DOHA: Elders in the conservative Qatari community are unhappy about some of their youth wearing Western dresses, especially T-shirts bearing messages and drawings in English they say border on indecency.
People say many youth who buy such clothing only want to look fashionable and stylish and have no idea what the slogans inscribed on the T-shirts or drawings mean.
A young Qatari said he bought some branded clothing that was expensive but when he brought it home, he found to his shock that the shirt carried a drawing of a devil being worshipped.
“Despite it being so expensive, I threw it immediately,” said Mohamed Al Khaledi.
He told in comments published by Al Sharq yesterday that these clothing were from famous international brands.
“In the end you find that these clothing have slogans written on them or drawings that are offensive to our social and religious values,” he said.
Al Sharq carried photographs of some T-shirts and on one was written ‘Save Water, Drink Beer’, and on the other was inscribed the word ‘love’ but the letter ‘L’ was a ‘Thumbs Up’ sign — the drawing appeared a bit odd and offensive.
The daily carried photographs of other T-shirts with derogatory slogans.
Al Khaledi said in part the families of youth using such clothing were to blame since they could stop them.
Mohamed Abdul Fattah said youth who wear such clothing thought that it was their personal freedom. “They don’t care and think that such T-shirts are against our social and religious values.”
He said authorities should intervene and stop such practices.
Prominent cleric Sheikh Ahmed Al Buanain, while decrying the practice, cautioned that youth wearing such T-shirts and Bermudas dare not enter the mosque to offer prayers.
“The problem is that people don’t have much religious awareness,” he said.
According to him, if people buy such clothing from abroad the responsibility lies with them but if they are bought locally then the state consumer watchdog must clamp down on the outlets and stop the sale.
“These T-shirts are for other societies, not for us,” he said, adding the Consumer Protection Department must act.
The Peninsula
