Around The World
Qatar is Sole GCC Country That Continues to Implement Male Guardianship Law Over Women

Following Saudi Arabia’s historic move to lift restrictions on female travel last week, Qatar is the sole remaining Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) country that continues to implement the oppressive male guardianship laws for the opposite gender.
The Gulf nation continues to restrict movement for women who are under the age of 25 and single.
According to Qatar’s Ministry of the Interior’s website, single women under the age of 25 require a male guardian’s consent to travel outside the Gulf nation. Qatari men can also apply to the courts to prohibit their wives from traveling. The ministry notes that “Married women are entitled to travel without permission irrespective of their age. In case the husband doesn’t want her to travel, he has to approach the competent court to prevent her journey.”
Friday’s decree in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia allows women to apply for and obtain a passport independently of a male guardian. It also allows women to register marriage, divorce, births of children, to be issued official family documents, and it allows for the father or mother to be legal guardians of children. Prior to this, only men were allowed to engage in such activities.
Human Rights Watch notes that “Qatar’s Law No. 22 of 2006 on family and personal status continues to discriminate against women. Under article 36, a marriage contract is valid when a woman’s male guardian concludes the contract and two male witnesses are present. Article 58 states that it is a wife’s responsibility to look after the household and to obey her husband.”
While Saudi Arabia has progressed in women’s rights — even appointing women to top government positions — it appears Doha still has a ways to go. Crown Prince Muhammed bin Salman (MBS) appears to be delivering on his promises.
“Where is what Qatar has promised?” asked Amjad Taha, of the British Middle East Center for Studies and Research (BMCSR). “In Saudi Arabia, there are females in parliament and the council. In Qatar, there is barely female representation in their government.” He continued, “Al Jazeera has always been critical of Saudi Arabia and now that Saudi Arabia has passed that point and implemented the rules to give more rights to females — as MBS has done and increasingly aims to do more of — we should question Qatar. In terms of Qatar and their media, Al Jazeera and Al Jazeera English, we don’t even see one single report about women’s rights in Qatar.”
In a 2012 interview with Qatar’s state-run Al Jazeera news network, Qatari author and Founding Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at the Qatar Foundation’s Hamad bin Khalifa University, Amal al-Malki criticized the lack of women’s rights in Arab nations. “We have no voice. We have no visibility… And I am telling you, this is why women’s rights should be institutionalized, it should not be held hostage at the hand of political leaderships who can change in a second, right? Governments should be held responsible for treating men and women equally.”
Yet, she has not called out her own government. In fact, her Twitter timeline is littered with criticism of Saudi Arabia. Missing is criticism of her own government’s mistreatment of women.
Last month, al-Malki retweeted a researcher at Human Rights Watch who wrote, “Happy 30th birthday to Loujain al-Hathloul, a courageous human rights activists who remains behind bars in Saudi Arabia for no justifiable reason. #FreeLoujain” and Turkish-British novelist Elif Shafak who also tweeted for the Saudi woman’s release from prison.
Last week, she retweeted an Amnesty International tweet and video that highlights women’s rights activists who are behind bars in Saudi Arabia.
“Qatar is criticizing everyone but they refuse to take a look in the mirror at their own ugly reflection,” Taha said.
According to Human Rights Watch, “Qatar’s nationality law does not allow Qatari women, unlike Qatari men, married to non-Qatari spouses to pass on their nationality to their children.”
Asma Rayan, wife of Sheikh Talal Bin Abdul Aziz Al Thani – the second son of one of the founding fathers of Qatar – and her entire family are living in exile in Europe. Her husband was abducted and imprisoned in Qatar, where he is still being held. He is considered a threat to Qatar’s government.
With the focus on the World Cup 2022 to be hosted by Doha, the international audience is especially concerned about the Gulf nation’s human rights abuses and treatment of migrant workers. Meanwhile, the Gulf nation’s massive media and public relations campaign to create the illusion of a modern and just country is a far stretch from the reality of human rights abuses and maltreatment of its citizens that continues unchecked.

Around The World
Russian President Vladimir Putin Warns Big Tech Monopolies are Becoming More Powerful Than Nation States
He sees this as a big problem.

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned of Big Tech monopolies taking power that can allow them to supersede nation states during a recent address.
Putin made the remarks while giving an speech before a virtual meeting of the World Economic Forum on Wednesday.
“Digital giants play an increasingly significant role in the life of society. There is much talk about it now, especially in connection with the events that happened in the states during the election campaign,” Putin said.
“And those are not just some economic giants now, in some fields, they de facto compete with nations. Their audience includes billions of users who spend a significant part of their lives on those ecosystems,” he added.
Putin is alarmed at the growing influence of these monolithic tech entities that threaten national sovereignty and the rule of law.
“And from those companies’ point of view, their monopoly status is optimal for technological and business processes. Maybe it is, but there is a question: How does this monopolism serve the interest of society? Where is the divide between a successful global business, high-demand services and big data consolidation, and to rudely try to rule society at their own discretion?” Putin asked.
Putin accused Big Tech entities of coming dangerously close to usurping or restricting “the natural human right to decide how to live, what to choose, which position to express freely.”
“We just saw all of these in the states, and everybody understands what I am talking about,” Putin said to conclude his Big Tech rant, perhaps alluding to the electoral heist that happened in America.
The clip can be seen here:
NEW – Russian President Putin: Big Tech monopoly giants compete with nations. They serve or restrict the natural human right to decide how to live, what to chose, which position to express freely.pic.twitter.com/gnH94XJJho
— Disclose.tv 🚨 (@disclosetv) January 27, 2021
Big League Politics has reported on the overreaching that Big Tech has performed in recent months, going fully totalitarian to install President-imposed Joe Biden in the White House:
The communications directors at many Big Tech entities – including Twitter, Facebook, and Snapchat – have been revealed as veteran Democrat Party operatives…
Much of what is posted by Starbuck holds up to journalistic scrutiny. Twitter communications director Nick Pacillo once worked as a spokesman for Democrat vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris while she was California attorney general. It has been alleged that he continues to serve her in his privileged role with Twitter, as supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) believe the platform blocked donations for their preferred presidential candidate while he was running against Harris.
Meanwhile Andy Stone – who serves as Facebook’s Policy Communications Director – has been working in various capacities to assure Democrat victory for over a decade. He was celebrated for his career of service to the Democrats when he joined their House Majority PAC in 2012.
“We are thrilled to have Andy on board,” the political action committee’s executive director, Ali Lapp, said in a statement at the time. “Andy brings many assets to House Majority PAC — his understanding of the House, experience in California — one of our most important states in 2012 — and he knows firsthand what it’s like to be fighting for progressive principles and policies every day.”
“I am excited to join House Majority PAC,” Stone said about his servitude to the Democrat Party. “I look forward to working with this talented team to hold Republicans accountable for their extreme and out of touch policies — and to help win back the House.”
Laura Nichols, who works as vice president of communications for Snapchat, appears to have the longest record of paid Democrat advocacy, going back many decades.
Axios noted in their profile of Nichols that she worked as an adviser, strategist, and spokesperson for former House Leader Dick Gephardt for eight years. Gephardt was a Democrat lawmaker for 1977 to 2005, considered to be among the standard bearers of the party for a generation, running for the Democrat presidential nomination unsuccessfully in 1988 and 2004.
Additionally, she served as the SVP of communications and strategy at the Center for American Progress (CAP). The CAP is an organization that was founded by pizza-loving Hillary confidant John Podesta and forms the intellectual backbone for the Democrat Party.
While the West likes to paint Putin as a totalitarian monster, he seems to be keyed in on Big Tech’s negative impact on the masses. He appears to be more in tune with the needs of his people than the vast majority of American politicians.
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