Correcting the demogrpahic imbalance with naturalisation Wednesday, 02 June 2010 05:14

It appears as though there is a plan to grant the children of Qatari women married to foreigners the right to obtain Qatari citizenship, as evident from reports appearing in newspapers. Several articles discussed this issue from different points of view, from those that oppose this plan, to wholehearted supporters and those with some reservations, such as only granting citizenship to children of Qatari women married to GCC citizens as opposed to other Arab countries.

First and foremost, Qatari women will benefit the most from the approval of the legislation of this resolution, even more so than their children. Rather than limiting potential spouses of Qatari women to the point where several are deprived of marriage their entire life, fearing for their offspring’s welfare in the event of marrying non-Qataris, women will be allowed to explore different avenues toward creating families. Due to the circumstances of our small population, women eligible for marriage exceed the men, for many reasons, the most important of which is death through car accidents, the marriage of a large proportion of Qatari men from abroad, and the social stigma against marrying divorced or widowed women.

Thus, if this resolution is approved, Qatari women will benefit the most because it is a great crime to allow spinsterhood that shrouds Qatari women to continue. This is a problem that casts a miserable shadow on Qatari women but is ignored by officials, decision-makers, and the community at large. Now is a time where all can contribute to stirring the rigidity of this issue and dismantling it.

If approved, this law will ensure Qatari mothers the safety of their children, and protect them from losing custody of their children in case of separation from a foreign husband. Of course, when applicable, these children may also receive their father’s nationality, and fathers can take them to his home as he desires, but this legislation will grant women assurance of legitimizing guardianship of their children.

As for the rightfulness of children born to Qatari mothers to be granted citizenship despite the fact that their fathers are non-Qatari, ancient Arabs have long addressed the importance of maternal uncles in the affiliation and loyalty of the children.  Ancient Arabs attributed the characteristics of children from their maternal uncles and gain most of their values, attitudes, and character from their mother’s side of the family.

In most cases, a child remains in the mother’s lap until the threshold of adolescence. Until reaching adulthood, children are usually raised within the mother’s environment, amongst her family, therefore, the children’s surroundings are heavily shaped and influenced maternally.

To whom do such children belong?  Does it depend on the nationality of their father or that of their mother, when the child possesses dual nationalities? For example, when a GCC couple migrates to America and have children there, those children automatically earn US citizenship. Despite growing up in the US and becoming accustomed to the American way of life, the children will likely be heavily moulded by the country of the parents’ origin. The children will find their country of origin is embodied in the home in which the family resides in the US, as they are greeted with the aromatic scent of herbs from the family’s cooking whenever they enter the home, and more importantly through  the family’s language and culture. Therefore, regardless of the surroundings, the children will become whatever nationality their family is.

However, in the case that a GCC man marries an American woman and lives in the US with her, then their children will not find the same food, language, culture, or national and ancient history of his father. Instead, they will take on their mother’s language and lifestyle, and so will the GCC father, who will seek American citizenship and assimilation in American life. In that case, just as the ancient Arabs predicted, a man’s home is that of his wife, which is what will also apply to Qatari women.

The children of a Qatari woman married to a Muslim husband will feel a sense of belonging in Qatar regardless of their father’s nationality. As long as they live in her country, and see their father integrating into this land and assimilating with its people, as Qatar is the land where he earns his livelihood and where his family is housed, then the children will not relate to the father’s home nation except to the extent of which it brings them pride because it is, after all, a part of their being.

What happens when a Qatari woman marries from outside the country? It must be mentioned, so as to not terrify people of this notion, that we are not talking in absolute terms because regardless of whether legislation becomes open to Qatari women marrying foreigners, the majority of families in the country would not respond to that law. Regardless of whether the legislation is formulated, such families will not be interested in whether the State consents it or not – family itself will not accept it. So  these families should not be afraid of anything because they are not being forced to marry who they do not approve of but at the same time they should not stand in the way of other families who support their daughters in marrying foreigners. Even the latter proportion would be minimal but not non-existent. Therefore this law is needed to allow this minority of women to proceed with their lives, and protect their children from being displaced.

It is well-known that there are Qatari families that can easily marry into other GCC countries particularly by virtue of kinship, descent, and personal knowledge. Yet they indisputably reject intermarriage with Muslims of other nationalities, whether Arab or foreign. There may be a few cases from each country in which such marriages occur but the legislature should not just take the majority into consideration - it has a responsibility to consider the rights of all categories of people. The country is expanding and interaction with the outside world is increasing. Some members of our society have been naturalized long ago and are now Qatari citizens, so if they wish to marry their daughters to citizens from their countries of origin, that is their right, and their children’s rights must not be lost.

History teaches us that in order for the State to grow and progress, it is necessary to erase the disparities amongst its population as deviation significantly hinders one’s sense of belonging and patriotism. Americans in the North and South fought in the civil war centuries ago, blood was spilt, cities burnt, between the same people in order to wipe out racism that was impeding the building of their nation, and allow for new citizens of all races, colors, and characteristics to integrate. When Abdel Nasser ruled Egypt, pashas were equated with the elite, and no one of them was better than the other except depending on their efforts and personal characteristics.

In the end, what is the fear of adding new members to our small community? Why is there are concern with the presence of contributors to the nation who we have known, grew up with, and truly belong here? Why don’t we earn their loyalty and integrate them into our social fabric?  This narrow-minded vision through the lenses of racism should be reconsidered comprehensively by the State.

If the economic advantages that would accrue to the children of Qatari women through the acquisition of Qatari citizenship are measured, it would be discovered that there are none. The government already pays for healthcare and education at all levels, and even employment benefits are higher if the children were to remain on their father’s foreign nationality, depending on the citizenship. All that the children will gain through acquisition of Qatari citizenship is protection in case of divorce, and a sense of recognition, identity, and stability.

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