Here are things World Cup fans are restricted from doing in Qatar

[Coventina]

***snip***

In general, the public consumption of alcohol is illegal in Qatar — an offense that can bring up to six months in prison and a fine of more than $800, according to the Library of Congress. Anyone smuggling alcohol into the country can face up to three years in prison, the agency said.

***snip***

In addition to import restrictions on alcohol and pornography, "travelers cannot bring pork products" into the country, the State Department said in a video about Qatar's laws.

***snip***

Speech that's deemed critical of the Qatari government could trigger an arrest. Those laws apply both to spoken words and social media.

***snip***

If a pregnant fan goes to Qatar for the World Cup, they should be prepared to show a marriage certificate if they need prenatal care there, the State Department said.

much, much more:

https://www.npr.org/2022/11/19/1137783957/world-cup-qatar-fan-restrictions-alcohol

****************

Why the f**k is anybody going to go there?

I would never give that country any of my tourist $$$

[Bev54]

1. They are not the only country like this, most of the Muslim countries have those rules.

Friends who lived in Saudi and Dubai say they had to be careful bringing in mouthwash, because some had alcohol in them. The thing that all the expats that I know who lived in those countries knew how to make their own alcohol and were pretty good at it.

[Coventina]

5. Anyone choosing to go to countries like that are insane, IMHO.

My husband as been to KSA and UAE a number of times for work, but is always cheering when the wheels are up coming home.

[Bev54]

13. Most go where the work and money is and worked for BP.

[getagrip_already]

9. Not dubai......

It is a relatively open society. Woman can dress as they like (within reason), they don't need to cover their heads, they can drive, and they can hold jobs.

Alcohol is available, but expensive. Prostitution is tolerated. I'm not sure about lgbtq, but wouldn't be surprised if it was tolerated as long as it isn't in the open.

It is absolutely male dominated, but not radical Islam.

So not all countries in the region are intolerant and abusive.

[Bev54]

12. It may be more tolerant now but this was back in early 2,000 and was not allowed

[ShazzieB]

24. Dubai is the ONLY place in the Arab world that I would consider visiting.

And that's only because I'm a skyscraper freak, and Dubai has some of the most amazing skyscrapers in the world. (And they keep building more!) Just the Burj Khalifa alone would be worth it to me.

Of course, that's IF I could ever afford it, which means it's all purely hypothetical.

[Coventina]

25. What about the woman who was arrested for fornication because she reported a rape?

That is definitely intolerant and abusive.

Don't forget the young boy who was gang-raped and then charged with homosexuality for reporting it.

[getagrip_already]

43. Agreed, and one thing you absolutely don't want to do....

Tangle with a member of the royal family, who are everywhere.

Even a slight insult can end very badly. The authorities will take their statement and not even bother with yours.

Don't rock any boats, and don't be a victim.

[Coventina]

65. Gee, sounds like paradise...

I'm sure rape victims are happy for the advice to "not be a victim."

Hard pass.

[BlackSkimmer]

26. "Within reason?"

Who decides the “reason”? And hey! They can drive! Don’t have to cover their heads! Woohoo!

Let me guess.

So..not intolerant. Wow.

[getagrip_already]

40. Everything is relative.....

But a western woman could function there far more easily than Saudi Arabia or Iran.

I'm not saying they are perfect, but they aren't barbaric.

And for what I meant by within reason, it's probably a typical dress code expectation as a corporate office in the states. If work appropriate here is oppressive, then I cede your point.

[BlackSkimmer]

41. I'm going to guess you're not a female. Or gay.

Not having full rights, bud? Guess what? That is barbaric.

Jesus.

[FoxNewsSucks]

2. You won't have to go there,

that's what the christo-fascist republicons have in mind to impose here.

[Coventina]

4. Except they will FORCE us to eat pork products, rather than ban them. n/t

[haele]

6. I was just going to say that...Crispy Bacon will be a sacrament.

A ham or BBQ ribs will be required for every dinner.

Vegetarians will be put in the same camps with LBGTQ+, uppity females, dark(er) or foreign looking people, and liberals.

Haele

[Coventina]

7. Let's see....vegetarian, check. Queer, check. uppity female, check,

foreign looking, check. Liberal, check.

Looks like I'm batting a thousand!

See you in the camps!!

[haele]

8. I'm a great experimental cook and a pretty decent practical engineer.

And I've read damn near all the Foxfire books. So our corner will be the place to be!

Haele

[BlackSkimmer]

29. But, it isn't anything like that here. At all.

Why don’t I see you complain about religions that actually DO enforce this kind of thing?

[FoxNewsSucks]

64. YET. It's not like that here YET.

Why the hostility on this thread? No one said it's that bad here at this time. What we're all trying to get across is that the republicon party is controlled by fascists who look at places like that and want the same here.

We don't want that.

But it's foolish to think they aren't working to make it happen. Whether we want it or not.

And I have a dim view of nearly all organized religion, so I have no idea what you're complaining about there.

[Thunderbeast]

3. It is the Paradise sought by American Christo-Fasciests

[BlackSkimmer]

30. No. It isn't.

Slam the countries that do this, not ours.

I’m a gay woman, got bacon in the freezer lol, got my license and first car at 16, voted at 18, served in the military, own my house and more land to boot, can travel freely…..most of which I could never have done in these countries you’re comparing to the US.

Just stop.

[Thunderbeast]

57. The Christian fundamentalists want the same control as Islamic fundies.

The suppression in Quatar is being exposed by the World Cup. Many (certainly not all) American Evangelicals want biblical doctrine to be the cornerstone of American law. They want their doctrine taught in schools. They want women to be submissive and obedient.

I am just pointing out that we are at a non-zero risk of falling into the same nightmare here.

[BlackSkimmer]

59. Well. I disagree.

I have much more faith in our country than that.

And as I said, I’m a gay woman and a Boomer. My parents grew up in England during WW2.

Just stop with this ridiculous comparison of the United States to a fucking backward country like Qatar.

[3catwoman3]

10. Money spent by tourists during a World Cup does not go to the host...

...countries. FIFA has managed to arrange things so they get ALL the money from ticket sales, merchandise, and often food vendors. And they don't pay taxes on it.

https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2022/11/17/do-host-countries-make-money-from-the-world-cup

[Coventina]

17. Hotels, ground transportation, meals outside of the venues.

That adds up to quite a bit.

[ripcord]

11. It is an interesting novelty having sober soccer fans

Drinking, especially to excess, is really not required at events.

[ret5hd]

62. "Wow Bob...this is really kinda boring."

“Sure is Jim. Sure is.”

[peppertree]

14. No pork, alcohol or smut - but bribes are definitely welcome

That medieval piousness for you.

[Coventina]

20. Don't forget slavery, Qatar is infamous for it. n/t

[iemanja]

58. They killed 6500 workers in constructing the venues for the World Cup.

[Coventina]

66. That too. n/t

[malaise]

15. So what

Lots of Americans and foreigners are in American prisons for ganja.

Their laws say no alcohol - follow their laws or stay home.
Sovereign states don't have to take orders from the West.

[Coventina]

18. That's exactly what I'm saying: STAY HOME

No need to give backwards countries money.

[malaise]

21. It's that simple

If my idea of a good time is not available, I simply don't show up

[BlackSkimmer]

27. Kind of like Griner in Russia, huh?

Surprised to see you take that tack.

I remember quite different comments in that regard.

[Sympthsical]

37. As a gay man

I'm not exactly dying to go to Jamaica either.

Since we're lecturing and all.

[BlackSkimmer]

38. Yes. I believe that country is in the top 20 of Do Not Visit for gay travelers.

I used to get a newsletter and Jamaica always featured prominently.

[BigmanPigman]

19. Be careful where you travel...

and KNOW THE LAWS before you go. I remember American tourists getting jailed for putting chewing gum on the ground or ripping down a poster in the public.

[Coventina]

22. Yup. I will never go to such places. n/t

[BlackSkimmer]

28. Or carrying cannabis oil into another country.

Really a bad idea.

[BigmanPigman]

31. I was going to write that but

I thought that was more of a common sense issue. Who the Hell thinks it is legal to carry that anywhere in the world? That is just plain stupid.

[BlackSkimmer]

33. I grew up traveling, and I never even considered trying to carry something illegal to another

country.

I had a friend who did, and she managed to get away with it.

I remember telling her she was an idiot. We never discussed it again, but I think she scared the crap out of herself lol. And that was England; she took a joint in. Back in the 80s though.

A very bad idea, no matter where or when.

[BigmanPigman]

34. I did.

And it was stupid. It was in the Netherlands in 1982. I bought a hash brownie (it was Thanksgiving and that was how I chose to celebrate). I smuggled it in my earmuffs on the train back to Rome where I was attending art school. Very, very stupid and I was very nervous.

[BlackSkimmer]

36. Lol, kind of like my friend.

Funny story to you now, I’ll bet!? I have a few funny stories myself.

Geez, that was before the EU, right? Definitely scary. Glad you made it!

I was tempted, but much too scared to ever think about it. We’re all stupid when we’re young, but RUSSIA? Just no.

[BigmanPigman]

39. It was definitely the most memorable Thanksgiving meal

of my life. I still have the earmuffs which served as the smuggling device. Whenever I wear them I think of the marvelous brownie.

[BlackSkimmer]

49. Lol!

You earned those earmuffs!

[moonscape]

54. My idiocy was in 1978. Took

a couple of joints in the back of a cigarette pack to smoke with a friend I was meeting in Paris, via Morocco. My sister, who lived in Paris, met me in Marrakesh and I happened to mention them, that my friend and I had both agreed to bring a couple to Paris. She told me to dump them, got pissed I was even considering, and came down on me hard as a big sis. Did I? No, because I didn’t want to be the one who didn’t bring when we had agreed, and because she had been so harsh and I was so stupidly stubborn.

So we get to the airport, go through security, me first in line, and after I pass into the waiting area for the flight, my sister wasn’t following. Authorities were talking to her, she was animated, and then she came to me and said she needed a bag I had with more of her ID in it. She said , “they found some hash on the ground by my bag and are claiming it’s mine.” then took off back to a small glass room with the personal papers.

I was =terrified=. There was no bathroom to flush the joints. The plane started boarding and I was scared to leave her, and scared not to. Finally she came out, just in time, rattled and declared ‘let’s go’. Turns out they were going to detain her, but she had come back to get papers to support having diplomatic status with UNESCO (it was weak sauce but they didn’t understand the paperwork well enough to know that) and my sister did her best alpha performance threatening an international incident if they didn’t let her board the flight immediately. It worked but she was really frightened. She said planting hash that way by who they thought were rich tourists was common.

Did I then dump the joints on the plane? Well no, because going into France? Figured I was out of the woods. Moron. When my friend arrived in Paris from NYC he said, “I had a couple of joints but lost my nerve on the flight and dumped them.”

Haven’t thought about that in many decades. Probably the stupidest thing I’ve ever done. Never confessed to my sister.

[BigmanPigman]

60. Man, your poor sister.

I would've kept silent too. Older sisters are intimidating, no matter how old you are.

[Sancho]

23. No beer or bacon!?!?

Damn...can the Brits win without bangers and mash!!

[doc03]

32. Sounds like the MAGA vision for America except for the pork products. They could

make tofu illegal.

[BlackSkimmer]

35. But it's not like that here, is it?

Pretty sure you can buy pork if you want. I bought some today.

Tofu is made from soy, I think. Can’t think of a religion against soy.

[doc03]

42. That's what I say they check all the boxes except for the pork products. Since Republicans

are anti-environment, anti vax, anti EV, anti-science, it makes sense to me to be anti-soy too.

[BlackSkimmer]

45. But, you see, I can be a gay woman here. I can wear shorts, pants, have tattoos, do whatever.

I can drive, vote, travel, believe in science, eat tofu (whatever that’s about), be pro-environment.

Go slam the countries where we can’t do that. That’s not here.

[doc03]

51. Whatever nt

[BlackSkimmer]

52. Yeah, this country sucks for you? Is that right? Please tell me what oppression you've suffered?

Again, I’m a gay woman who came out in the 70s, and I’m damn glad I was born here. I’m going to bet that as a woman, and as a gay woman, that I’ve dealt with more shit than you have.

If you’ve not lived it, you won’t ever understand how much better things are than they were here.

In those countries? Um no, not improving.

My parents were British, and I’d have been happy to be born there too.

I’m not in the least religious, and my dad was an atheist, if he spoke of religion at all, but this “Christo-fascist” rhetoric people are spouting seems a wee bit….hmmm…never mind.

[doc03]

53. I will try this again, the things described in the op are the things of a

fascist society like Nazi Germany. If the Republicans would get total control of our
government that is what they want in this country. I am not saying that is what we have at the present time.
Read the f---g op then read what I said. I said that is the MAGA dream for America.

[BlackSkimmer]

55. I just disagree.

If you think even republican women want that oppressive society, you don’t know many women.

Done.

[FoxNewsSucks]

63. Amy Coney Barrett. Virginia Foxx. Kay O'Connor. Marsha Blackburn.

The list goes on and on. They, like all the rest, either really do want that or believe they'll somehow be exempt.

Wake up.

[BlackSkimmer]

44. Your OP is revealing some unpleasant things I didn't expect to see here.

Thank you for that.

[Just A Box Of Rain]

46. I share the same sentiments.

[BlackSkimmer]

47. Eek.

Sadly, not too surprised with a few.

[Just A Box Of Rain]

48. I hear you.

It is disappointing, to say the least.

[Coventina]

50. I never know how threads will go. It's always an adventure!

[BlackSkimmer]

61. Well, I wish I could rec this one more than once.

[WarGamer]

56. As one who has traveled to MANY countries...

I respect the culture of my host country.

Being in the BioPharma industry for almost 20 years, including babysitting an industrial fermentation facility in China for YEARS...

I've been everywhere, man...