On Friday (July 21) evening, a warm July evening, I was just leaving the swimming pool as my phone started buzzing with repeated messages. My daughter, Maria, who was born in Qatar was messaging me to get home quickly in order to watch His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani address the nation at 10pm. I rushed home immediately and my whole family gathered in front of the television to watch His Highness the Emir’s live address to the nation and to the rest of the world.
We could see the grace, humility and the firmness with which His Highness addressed the nation. Although my children were surprised, I was not at all surprised, as I am now living with the fourth generation of Qatari rulers and I have witnessed firsthand the foresightedness of Qatar’s rulers most especially of His Highness the Father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani. In the backdrop, stood the strength of his forefathers in the image of Sheikh Abdullah bin Qasim bin Mohammed al-Thani and Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah bin Qasim al-Thani. His statements to the brothers of other GCC countries were clear, firm and discreet.
I have been living and interacting with Qatari citizens and I could expect nothing less than the calmness, nobility and aristocracy in which they face this unprecedented blockade. Qataris never lost hope realising the truth will be out one day, and they never overreacted to any of the disconcerting comments made by their fellow brothers. The expatriate community stood solidly behind the leadership and the Qatari citizens in full support as the country faced this trying time.
Everywhere one goes in the city, we can see the spirit of the Qatari people who expressed their solidarity with their Emir through innumerable paintings and messages of support in every nook and corner of Qatar. Later on, one began to see the image spread across the world in the countries of expatriate residents. I stood with admiration and pride one evening to watch young people, even women and children climbing onto cranes to put in their notes at the very top of a 40ft tall image of the Emir.
Although, there was an initial panic for food items, everyone quickly realised that this was only in the minds of the people; soon we learned that the government has taken care of all the needs of the citizens and residents in the country with careful attention to detail.
As His Highness the Emir rightly said: “The Qatari people instinctively and naturally stood up to defend the sovereignty and independence of their homeland” and “all those who live in this country have become spokespersons for Qatar”. Solidarity of the nation was expressed in many small and big ways and means by Qatari citizens and expatriates in Qatar as well as in their homeland.
When I first reached Qatar in 1983, Qatar was a small country and struggling through the oil crisis. Under the able leadership of the then oil minister, oil prices stabilised. Slowly but surely, we saw the transition of the economy from a hydrocarbon dependent economy to a non-hydrocarbon dependent economy. Qatar is now poised to expand into new industrial units, service industries, tourism and connecting the world through Qatar Airways. Qatar became the world’s largest urea producer and rapid expansion of various industries began transforming the country.
Besides being a regular venue for sport events at a global scale, Qatar is now on the way to become the first Middle East nation to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, one of the greatest sporting extravaganzas in the world. This itself is unprecedented in the history of the region and is remarkable.
Institutions such as Qatar Foundation and its growing number of affiliates have made this country proud by hosting a number of world class educational institutions, besides entities as Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP) which has grown into one of the best scientific and research hubs of the region, with the presence of highly acclaimed international firms. This is resulting in the transformation of Qatar to a diverse knowledge economy.
The flow of increasing numbers of expatriates to Qatar validates the position of the country as a great place to live. The quality of life has been great and it has continued unfettered throughout this difficult time. One can still visit the beautiful Inland Sea, fish in the sparkling waters of the Arabian Gulf, visit Zubara, see the mangroves in Al Khor and enjoy Qatari history which causes us to reflect on harmonious co-existence of cultures and ethnic groups from the Arabian Peninsula, and offers examples of traditional Qatari building techniques.
(Dr M Thomas is a longtime resident in Qatar serving as a leading ENT specialist and the founder chairman of Birla Public School and various other business establishments. He has a large group of Qatari citizens as friends and he is an integral part of the Qatari society.)
Dr M Thomas
