In ثˆqة‘tثپة‘r|}}, while in the local dialect it is .name=EoI>Johnstone, T.M. "." Encyclopaedia of Islam. Edited by: P. Bearman , Th. Bianquis , C.E. Bosworth , E. van Donzel and W.P. Heinrichs. Brill, 2008. Brill Online. 04 April 2008 [http://www.brillonline.nl/subscriber/entry?entry=islam_SIM-4018 In English-language broadcast media within Qatar—for example, television commercials for [[Qatar Airways and advertisements concerning economic development in Qatar—the name is pronounced "KA-tar", with a distinct differentiation between the syllables from the forming of the 'p' sound.

History

left|thumbnail|250px|Zubara fort

Recent discoveries on the edge of an Island in the West of Qatar indicates early human presence in pre-historic Qatar. Discovery of a 6th millennium BC site at Shagra, in the South-east of Qatar revealed the key role the sea (Gulf) played in the lives of Shagra’s inhabitants. Excavation at Al-Khore in the North-east of Qatar, Bir Zekrit and Ras Abaruk, and the discovery there of pottery, flint, flint-scraper tools, and painted ceramic vessels there indicates Qatar’s connection with the Al-Ubaid civilization which flourished in the land between the Tigris and the Euphrates during the period of 5th –4th millennium BC. There had also been a barter-based trading system between the settlements at Qatar and the Ubaid Mesopotamia, in which the exchanged commodities were mainly pottery and dried fish.http://www.diwan.gov.qa/english/qatar/qatar_history.htm

Islam swept the entire Arabian region in the 7th century. With the spread of Islam in Qatar, Prophet Mohammad sent his first envoy Al Ala Al-Hadrami to Al-Mundhir Ibn Sawa Al-Tamimi, the ruler of Bahrain, which extended from the coast of Kuwait to the south of Qatar, including al-Hasa and Bahrain Islands, in the year 628, inviting him to accept Islam. Mundhir, responding to the Prophet’s call, announced his conversion to Islam, and all the inhabitants of Qatar became Muslim, heralding the beginning of the Islamic era in Qatar.

In medieval times, Qatar was more often than not independent and a participant in the great Gulf-Indian Ocean commerce. Many races and ideas were introduced into the peninsula from Africa, South and Southeast Asia, as well as the Malay archipelago. Today, the traces of these early interactions with the oceanic world of the Indian Ocean survive in the small minorities of races, peoples, languages and religions, such as the presence of Africans and Shihus.

After centuries-long domination by the Ottoman and British empires, Qatar became an independent state on September 3, 1971 (but national celebration day is December 18).

Although the peninsular land mass that makes up Qatar has sustained humans for thousands of years, for the bulk of its history the arid climate fostered only short-term settlements by nomadic tribes.

The British initially sought out Qatar and the Persian Gulf as an intermediary vantage point ''en route'' to their colonial interests in oil and other hydrocarbons in the early twentieth century would re-invigorate their interest. During the nineteenth century, the time of Britain’s formative ventures into the region, the Al Khalifa clan reigned over the Northern Qatari peninsula from the nearby island of Bahrain to the west.

Although Qatar had the legal status of a dependency, resentment festered against the Bahraini Al Khalifas along the eastern seaboard of the Qatari peninsula. In 1867, the Al Khalifas launched a successful effort to squash the Qatari rebels, sending a massive naval force to Wakrah. However, the Bahraini aggression was in violation on the 1820 Anglo-Bahraini state of Qatar. In addition to censuring Bahrain for its breach of agreement, the British negotiate with a representative from Qatar. The request carried with it a tacit recognition of Qatar’s status as distinct from Bahrain. The Qataris chose as their negotiator the respected entrepreneur and long-time resident of Doha, Muhammed bin Thani. His clan, the Al Thanis, had taken relatively little part in Persian Gulf politics, but the diplomatic foray ensured their participation in the movement towards independence and their hegemony as the future ruling family, a dynasty that continues to this day. The results of the negotiations left Qatar with a new-found sense of political selfhood, although it did not gain official standing as a British protectorate until 1916.

thumb|right|250px|Diwan Al-Emiri The reach of the Indian independence in 1947. Pressure for a British withdrawal from the Arab emirates in the Persian Gulf increased during the 1950s, and the British welcomed sovereign state.

In 1991, Qatar played a significant role in the Persian Gulf War, particularly during the Battle of Khafji in which Qatari tanks rolled through the streets of the town providing fire support for Saudi Arabian National Guard units which were fighting against units of the Iraqi Army. Qatar also allowed Coalition troops from Canada to use the country as an airbase to launch aircraft on CAP duty.

, Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani has ruled Qatar, seizing control of the country from his father Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani while the latter vacationed in Switzerland. Under Emir Hamad, Qatar has experienced a notable amount of sociopolitical liberalization, including the endorsement of women's suffrage or right to vote, drafting a new constitution, and the launch of Al Jazeera, a leading English and Arabic news source which operates a website and satellite television news channel.

The International Monetary Fund states that Qatar has the highest GDP per capita in the world, followed by Luxembourg. The World Factbook ranks Qatar at second, following Luxembourg.

Qatar served as the headquarters and one of the main launching sites of the US invasion of Iraq http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5437.htm in 2003.

In March 2005, a suicide-bombing killed a British teacher at the Doha Players Theatre, shocking for a country that had not previously experienced acts of terrorism. The bombing was carried out by Omar Ahmed Abdullah Ali, an Egyptian residing in Qatar, who had suspected ties to Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

Government and politics

Qatar has an emirate government type. CIA.gov:World Factbook

Administrative divisions

right|100px Qatar is divided into ten ''municipalities'' (Arabic: ''baladiyah''), also occasionally or rarely translated as ''governorates'' or ''provinces'': #Ad Dawhah #Al Ghuwariyah #Al Jumaliyah #Al Khawr #Al Wakrah #Ar Rayyan #Jariyan al Batnah #Ash Shamal #Umm Salal #Mesaieed

Economy

Before the discovery of oil, the economy of the Qatari region focused on pearling. After the introduction of the Japanese cultured pearl onto the world market in the 1920s and 1930s, Qatar's pearling industry faltered. However, the discovery of oil, beginning in the 1940s, completely transformed the state's economy. Now the country has a high standard of living, with many social services offered to its citizens and all the amenities of any modern state.

Qatar’s national income primarily derives from oil and kmآ³), while gas reserves in the giant north field (800|Tcuft|km3}} to (1 trillion cubic feet is equivalent to about of oil). Qatar is sometimes referred to as the Saudi Arabia of natural gas. Qataris’ wealth and GDP per capita in the Arab World according to the url= https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/qa.html|title= Qatar|accessdate=2008-03-25 |date= 2008-03-20|work= [[The World Factbook|publisher= [[Central Intelligence Agency}} With no income tax, Qatar is also one of the two least-taxed sovereign states in the world (the other is Bahrain).

right|thumb|200px|Aspire Tower, built for the Asian Games, is visible across Doha. City.">Sports">City.

While oil and gas will probably remain the backbone of Qatar’s economy for some time to come, the country seeks to stimulate the private sector and develop a “Aspire Sports Academy, aquatic centres, exhibition centres and many other sports related buildings and centres. Following the success of the Asian Games, Doha kicked off its official bid to host the title= Doha 2016 bid brings wind of change|url= http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/5CB341CF-C302-41B2-B376-FE6A4103A3D8.htm?FRAMELESS=true&NRNODEGUID=%7b5CB341CF-C302-41B2-B376-FE6A4103A3D8%7d|format= |work= aljazeera.net|publisher= Al Jazeera|location= [[Doha|date= 2007-10-26|accessdate=2008-03-25}} Qatar also plans to build an "entertainment city" in the future.

Qatar is aiming to become a role model for economic and social transformation in the region. Large scale investment in all social and economic sectors will also lead to the development of a strong financial market.

The Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) provides financial institutions with various world class financial services including investments, margin and no-interest loans, and capital support. These platforms are situated in an economy founded on the development of its hydrocarbons resources, specifically its exportation of petroleum. It has been created with a long term perspective to support the development of Qatar and the wider region, develop local and regional markets, and strengthen the links between the energy based economies and global financial markets.

Apart from Qatar itself, which needs to raise the capacity of its financial services to support more than $130 billion worth of projects, the QFC also provides a conduit for financial services providers to access nearly $1 trillion of investments which stretch across the GCC as a whole over the next decade.

The largest project ever in Qatar, the new town of Lusail, is under construction.

Geography

The Qatari 100|mi|km|0}} north into the Persian Gulf from Saudi Arabia and is slightly smaller than the state of Massachusetts, Inland Seaâ€‌), an area of rolling sand dunes surrounding an [[inlet of the Persian Gulf. There are mild winters and very hot, humid summers.

The highest point in Qatar is Qurayn Abu al Bawl at in the Jebel Dukhan to the west, a range of low oil deposits, while the natural gas fields lie offshore, to the northwest of the peninsula.

Religion

Sunni Muslims constitute 98% percent of Muslim population. The majority of noncitizens are from South and Southeast Asian and Arab countries working on temporary employment contracts, accompanied by family members in some cases. Most noncitizens are Sunni or Shi'a Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, or Bahأ،'أ­s. Most foreign workers and their families live near the major employment centers of Doha, Al Khor, Mesaieed, and Dukhan.

The Hindu community is almost exclusively Indian, while Buddhists include South, Southeast, and East Asians. Most Bahأ،'أ­s come from Iran. Religion is not a criterion for citizenship, according to the Nationality Law. However, nearly all Qatari citizens are either Sunni or Shi'a Muslims, except for at least one Christian, a few Bahأ،'أ­s, and their respective families who were granted citizenship.

No foreign missionary groups operate openly in the countryCIA The World Fact Book, but in 2008 the government allowed some churches to conduct mass. In March 2008 the Church “Our Lady of the Rosaryâ€‌ was consecrated in Doha.

Population

Almost all Qataris profess oil industry. Arabic serves as the official language. However, English as well as many other languages like Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu, Sindhi, Balochi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Tagalog, and Persian are widely spoken in Qatar.

Expatriates form the majority of Qatar’s residents. The petrochemical industry has attracted people from all around the world. Most of the expatriates come from South Asia and from non-oil-rich Arab states. Because a large percentage of the expatriates are male, Qatar has a heavily skewed sex ratio, with 3.46 males per female.

In July 2007, the country had a growing population of approximately 907,229 people, of whom approximately 350,000 were believed to be citizens. Qatari citizens follow the dominant Hanbali branch of Islam practiced in neighboring Saudi Arabia, therefore it is considered the culturally closest Persian Gulf state to Saudi Arabia.

The majority of the estimated 800,000 non-citizens are individuals from South and South East Asian and Arab countries working on temporary employment contracts in most cases without their accompanying family members. Most foreign workers and their families live near the major employment centers of Doha, Al Khor, Messaeed, and Dukhan.

{| class="wikitable" ! Year ! Population | | | The population of Qatar is currently about 1,650,000.Current population in Qatar, DohaCIA - The World Factbook - QatarQatar's population doubles since '04 - Politics & Economics - ArabianBusiness.com

Culture

Qatari culture (music, art, dress, and cuisine) is extremely similar to that of other Arab countries of the Persian Gulf. Arab tribes from Saudi Arabia migrated to Qatar and other places in the gulf; therefore, the culture in the Persian Gulf region varies little from country to country.

Qatar explicitly uses Sharia law as the basis of its government, and the vast majority of its citizens follow Hanbali Madhhab. Hanbali (Arabic: ط­ظ†ط¨ظ„ظ‰ ) is one of the four schools (Madhhabs) of Fiqh or religious law within Sunni Islam (The other three are Hanafi, Maliki and Shafii). Sunni Muslims believe that all four schools have "correct guidance", and the differences between them lie not in the fundamentals of faith, but in finer judgments and jurisprudence, which are a result of the independent reasoning of the imams and the scholars who followed them. Because their individual methodologies of interpretation and extraction from the primary sources (rusul) were different, they came to different judgments on particular matters. Shi'as comprise around 2% of the Muslim population in Qatar.

Qatari law

The country has undergone a period of liberalization and modernisation during the reign of the current Emir, alcohol to a certain extent. However, public bars and nightclubs in Qatar operate only in expensive hotels and clubs, much like in the UAE, though the number of establishments has yet to equal that of UAE. Expatriate residents in Qatar are eligible to receive liquor permits permitting them to purchase alcohol for personal use through Qatar Distribution Company, the exclusive importer and retailer for alcohol in Qatar. Qatar has further been liberalised due to the 15th Asian Games, but is cautious of becoming too liberal in their law. Overall Qatar has yet to reach the more western laws of UAE or Bahrain, and though plans are being made for more development, the government is cautious.

In common with other Persian Gulf Arab countries, sponsorship laws exist in Qatar. These laws have been widely described as akin to modern-day slavery.http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,,,QAT,4562d8cf2,484f9a3732,0.html The Sponsorship system (Kafeel or Kafala) exists throughout the GCC and means that a worker (not a tourist) may not enter the country without having a kafeel, cannot leave without the kafeel's permission (an Exit Permit must first be awarded by the sponsor, or kafeel), and the sponsor has the right to ban the employee from entering Qatar within 2–5 years of his first departure. Many sponsors do not allow the transfer of one employee to another sponsor.

Education

thumbnail|250px|left|Cornell University|Cornell University's Weill Medical College in Qatar In recent years Qatar has placed great emphasis on url= http://english.mofa.gov.qa/details.cfm?id=80|title=Qatar constitution}} [[Qatar University was founded in 1973. More recently, with the support of the American universities have opened branch accredited for-profit universities have also established campuses in the city .

In 2009, the Qatar Foundation launches the World Innovation Summit for Education - WISE - a global forum that brings together education stakeholders, opinion leaders and decision makers from all over the world to discuss educational issues. The first edition will be held in Doha, Qatar from November 16 to 18 2009.

Moreover, in 2007 the American Brookings Institution announced that it was opening the Brookings Doha Center to undertake research and programming on the socio-economic and geo-political issues facing the region.

In November 2002, the Emir Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani created the Supreme Education Council. The Council directs and controls education for all ages from the pre-school level through the university level, including the “Education for a New Eraâ€‌ reform initiative.

The Emir’s second wife, Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Missned, has been instrumental in new education initiatives in Qatar. She chairs the Qatar Foundation, sits on the board of Qatar’s Supreme Education Council, and is a major driving force behind the importation of Western expertise into the education system, particularly at the college level.

Healthcare

Through the years, Hamad Medical Corporation has fulfilled its mandate of providing the best quality care for all patients irrespective of nationality, and played its role in providing “Health For Allâ€‌ as pledged by the State of Qatar.

Since its establishment in October 1979, HMC has rapidly developed highly specialized medical facilities capable of providing state of the art diagnosis and treatment of diseases that previously could only be managed in overseas medical centers.

The Corporation implements a policy of continuous improvement of all management systems and patient care protocols. All equipments and facilities are upgraded in order to keep all hospitals constantly ready to provide high quality care.

Continued expansion of facilities for diagnosis and therapy is the focus of efforts in short term. Coupled with the new facility construction program is a sustained effort to attract and retain the best human resources to provide the diagnostic and therapeutic skills needed.

HMC, throughout the 23-year existence of Hamad General Hospital, has accumulated a wealth of vital information essential to improve therapeutic outcome and plan public education. The profile of patients has altered in 22 years and new trends, which the Corporation has to address, have emerged. A Research Center has been established.

Communications

Qtel’s ISP branch, Internet Qatar, uses SmartFilter to block websites they deem inappropriate to Qatari interests and morality.

In Qatar, ictQATAR (Supreme Council of Information and Communication Technology) is the nation's Telecom Regulatory Authority. Under the Chairmanship of His Highness the Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, ictQATAR has been invested with two authorities:

ictQATAR is the country's independent and fair telecommunications regulator and consumer advocate. As regulator, ictQATAR is mandated to protect consumers and business from unfair practices as our country transitions to a competitive telecoms market. ictQATAR is the government body that supports the take-up of innovative technologies, by ensuring people of all ages and income levels are comfortable with technology. Through technology ictQATAR aims to foster citizen's involvement in important government processes. Working with government entities, industry bodies, and commercial enterprises ictQATAR is developing and guiding initiatives in a range of sectors including e-Education, e-Business, e-Health, e-Government, Infrastructure and Information Security.

Vodafone, in partnership with Qatar Foundation, proudly received the second public mobile networks & services license in the State of Qatar on 28 June 2008. They switched on their mobile network on 1 March 2009. Then raising $1 billion, Vodafone Qatar's April IPO was at the time of the close of the subscription period, the largest IPO in the world in 2009. For comparison, globally there have been 11 IPOs of more than USD 50 mill per offering in 2009 that raised $2.1 billion in total. Vodafone's IPO in Qatar raised around $1 billion or almost half of all of these other IPO's put together. 82,000 Qatari national individuals subscribed for 65% of the Shares and 35 % of the Shares were taken up by 273 institutional investors, resulting in a 100% subscribed IPO. A significant number of the Qatari national population are now shareholders in Vodafone Qatar and Vodafone Qatar is now 77% Qatari owned. Vodafone Qatar's shareholders will play a significant part in helping Vodafone "make a world of difference for the people in Qatar".

Al Jazeera (Arabic: ط§ظ„ط¬ط²ظٹط±ط©â€ژ, al-ؤںazؤ«rأ¤, al.dت’aثˆziثگ.ra, meaning “The Islandâ€‌) is a television network headquartered in Doha, Qatar. Al Jazeera initially launched as an Arabic news and current affairs satellite TV channel of the same name, but has since expanded into a network of several specialty TV channels. Print media is going through expansion, with over 3 English dailies and Arabic titles. The magazine segment is dominated by Qatar Today, which is the country's only news, business monthly magazine. It is published by Oryx Advertising Co, which is the largest magazine publisher of the country. The group also brings out several titles like Qatar Al Youm, Qatar's only Arabic monthly business magazine, Woman Today, the only working women's magazine and GLAM, the only fashion title.

Human rights and labour

According to the url= http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2007/82807.htm|title= Country Narratives -- Countries Q through Z|accessdate=2008-03-25 |date= 2007-06-12|work= Trafficking in Persons Report|publisher= Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, [[United States Department of State}}

The Government of Qatar maintains that it is setting the benchmark when it comes to human rights. According to the source at zawya.com, the web link “...is the unofficial translation by The Peninsula team of the 57-page Arabic text of the report released by the National Human Rights Committee yesterday.â€‌ and treatment of labourers.

Qatari contracting agency Barwa is constructing a residential area for labourers known as Barwa Al Baraha (also called Workers City). The project was launched after a recent scandal in url= http://www.iloveqatar.net/forum/read.php?28,2540,2540|title= Qatar: National Human Rights Committee Support Expats|accessdate=2008-08-04 |date= 2008-06-18|work= |publisher=The Peninsula via iLoveQatar.net}} The Barwa Al Baraha will cost around $1.1 billion and will be a completely integrated city in the Industrial area of Doha. Along with 4.25 square metres of living space per person, the residential project will provide parks, recreational areas, malls, and shops for labourers. Phase one of the project is set to be completed at the end of 2008 while all phases will be complete by mid 2010.

Notes and references

http://gvnet.com/humantrafficking/Qatar.htm

See also

External links

• Qatar Living - News, Information and Events

• Explore Qatar - Information, Resources, Blogs, Classifieds

• Qatar in the 1940s

• Ministry of Foreign Affairs

• ictQATAR, Supreme Council of Information and Communication Technology

• Qatar Statistics Authority

• ILQ News and Information

• Chief of State and Cabinet Members

• Qatar at ''UCB Libraries GovPubs''

• Termination of treaty with the UK (PDF)

• }}

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