This country
is a promise. It’s a place no
visitor ever forgets. Qatar preserves
its traditions while at the same time
daring to embrace progress. It’s a difficult
balancing act. The emirate is having its
future built at breathtaking speed. Everyone here is
facing what I’m facing. We’re all in
this together. So together inshallah
... we’ll get there This is the way Qatar
used to be — dusty and harsh. Ash-Shahaniya is the
country’s camel capital. And today
is race day. The riders have long been
replaced by remote controlled jockeys. It’s the grand finale of
the racing season today. Even the Emir
will be there. Just before the race, the high-tech
jockeys are placed on their mounts. Human jockeys would be
too heavy for the camels. That’s why we
use these things. They’re small and
weigh under a kilo. It’s better
for the camel. This is the most important
day of the year here. And Adel Mahmoud Abu
Ahmed is the most important man. We’re a team and we all get
ready for the race together. We make sure everything
is ready and organized so the race can
go on as planned. Adel knows
everyone here. Including those who
have a lot at stake. Today I feel good. Like a Qatari
who wins races. There’s a race
almost every day. Each winner gets a
brand new SUV or truck. I reckon I’ve won
ten this season. And there’s a cash
prize for the winners, too. Today, the stake in the
final race is two million riyals. That’s around
500,000 euros. Even the king, the Emir of Qatar,
isn’t about to miss this event. Camel racing, here,
is a national sport. I’ve been doing
this for 31 years. I love this sport. It’s actually a
very deep love. It’s my passion. The camels race over a distance
of 10km at speeds of up to 60km ph. But the actual competition is
apparently alongside the track. The trainers and owners are giving
it their best to support their camels. The event is broadcast
live on television. In less than 15
minutes, the show’s over. Number four wins and is
“crowned” in a traditional way. It’s a big day for everyone,
especially the locals. The winning camel
is from this area. The competitors from
the other Gulf states will just have to be satisfied
with simply taking part this time. These two fans came
especially from Oman. They’re proud to
have been here. Now, I’m going home
to have a good shower. Then I’ll take a
long nap and relax. That’s the old,
traditional Qatar. It’s a man’s world. The capital Doha seems to be
on an entirely different planet. Some 2.8 million people live in
Qatar, 2.4 million of them in Doha. Here female drivers
are par for the course. Qatar combines the modern
present with the traditional past. We’re proud of
that and we love it. We love being in the past
and present at the same time. This combination of tradition
and modernity is ever-present here. When Reem Al-Kuthairi
was born here thirty years ago, this was mainly
still a stony desert. A lot’s changed
since then. For Reem, too. One obstacle I faced was
the attitude of my parents. They found things
strange at the start. Especially because women
had never done what I was doing. It really is hard enough
to convince your parents that it’s ok to be the first
person who does something. Particularly, a thing no
woman before you has done. Msheireb is a
brand-new district. It’s typical of
the new Qatar. Traditional and modern, at
the same time... Just like Reem. Evenings, she spends time
with her siblings and a friend. I think Reem is a role
model for Qatari women. She’s mastered everything
she’s put her hand to. That’s why she’s a role
model here for all women who still have inhibitions
about opening up to the world and realizing
their dreams. In upper class
Qatari society today, gender is no longer a determinant
of who can live their dream. This too, is Reem. Early in the
morning, before work, she goes out for a short
flight in her ultralight plane. The most important thing
about taking off in an ultralight is to make sure that you
are going fast enough. You have to concentrate
on keeping your aircraft in the middle of the runway. You have to see the
speed stays constant. You need to check a few
things on the instrument panel, like engine
temperature. Reem is the first Qatari
woman to own her own aircraft and have a
license to fly it. She really is a model
woman for the Emirate. To be honest, when I started
flying I didn’t even consider whether I would be the first Qatari woman
or indeed the first Arab woman pilot. That wasn’t
why I did it. It was just my
determination and dedication. When you’re airborne
you feel so free. It’s a different type of freedom,
especially in such small, light aircraft. Freedom and joy! From up here you see the
world with different eyes. Qatar is a world
of contrasts. Doha is the center of
the country which oil and gas have made the
richest nation in the world. Qatar would like to
be a modern monarchy. More than 2.2
million foreign workers about eight of ten
people who live in Qatar are toiling to make
this vision a reality. Nearly half of them
work in construction. Most of these guest workers
come from Nepal, India, Bangladesh or
the Philippines. This development is home to
63,000 foreign workers. The poor conditions some
face on the job cast Qatar in a completely
different light. Yogendra Chhiteri shares a
room with three colleagues. He works as a security guard
for a big construction company. But there are many harder
jobs on building sites. The heat, above all else, is a
real problem for his colleagues. So far none of my
friends have died. That happens
sometimes. You usually hear about
incidents involving heart attacks. But I think
that’s pretty rare. And something like that never
happened to our company. Or if it has,
then very rarely. Yogendra is
from Nepal. He’s been working
in Qatar for 19 years. I’m a bit sad I had
to leave my children. They’re so
far away. And I miss them. The last time I visited my
family was three years ago. After that I had vacation days, but
couldn’t travel because of Corona. Our company gives us
vacation every two years. I’m used to it now. I don’t cry
any more. I used to
cry at first. But not anymore. A bit more money. The government of Qatar could
pay its guest workers a bit more. Just a few percent. Yet he already earns
more than some here: 1300 riyal a
month, or 340 euros. The aim is to work for
a time and earn money. And then go
back home. That’s the thing. And all of us have to go
home at some point anyway. Men like Yogendra are
making Qatar what it is today. In the same city,
there’s another universe. With a playground just
for the grandchildren. It’s the home of
a powerful man His Excellency
Abdullah Al Attiyah. That’s Fidel
Castro. I was in Cuba,
in Havana. Here I’m with President
Obama at the United Nations. This is His Highness,
the former Emir. And this was taken with
the Emperor of Japan. All these pictures tell a story of my
past and the challenges that I faced. I’m proud of them. When I became a minister in 1992, Qatar
had the world’s biggest gas field, but we couldn’t
export any of it. Due to my efforts, we’re now the biggest exporter
of liquid natural gas, or LNG. That’s a source
of pride for me. I was able to achieve
my own dream and also the dream of all
of Qatar and of the Emir. The dream of
every Qatari. Today we’re one of the
richest countries in the world. Abdullah was Qatar’s energy
minister for two decades. Then he became the
Emir’s chief-of-staff. When he was born, the career
he’s built was unimaginable. Qatar was poor and
not yet developed. I was three
years old in 1956. I remember how we slept outside in
summer, because the rooms were too hot. But in the courtyard
it was even worse. It was so hot and humid that you woke
up in the morning with damp clothes. My father bought two
air conditioners in 1959. I can remember my
grandmother well. When she turned on
those air conditioners, she wished that their inventor
would spend eternity in paradise. Even today, Abdullah is still amazed at what Qatar and he
himself have achieved. We’re in a golden
age right now. I had surgery in 2018 in Britain, and
received two new lobes of my lungs. When I came back to Qatar
a year later, I got a real shock. I didn’t even know
where my house was! So much had changed
in such a short time. There were bridges,
streets and the subway. When my family picked
me up at the airport. I looked around as if I was
in Qatar for the first time! The country was
developing rapidly even before it was chosen to
host the 2022 soccer world cup. This is Souq Waqif. The bazaar nearly burned
to the ground in 2003. Today, everything
has been restored. Here is as close as you can get
to One Thousand and One Nights. Heat is all in a day’s work
for Mohammed Shahin. We boil the chickpeas
for half an hour. Then we remove the skins
that come off as they cook. Then the whole thing’s got to simmer
at low heat for another 15 minutes. And what’s important is that it can’t
be stirred during the first half-hour. Beirut Restaurant
is a legendary place. It’s hard
to believe, but people of all classes
come here from all over the city to dine on the best
falafel in the country. The Beirut is a
family business With a
simple recipe. To be honest, we’re talking
about a love of cooking and pride. I’m very
proud of it. Ali is my son. He’s following
my lead. He’s loved cooking
since he was a child. In the past, when we were fasting,
we always let him season the food. Hummus and falafel are
The Beirut’s specialties. My father brought me into
the kitchen when I was 18. And I was passionate
about it from the start. Then I learned
step by step. The Beirut
opened in 1959, and it’s been firmly in the
Shahin family since then. My father and uncle first
had a restaurant in Lebanon. That was before
the civil war there. The war forced them to leave
their homeland and come here. My father and my
uncle were illiterate. That’s why they insisted that we study
before we took over the business. We’re academics. Our sons are, too. They have completed
their engineering degrees. Now they’re pitching in here
and helping us to develop further. This is one of the oldest
restaurants in Qatar. And it virtually is, as they say,
the restaurant of my childhood. The quality
is unbeatable. Old restaurants
have a certain flair. It’s so unique you keep
coming back again and again. The family recipe has remained
a well-kept secret for sixty years. The hardest part is to
prepare everything just right, so we can serve it. That’s the
hard part. Everything has
to be perfect. We can’t afford mistakes, after all,
we have a reputation to live up to. A good reputation — something the
whole country is fighting to uphold. An hour-and-a-half south of Doha,
Qatar is actually a desert nation. Once a year, an extreme
sporting event is held here. It’s the Al Adaid
Desert Challenge. Lolwa al-Marri is aiming to
cycle 32km and run 6.5km in the middle
of the desert. A friend of hers
is also taking part. Lolwa is one of four Qatari women
in a group from all over the world. My dream is to represent my
country at the Olympic Games. That’s why I’m
working on myself, so I can make it into
the Paris Games 2024. I train every day
to achieve that. The race
starts at 7 a.m. And, for 3 or 4km, it’s almost
like a normal cycling race. Then begins the
Desert Challenge. The dunes. The dunes are
the toughest part. What I like so much about this event
is that it develops your character. It teaches you what the word
“determination” really means. Let’s hope
we finish. There’s still
20km to go. For Lolwa and most of the
others here, it’s not about winning. It’s about finishing,
any way she can. The bike, I just
wanna leave it. I’m not going to
touch it until next year. It’s too heavy. But again, it is not only
a physical challenge, but a mental
challenge of course Like, self-talk and mindset, is
what takes me to the finish line. Because everyone here
is facing what I’m facing. We’re all in
this together. So together inshallah
we’ll reach there. The sun and a strong headwind
make the race particularly torturous. After more than three hours,
the first part of the race is done. Now, it’s a matter
of running 6.5km. It’s getting
hot. Last 1k. The Qatari women here aren’t just
fighting scorching desert conditions. They also face
other obstacles. Some people keep
telling me to give up sports. Here in Qatar we have
customs and traditions which involve women
staying at home. So unfortunately, you don’t
see many women doing sports. But I believe that sports are
good for a woman’s psyche And that women have
more stamina than men. I hope we can prove that and
force men to think differently. In the end, Lolwa finished in four
hours and 34 minutes to place 37th. I can’t promise,
but it’s my big goal. My dream is to carry the flag
of Qatar at the Olympic Games and to be a
role model. Many others are
also dreaming they will benefit from the
changes taking place in Qatar. The future is only a stone’s
throw away from the beach. This is a very
special part of Doha. It’s Katara, and is known
as the cultural village. Pedestrian zones
are rare in Qatar. Mohammed Makki
cycles to work. He’s the Imam here a
Moslem prayer leader. When I stand in front of the
mosque dressed like this, people ask: “Is that really
Imam Mohammed?” They don’t
recognize me at first. I probably look
a bit different. Katara is a young, lavishly-designed
quarter, with a planetarium, boutiques, an opera house,
a shopping mall, art galleries, and
an amphitheater And Mohammed’s
mosque. Now, during Ramadan,
it’s often full at prayer time. It’s the time of the
year for everything: the body, the
soul, for everything. During Ramadan, the stress we contend
with all year round just vanishes. Even my
children notice it. Yesterday, my son fasted with me
and I when I asked him why, he said, Because I’m happy! Only about 65% of people
who live in Qatar are Muslims. Many foreign workers
are Hindu or Christian. In daytime during Ramadan,
Doha is like a ghost town. But when the sun goes
down, the city gets up. Imam Mohammed is getting
ready for evening prayers. One of the purposes of prayer
is to bring hearts closer together. A wealthy businessman
stands next to a poor worker. After prayers they say:
“Peace be upon you. How are you?” That’s
what it’s all about. Mohammed’s Islam
is a religion of peace. I hope strangers will
gather, because God said, Human beings are created as male
and female, in nations and tribes, so that you may
know one another. Coming together and getting
to know one another builds trust. If I know you, I trust
you, and I love you. And nothing bad that anyone
says about you can change my mind. At sundown during Ramadan, the parks
and boulevards fill up with people. Everywhere,
people are eating. Your body gets healthier
and your circulation improves. After fasting the whole day, of course,
whatever you eat tastes delicious. Ramadan is a spiritual
month, a month of prayer, and a month in which families
and people come together. It’s the best month
- the holy month. The mangrove forest of Al Thakira,
is half-an-hour’s drive from Doha. Momodu Manjang works for
a company that rents kayaks. Things are also quiet
here during Ramadan. Momodu is
from Ghana. He’s on his way
to his favorite spot. The barren desert and metropolitan
Doha are a long ways away. But Qatar is no home away
from home for Momodu. Like most of the guest workers in
the country, he’s here to earn money. Before he came here, he made two unsuccessful
attempts to get to Europe. He got on a refugee
boat from Libya. In Qatar,
he’s welcome so here is where he’s
seeking his fortune. Qatar seems
pristine here. But in most places, the transformation
of the country has left its mark. The barren desert
is still typical of Qatar. But the country has
long since embarked on a different path
towards the future. Everything is
just a bit bigger and goes a bit faster
than it does elsewhere. Take the
new subway. The three-line system and its 111km
of tunnels was built in two years. And that’s not all -
not by a long shot. Ibrahim al Bishri is
on his way to work. At Qatar’s
national library. The Emirate has one of the most
progressive educational systems in the Gulf region. Schools, universities and the
library are all free of charge. That’s typical
of Qatar, too. I’m so happy. When I go into the building, I
feel proud to be working here. Sometimes I can’t believe I’m
allowed to work in this place. I’m just so lucky. Ibrahim works in
the children’s section. The state is placing great importance
on the advancement of girls. Ibrahim reads a story
about gender roles. The girls know
just what to say when asked about a
father’s most important job. At this point in the
book I asked the children what the father’s
most important job is. And the children answered,
He should love his children. The point of the story is that
fathers should love their children. It was very
emotional. The girls’ response made me and all
my colleagues very proud and happy. Ibrahim has new fans,
just like the library. I like books a lot. And I can read
books in peace here. I like them because
they’re beautiful. When I’ve finished
reading a story, many of the children take books
and start leafing through them. I’ve seen one little girl pick up a
book and hold it as if she were reading, although she can’t
really read at all. That’s a major
success for me. This was the girls’
first time at the library. For Ibrahim, it’s all part of the
job in a very special workplace. I won’t
forget that. You just feel
well here. This very building
is a work of art. It’s a place no
visitor ever forgets. That’s Qatar. A country everyone has heard
of, but no one really knows A desert nation with everything from
boomtown to burqa and in between.
I love watching DW Documentaries but this feels like a propaganda video
Religious totalitarianism is not tradition.
Calling evil tradition makes light of the truth.
Title correction: "Qatar Between tradition and modern slavery".