Asians banned from public areas

[qatarperegrine]

Police officers physically barred workers from entering souqs and the Corniche on Friday, citing that it was "family day." Normally Doha maintains the polite fiction that "family day" at a mall means that no single men are allowed, but one policeman interviewed was more forthright: "Every Friday we come here to stop the labourers accessing this area. No Nepalese are allowed." An editorial by a white dude confirmed that single white men magically count as families.

Links from Peaceful Muslimah, who is charitable enough to see these articles as a good sign, in that the media is at least broaching the topic.

Comments

[aristopheles.livejournal.com]

As a single male of whatever color I'm not real enamoured of this "family day" concept.
Is there any particular rationale given to the idea of "no single men today", or is the pretext too flimsy to even go into it?

[qatar.livejournal.com]

I've never heard a good rationale. I understand women-only events, because then women can take their abayas off -- but FAMILY events means married men are present, so it's not like the women can let their hair down, so to speak.

Judging from enforcement, "family day" has always meant "no laborers" -- they've just usually framed it in sexist rather than racist terms, which are marginally more socially acceptable here.