about the outcome of the
legislative elections, stating they expected to see a few
women elected to the Advisory Council.

--------------
Recommendations
--------------


9. At the conclusion of the gathering the women were eager to
share their recommendations of the types of training that
would find beneficial. They reiterated their belief that
workshops should be inclusive and not exclusive. Men must be
included in all trainings. They expressed the need to involve
the local public university more consistently in election
preparation and education as the student university
population represents a significant number of potential
voters. They suggested more workshops and training and
lectures for academic credit as a means of ensuring maximum
attendance at these events. Others suggested a greater role
for imams, given their influence in society. Imams could
raise the issue of elections and women's political
participation in their lectures and Friday sermons, thus
promoting greater awareness of and conferring credibility on
the issue.
UNTERMEYER