The Qatar government will issue flyers in Malayalam, Urdu, Arabic and English to make expatriates and tourists aware of the need to follow a ‘decent dress code’.
Sharjah emirate in the UAE a few years ago had introduced a dress code barring sarees but it was not strictly implemented and was given a quiet death.
Doha's public relations department will embark on a campaign covering eight crucial points targeting expatriates and the new visitors. ''Respect for the customs in dressing’ will be the first focus of the campaign. Brochures and flyers will be distributed across the country soon,'' the Peninsula daily said.
''The printing works of brochures and flyers in different languages including Arabic, English, Urdu and India’s regional language Malayalam are in the final stages. The Ministry is expected to kick-start its campaign after the current festival season,'' he added.
The brochure, a sample copy which was made available to The Peninsula says, ''The State of Qatar is a conservative Arab country and has its own traditions and customs derived from the originality of its history and people brought up on Islamic religious values. So please respect these customs in your dressings.''
''If you are here on visit/business/work, obey the laws of this country and your respect to these laws will help you to avoid violations...'' the guidelines continue.
Unlike some of its neighbouring countries, Qatar has been liberal with visitors over their outfits.
