DOHA: With Ramadan set to begin tomorrow or the day after, there is concern among residents here — especially those who have arrived in the country recently — about how they should dress and conduct themselves in public.

A rule of thumb is to be conservative in the choice of dress and be mindful of not hurting the feelings of people who are fasting.

A lawyer The Peninsula spoke to yesterday said dressing indecently in public or using abusive language was a crime punishable under Qatari law. The law is applicable at all times, but during Ramadan sensitivities on these issues increase.

The general opinion on the matter of dressing in public has been brought out by an online survey conducted by this newspaper. The majority of respondents in the survey, when asked if they thought many people dressed indecently in the country, replied in the affirmative, obliquely implying that some measures needed to be taken to curb this trend.

At least 60 of the 119 men and women who took part in the survey said they agreed the problem did exist here. Only 35 of the respondents said they did not agree that many people dressed indecently in Qatar, while 11 said they did not care. Four respondents said they did not know, while seven said they did not want

to answer.

The survey was conducted between June 7 and August 19 and people are still responding to it.

Embassies of countries like the US and the Philippines have issued advisories to their citizens here to follow a proper dress code to avoid offending others or inviting legal action.

“Don’t go to public beaches in bath towels,” the US mission said in its advisory, also cautioning against wearing sleeveless blouses, halter tops and shorts.

“Western bathing attire must be worn only at hotel pools and private beaches,” the advisory said.

A lawyer here has also warned people against eating and drinking in public or dressing indecently.

Adults found eating or drinking in public between dawn and dusk (the fasting time) during the holy month can be taken to task, said Mohsin Thiyab Al Suwaidi. The act attracts up to three months of imprisonment or a fine of up to QR3,000 or both under Article 267 of Qatar’s criminal code.

Dressing indecently is a crime punishable under Article 290 and action can be taken against the violators regardless of whether it is Ramadan or not, the lawyer said.

THE PENINSULA