http://www.the-wau.com/post/legal-qatar/insulting-muslim-beliefs-can-prove-detrimental-in-qatar/1564Qatar has maintained its cultural and traditional values as an Arab and Islamic nation. The wise leadership of HH the Emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the country continues to modernize while preserving its traditions. Qatar embodies to protect public and personal freedoms and to promote religious values and traditions. In 2008 State of Qatar saw opening of $20m Catholic church, which seats 2,700, is located in the southern outskirts of the city on land donated by Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, Qatar’s emir, and leased for a nominal fee. Though Qatari society is very tolerant but it is very attached to its culture and religion. An expat in Qatar has to be careful and has to keep his/her beliefs within limits. Last week an Indian worker got arrested in Riyadh after photoshopping a Hindu deity onto a photograph of the Kabaa. The man, an agricultural engineer in his 40s, according to Gulf News, posted the image on Facebook. When a Saudi national saw the image he was furious and notified authorities. The scandal went on to provoke the ire of many more in the country, who were outraged at the apparently sacrilegious infringement on the sanctity of Islam’s holiest place. “Be careful what you update on social media, you can be deemed as insulting religion if you broadcast belief that contradicts Islam, promulgating them in any way can land you in jail with no mercy at all”, said Ahmed a legal expert in Qatar. But Qatar law severely deals with the issues of blasphemy, as per articles in Qatar Law Whoever commits the following acts shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding seven years: 1- Insulting Allah through writing, drawing, gesturing or in any other way or through any other means. 2- Offending, misinterpreting or violating the Holy Quran. 3- Offending the Islamic religion or any of its rites and dictates. 4- Cursing any of the divine religions according to the regulations of Islamic law. 5- Insulting any of the prophets through writing, drawing, gesturing or in any other way or through any other means. 6- Sabotaging, breaking, damaging or violating sites or their contents if they are made to perform religious rites for one of the divine religions according to the regulations of Islamic law. In year 2013 Qatar presented a draft at the Arab League for blasphemy. Under its provisions, all forms of defamation, derision or denigration of religions and prophets will be considered crimes. “The main feature of the draft is that it gives every state the right to put on trial those who abuse and hold in contempt religions even if they are outside the country.The law does not interfere in any way with the freedom of opinion and expression which is well protected and guaranteed.” In no way you can challenge Islam and start calling people to any other religion or belief, converting to any another religion from Islam is considered apostasy in Qatar. You can’t hold any meeting or congregation to challenge Islam you can be imprisoned upto five year. As per law “Whoever holds a meeting for the purpose of opposing or challenging the basics or tenets of Islam or promoting another religion shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years.” State of Qatar aspires to builds a society that promotes justice, benevolence and equality at the same time guarding values and traditions
INSULTING MUSLIM BELIEFS CAN PROVE DETRIMENTAL IN QATAR
