Out of the perennial questions (who what where why when) I think to date I've only missed Where, so here goes.
Qatar (pronounced somewhere between "cutter" and "gutter") is a small country (although it's still bigger the Kuwait) in the Persian Gulf, contiguous only to Saudia Arabia, and between Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. I'm proud to say that I can now not only correctly identify all of these countries, but also Oman and Yemen, further down the coast towards Africa. You could also correctly identify Qatar as right between Iran and Saudia Arabia.
Qatar is not in Iraq, so just calm down now.
In fact, Qatar is probably the most western friendly nation in the Middle East (not saying much) and should serve more often as an example of an open and tolerant Islamic country. Women can drive, earn an advanced degree, work outside the home, and dress as they wish. Free speech is valued, although the local press is rarely critical of the ruling family. Islam is the national religion, but other faiths practice openly; however I have heard that polytheist religions such as Hinduism are not given so much latitude.
Like many countries in the region, Qatar is very wealthy, and it has the highest GDP in the Middle East. Its revenue comes largely from natural gas which was discovered in the 1940s. With a population around 800,000, roughly 25% are Qatari citizens; most of the rest are expatriates coming to work in the gas, oil, and service industries. Most of the population is Sunni Muslim.
The greatest oppression in the country, I understand, is the heat. Summer temperatures often linger around 105 degrees, but it's a moist heat. Humidity in late summer - and that's when we're going - is often 90% with no hope of rain. But it should be beautiful by the time we leave in December.
The bottom line, of course, is safety. Qatar is fortunately not embroiled in terrorist activity - there was one bombing at a mall a couple of years ago but it seems to have been an isolated event, conducted by an individual. Qataris don't hate Americans; in fact, they have welcomed US troups, and currently host our Middle East Central Command station. And personal safety in Doha is probably better than it is here in Pittsburgh, where RTM's car window was smashed yesterday.
We're all curious to see how our current understanding will hold up to actual experience.
