Qatar has been the center of controversy within the Middle East because of its connection to Al Jazeera. “AJ [Al Jazeera] helped foster the Arab Spring by offering a much wider and deeper international news coverage than was possible before,” 5. Al Jazeera has negatively impacted Qatar’s relationship with many other Middle Eastern nations, including Egypt and Yemen. In 2011, Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh (who left office in the wake of the Arab Spring) announced “the Qatari initiative is rejected, rejected, rejected. We reject what comes from Qatar or Al Jazeera” 6. The two entities are inextricably linked. Throughout academic works, Qatar’s political role in the Middle East is described as a diplomatic mediator—“Qatar came to prioritize diplomatic mediation as a constitutionally mandated core of its regional and foreign policy” 7.
Despite Al Jazeera’s impact on the global perception of Qatar, there is no way to avoid cultural stereotyping in the news media. The same stories are repeatedly covered on Qatar, the most prominent one being the country’s successful bid for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The FIFA World Cup is a global spectacle; it is a media event, and people care about its execution. As a result, news about Qatar internationally is saturated with coverage of the road to the 2022 World Cup, as it has caused controversy within the nation itself concerning Qatar’s political, economic, and cultural priorities, and controversy internationally about Qatar’s ability to host this event. Hosting the World Cup has put Qatar under more international media scrutiny than ever, and many global news outlets question its ability to handle the stresses of the World Cup. Qatar is the first Arab nation to ever win the bid to host the World Cup, and that has elicited a wide range of responses across the globe. Business Insider’s article “17 Reasons Why the Qatar World Cup is Going to be a Disaster” reveals American doubt about Qatar’s capabilities..8 The New York Times echoes this sentiment in its article “Qatar 2022: Nine Years Can Go By Fast”. Shuaib B. Ahmed writes, “In 2022, Qatar, an oil- and natural-gas-rich country with a population of less than 2 million, steps onto the global stage. Will Qatar be ready? Does it have enough of a soccer pedigree to pull off a World Cup?” 9
Qatar’s reputation in global news media tends to lean towards its riches and advancements. The New York Times article “The World’s Coolest, Most Cultured New Malls” features a mall in Doha. “Malls may be dying across the U.S., but in the grandiose desert capital of tiny, petro-rich Qatar, they are sprouting up left and right,” writes Christine Ajudua, demonstrating a common trend in news media to romanticize the riches and lavish lifestyles of oil-selling countries in the Middle East.10 BBC News articles “Qatar: Regional Backwater to Global Player” and “Has Wealth Made Qatar Happy” frame the Qatari people in similar ways. Qatar is written about as a ‘small but mighty and innovative’ country of the Middle East. News media tend to cover the dichotomy between the rich, heavily westernized United Erab Emirates and the rich but more conservative Qatar. Qatar is framed as being a mix of old and new. In these articles, Qatari people are viewed as wanting to be innovative without succumbing to the more ‘impure’ western culture that shifts belief systems away from religion, specifically Islam.
A stereotype that I noticed about the people of Qatar is that they are seen as having conservative values at heart, in contrast with their more liberal government, which gives their people free education, healthcare, and other amenities. The government strays from the more traditional, conservative values held by its people, who generally feel as if the country is progressing too fast. Yet, Teller claims “You can feel the pressure in Doha…traffic adds hours to the working week, fueling stress and impatience” 11. The society is framed as generally fast-moving, but resists the western cultural shifts. Stephens, in his article “Qatar: Regional Backwater to Global Player” claims “Qatar is the product of incredible oil and gas wealth, a ruling elite with a vision, and a local population willing to accept the dictates of that elite,” which enforces some pretty heavy stereotypes—the passivity of Qatari people (tying to their Islamic roots), the progressive attitudes of the elite, and the massive wealth of the nation. 12 These are ultimately generalizations that cannot be applied to every citizen of the country.
Al Jazeera, one of the most prominent news networks globally, has its roots in Doha, Qatar. In 2016, Al Jazeera celebrated its 20 year anniversary. Qatar was only established in 1971, so Al Jazeera has been a prominent news source for nearly half of the country’s existence, demonstrating Qatar’s aim to be a modern, informed nation. In Al Jazeera’s 20 year commemoration video, the company’s acting director general Mostefa Souag prides the fact that the organization “Has been standing and stood with the people, making itself the voice of the voiceless.” 1 In a region where there have historically been many limits on media freedoms, Qatar has provided the outlet of Al Jazeera, which has been a vital news player on the global stage.
Al Jazeera has power and influence in world media, and has “worked incessantly to carve out an exceptionally high profile for Qatar in the international arena.” 2 Not only has Al Jazeera helped carve out Qatar’s media landscape, it has also been an effective political tool. The American Embassy in Doha stated that Al Jazeera’s reporting is “A useful tool for the station’s political masters” 3. While the Arab Spring was brewing, 2010 ambassador to Qatar Joseph LeBaron claimed that “Despite GOQ [Government of Qatar] protestations to the contrary, al-Jazeera remains one of Qatar’s most valuable political and diplomatic tools” 4. Al Jazeera has played as much of a part in shaping Qatar’s political landscape as it has shaped the media landscape. As a result of this, Qatari culture is heavily framed by Al Jazeera’s coverage.