Maintaining Boundaries on the Internet – How far is too far in Qatar?

by Shabina Khatri

We've all seen it. That familiar dark blue screen that reminds you that the web page you are trying to view "has been blocked as the content contains prohibited materials."

Sometimes, the censorship is expected, as when one tries to access www.qatarsucks.com. But on occasion, it borders on ridiculous. In February 2009, for example, Qtel blocked Tagged.com, a popular social networking site that ranked in Qatar's top 10 most frequented websites.

"In this instance, because it was proving impossible to separate the legitimate from the potentially harmful, and because we saw the potential for damage – particularly to young people – we made the decision to block the site," said Adel Al Mutawa, Qtel's executive director for group communications.

No rules

If it seems like there is no rhyme or reason to Internet censorship in Qatar, it's because there isn't. Though it is the second most connected country in the Arab world (behind the UAE), Qatar has been slow to establish any rules about what its residents can see, hear or say on the Internet.

"There is no agency or organization to regulate content online - there is nothing codified," said one official at Qatar's Supreme Council for Information and Communication Technology (ictQatar), which oversees telecom and ISP activities.

"We're not there to regulate the content of the Internet," added the official, who asked for anonymity. "Qtel as an Internet service provider does provide some sort of filter. They do it for local, religious and political sensitivities."

Qtel admits to censoring online pornography, political criticism of Gulf leaders and anti-Islamic sites. These sites are blocked for private and home users, but filters do not apply to businesses, including Internet cafes, which young Qataris have been accused of frequenting to surf porn, according to a 2007 local newspaper article.

Gay and lesbian content, sexual health resources, dating and escort services and privacy and circumvention tools are also blocked by Qtel.

Though Qtel does not allow residents to surf freely, it is largely hands-off when it comes to the individual blogs, tweets and forum discussions that increasingly abound in Qatar. That doesn't mean, however, that residents have carte blanche to say what they want.

The Fine Print

The Qatari constitution protects privacy, freedom of expression and freedom of the press, but it also contains a clause protecting youth from "corruption, exploitation, evils of physical, mental and spiritual neglect."

The government has also included clauses in its Telecommunications law, introduced in 2006, that allow Internet service providers (currently, that's only Qtel) to monitor Internet usage and require ISPs to hand over any such data upon government request.

Additionally, those who use the Internet to "disturb, irritate or offend" can face fines and up to a year in prison. This caveat to free speech, however vague, should serve as a warning sign for bloggers to proceed cautiously.

Delicate sensitivities

But how cautiously, exactly? The ictQatar official advises using your best judgment.

"It's not a question of any organization or agency that tells you what the boundaries are on the Internet," the official said. "Most of the bloggers or people writing online - they have to look into the local sensitivities; they have to have an understanding of the political ecosystem."

What does "respecting local cultural sensitivities" actually mean? Staying away from touchy subjects like criticism of Islam and the royal family would be a start, said the official. "You can parallel this to what's happening in the local press - most journalists exercise self-censorship."

For those who simply can't keep their opinions to themselves, another tactic is maintaining total anonymity. That's the approach advocated by Lisa Clayton, an art history professor in Doha who was publicly rebuked in December 2009 for comments she made on Qatar Living, a popular local forum.

Her post, a sarcastic rant about the rowdy behavior of some young men during Qatar's National Day, evoked an avalanche of denunciations from the local community and spurred the creation of an organized campaign against online criticism of all things Qatar.

Fallout

The vehement reaction to Clayton's comments continues to baffle many expats and Qataris alike. But to Amal Al-Sulaiti, a local college student who formed an anti-qatarliving.com Facebook group following the disparaging National Day comments, the outcry made perfect sense.

"What we think is inappropriate is not only expats who live in Qatar talking badly about Qataris, but expats of any country insulting the people of that country they live in," said Al-Sulaiti, whose Facebook group attracted nearly 300 followers in its first week.

"They should understand that we are not idiots and that when it comes to our nationalism, we will always stand up for ourselves and each other and will not accept to be insulted no matter what."

Clayton has apologized for her remarks and says she has learned a lot from the fallout.

"My advice to bloggers in Qatar would be to find a way to make sure that they are in no way identifiable or traceable to anyone, if they want to speak freely about Qatar, the Middle East or Islam," Clayton said. "I know some bloggers that send their posts to someone who is ‘hosting' their blog in another country. To be honest, though, after this experience I am not even sure I would trust that."

For its part, Qatar Living removed Clayton's post and responded to calls for its demise by reminding visitors that "as any material posted is not endorsed, reviewed or approved by Qatar Living, we rely on you to flag community violations." Users have, however, accused QL of occasionally removing inflammatory posts before they attract too much attention (site administrators did not respond to repeated requests for comment).

Free speech?

Some expats worry that the recent uproar and subsequent anti-QL campaign that has been encouraging advertisers to pull their support of the popular website could have a chilling effect on blogging in Doha.

"The bottom line," says Clayton, "is that in spite of the creation of the Doha Center For Media Freedom by HH Sheikha Mozah and Northwestern University, many Qataris appear to not want free speech or media freedom when it puts them in the spotlight. I understand that now in a way I never did before."

But for Al-Sulaiti, who said she supports freedom of expression, there is a distinct line between free speech and hate speech. "I believe that all people no matter where they are from or where they live should have the freedom of expressing their thoughts, feelings, and saying whatever they feel like saying at anytime they want to say it," she said.

"(But) what has been written about Qataris regarding the National Day celebrations has nothing to do with the freedom of speech…Criticism is very important in all societies. It helps people move forward and improve themselves to the better. But the criticism on QL was not constructive in any way and was rather insulting and offensive."

Looking toward the future

Whether Qatar will ever codify an Internet code of conduct remains to be seen. It's possible that a framework might be put into place when a new press law is introduced, the ictQatar official said.

"Things are changing. There have been a lot of calls for a new press law. Online media might be a part of that. Content is very sensitive – it's not easy to control or censor or regulate the Internet. Even in the United States or Europe, content regulation is subject to a lot of debate."

For more information, visit Harvard University's OpenNet Initiative, which has a chapter on Internet usage in Qatar.

For more information, visit Harvard University's OpenNet Initiative, which has a chapter on Internet usage in Qatar.

Shabina S. Khatri is an American journalist freelancing in Doha, Qatar and has previously written articles for Global Voices Online, Al Jazeera English and the Wall Street Journal. E-mail her at shabina.khatri[at]gmail[dot]com or follow her on Twitter @dohanews.