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 
 
¶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. 
 
------------------- 
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. 
 
------------------- 
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. 
 
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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