Qatar

The State of Qatar (Arabic: قطر), an emirate in the Middle East, occupies a small peninsula off the larger Arabian Peninsula. It borders Saudi Arabia to the south; otherwise the Persian Gulf surrounds the country.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Qatar

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Qatar explicitly uses Wahhabi law as the basis of its government, and the vast majority of its citizens follow this specific Islamic doctrine. Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab founded Wahhabism, a puritanical version of Islam which takes a literal interpretation of the Koran and the Sunnah. In the 18th century Abd Al-Wahhab formed a compact with the al-Saud family, the founders of Saudi Arabia, and purged the "idolatrous" practices of Sufism and Shiism from their domains.

Related Topics:
Wahhabi - Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab - Koran - Sunnah - Saudi Arabia - Sufism - Shiism

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In the early 20th century, when the Al-Thanis realized that converting to the doctrine of their larger neighbor might bode well for the survival of their régime, they imported Wahhabi Islam was imported from Saudi Arabia to Qatar. Perhaps as an effect of the importation, Wahhabism takes a less strict form in Qatar than in Saudi Arabia, though it still governs a large portion of Qatari mores and rituals. For example, almost all Qatari women wear the black abaya (also donned in Saudi Arabia) - however, Qataris do not univerally impose the style on foreigners.

Related Topics:
Saudi Arabia - Abaya

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• Music of Qatar