they are the dream of the. future of europe start september 2nd d. w. . the top land of shakes and of big business. but it's a world that these people live in to millions of migrant workers drafted in to make the dream of a modern monarchy become reality. millions of gas and petro dollars continue to flow into the building sites mushrooming across a country that prides itself on its rise while observers remain skeptical about its

true direction. or tell it a bit. difficult tar is a face it's the one seen on streets across the country. a small peninsula on the persian gulf qatar is a hereditary monarchy with the emir ruling supreme over a country the size of los angeles county. everyone who comes here is given a clear message that shaikh tamim bin hamad are tiny is a champion of a peaceful and modern. we are invited everybody to visit qatar media to almost welcome to come to doha and freely go everywhere and see what we stand for qatar is a peace and prosperity loving nation we are welcoming all different nationalities here. come stay prosper and be happy. everyone is welcome

everywhere. 3 months in advance of our trip we asked for permission to shoot on a construction site with a 2022 soccer world cup. media reports on the working conditions at stadiums in progress have severely tarnish the image of qatar so we wanted to see whether things have changed when we turn up to film however we find ourselves unwelcome why would anyone want to doubt the government line the principle is that abusing any human being is just unacceptable by anyone under any circumstances there is no question. qatar is home to over 2000000 foreign workers 800000 of them alone on construction sites amnesty international and other human rights watchers have a critical view on whether conditions really have improved. this needs to get its

times also to show respect for all these many people coming to qatar without whom the world cup wouldn't have been possible it's they who are building old infrastructure new roads subway lines hotels and restaurants and so on. the idea katon needs to treat these people with more respect and provide them with acceptable accommodation and working hours then we would give our prisoners let us understand. this building site has now been completed the emir is here in person for the inauguration of qatar's new national library to the sounds of the national anthem it's the highest profile event on the country's social calendar in the spring of 2018. the largest library in the middle east and also intended to symbolize a new spirit in the country. it's very important guitars a constitutional country is as you mentioned. speaking many measures willingly 2

words democracy. an absolute monarchy taking steps towards a democratic future that at least is the oficial line. constitutions are often not worth the paper they're written on i'm extremely surprised to hear that anybody would imagine. is anything remotely resembling a democracy even if that's how these themselves i don't think would have such hubris to call. a democratic political system. the emir is eager to earn recognition both at home and abroad thank you your highness but is all this just a marketing exercise or is guitar genuinely embarking on reforms towards a more liberal society the new promises are turning old friends into new enemies he brought he takes us on a trip to see one of them through the desert filled sound just 50 years ago

practically the entire country looked like this. one g.p.s. in here in my mind. because i ignored that each do you want to hear if you would last. if you don't do is one and then you have become. the king of the the you know they've been things that well that there's a bit over that they throw in the night so we know how many problems. did the 2nd hold for us. after a 90 minute drive from the capital doha in the east we reach the southwest coast of qatar just across the water or a few kilometers further down the road is saudi arabia. just a stone's throw away as it were. overweight for this story. is that a league of grown ups like i do like that you know. anyway we know. so we come to

life. in political terms this desert region is currently undergoing an icy age and the charges made by those neighbors are serious with the saudis accusing qatar of funding the international terrorism and providing refuge for radical islamists what they can do. if i have said what they can do and i think we could days of the i want to also a cunt tail of this situation because day's not allowed to talk. because you know there is a cunt talk about these things. ordinary civilians tend not to speak out on political issues guitar's neighborhood dispute is really about one issue regional power. in 2017 with a new president in the white house a new international environment the saudis and the batteries marti's the saudis and the martys. they had a perfect window of opportunity to once and for all bring to its needs on

june 5th 2017 saudi arabia the united arab emirates and the small island kingdom of bahrain moved to cut off all land sea and air routes to qatar as well as diplomatic relations the emirates has since been an isolated player in the region. in a tizzy total shock to the catty population. everyone was surprised it's chaotic that. the move prompted panic buying among qataris supermarket shelves emptied as people wondered when stocks would be replenished until the crisis could tar had imported the majority of its food from its neighbors in the region. it was definitely something up propped sudden. without any justification and it is definitely unjust and based al-jazeera the biggest t.v.

news station in the arab world also found itself caught up in the conflict it's multinational work force protested against another demand made by qatar's neighbors for the channel to be closed down immediately that's out of pursued foreign policy and the security policy which was designed to minimize adversaries and maximize friends the saudis did not. appreciate. that's how a trying to come to its own trying to secure its own place on the global. but the attempts to stifle qatar's cautious opening to the west proved ineffective here at the new industrial portend musée need it was a case of boom rather than bust qatar subsequently turned to we ran in turkey for its food imports while also deepening its trade relations with the european union. al-jazeera is like was still in business. the station is stayed owned and has come

under criticism from abroad for its allegedly biased coverage in favor of the muslim brotherhood. qatar's neighbors see al-jazeera as a mouthpiece of the emir and have made repeated demands for it to be taken off the air. it shows how these countries have no tolerance of the freedom of the media or professional be the they want only the media that is that works as a mouth a mouthpiece for themselves and that's what happened actually with all the media that's end of their control so having having this kind of demands is really an indication of how far they are from any kind of freedom or democracy or liberal thinking. there are 2 faces to al-jazeera it's english language our music internationally respected and largely considered

objective on the arab language channel however coverage of the royal family for example is never critical reporters without borders ranks qatar down in 125th place out of 180 and it's world press freedom index al-jazeera is at pains to salvage its image. while people talk about the disease. as one sided channel especially out of a they they cannot be watching it as yet because our slogan from the beginning of you is the opinion and the other opinion this is it i was the 1st channel in the out of countries to bring on our screen the israelis why. is it because we love them no we don't know for hate anybody it's because they need it to be that in order to balance that view is the one we bring the palestinians or the arabs you name it and it's that we never have while on the one side never every day life into

our barely changed following the country's regional isolation and the mayor's personal profile seems to have been boosted by the situation and see his ministers by his commitment. his highness the emir is a true leader visionary. he can decide for his country his people so he gained the the heart and mind of his people. for the young emir who was handed the reins by his father in 2013 the young going round with the country's neighbors has proved a boom in terms of his heroic domestic image. after the blockade i think this block has doubled and maybe tripled so the immediate shift to me miss someone who is very much loved by the people he's a people's person think atar needs a people's person much of the international criticism the country has come under

since being awarded the world cup in 2010 is concerned its treatment of the powerless in society the treatment of foreign workers has been equated with modern day slavery i have been surprised at the extent to which public relations firms. paid by the te's have been able to shape the narrative that is on this region but also what is equally surprising is how gullible or how my oh pick and selective the west has been looking out and not at saudi arabia or united arab emirates or. the gulf region countries together have 23000000 migrant workers and their families but only qatar has suffered scrutiny and negative press on site. scale a key focus of that criticism is the so-called cuff on a system which requires foreign workers to seek their employer's permission to change jobs or even leave the country star is one of the 1st countries in the

region to the sponsorship system or what's known as the killfile a system those conditions have improved already. i urge you very much to go and have field visits as well except field visits with camera crews aren't that easy footage like this has to be shot discreetly so we at least were unable to ascertain whether the cuff on a labor sponsorship system that binds workers to their employer is still in place or not it's led and fortunately it has not been abolished they did pass new legislation called the law on the risdon see an entry and exit of employees it covers more or less everything that the old could fall a little used to goven. with the mine a difference. that it's not quite as straight. as he did it is. more visible to the outside world or the emirates massive investments in the cultural realm. the museum of islamic art designed by the world

famous architect your ming by opened in 2008 its collection is unrivaled. education city new complex on the outskirts of doha both said number of university campuses and this new landmark the national library of qatar. a member of the project was overseen by german scholar claudio looks together with local experts it was financed by the qatar foundation a 70 private organization that has provided substantial funding for education and the sciences since the mid 1990 s. . because of one dish much on the cutoff foundation did come back to russian from the outside. it and implemented these changes with a very modern approach that's always such an example for the entire nation and it was the same with the library i enjoyed

a lot of support in that respect also when it came to turning down requests to hand jobs to specific people something i've seen in berlin too by the way because it wasn't that much more up. the completion of the library coincided with qatar's year of culture being hosted by germany. alongside the german ambassador shaker and been counted out china chairwoman of the qatar foundation seen here opening the library's 1st exhibition on aptly enough german and arab fairy tales and they do one specific everyone who's visited says the image of qatar has completely changed all i can say is come here and take a look at the country there are traditions in the region that we do not tolerate and we don't have to because there's a lot of tolerance here to there is so few could tyreese living there and so many foreigners and everyone gets on and tries hard to ensure integration and the library is part of that integration stuff if you will take these antiquity. the

center of learning and stylish centerpiece of qatar's education system one of the most advanced in the gulf region great schools colleges and the library are all excessive all free of charge although access to the internet is heavily censored. qatar is a land of contrasts. 40 kilometers away from doha has more camels than human residents in qatar camel racing is known as the sport of the shakes. the camels are there we buy the hay and we bring it over there. friday is race day and a big day for business here there are also 2 small supermarkets and a fast food outlet but the best food available here is for the count.

it tastes good. had to negate it. and here too it's migrant workers who make the entire spectacle possible. next door the stores selling racing paraphernalia 100 percent handcrafted the 3 men who run the business came to krypton from afghanistan. this one is. enough it. went away to year you're not eating for any think. this. camels were originally used for carrying cargo by the better we spit on magic tribes indigenous to qatar and the wider region since then the camels have been indispensable for the qataris there is big business to be done with camels. and is a place where the qataris love for competition and sport is clear to see. and an

ideal opportunity to showcase that enthusiasm with the 2015 world mans and bowl championships posted for the 1st time by khadafi. most of his own team and been enticed to play for the gold state thanks to substantial financial bonuses and they finished a sensational 2nd to the distinction of many handball officio not sit. here. and a similar policy saw the qatari men's soccer team win this year's asian cup with a 2022 world cup now only 3 years away. for decades the bidding contest for hosting the tournament has been overshadowed by bribery allegations and the vote in favor of qatar a country with no previous tradition in the sport was particularly controversial. happened for the 1st time. so for the 1st time in this part of the world people

football. they love this kind of activities and at the same time i believe it adds to the potations the good reputation of. as a country that can actually do a project such a big project a project that pushed construction work in the country up yet another gear the constant hosting the world cup for russia in 2018 and qatar 4 years later is in each case an estimated $10000000000.00 euros but that sum is more by the money invested by the emirates in preparation for the event $170000000000.00 euros for stadiums and other infrastructure this is the 1st venue to be completed here tonight filming is not officially permitted the khalifa stadium complex also includes a park with an indoor swimming pool running tracks a sports medicine center and public soccer pitchers. the infrastructure will be

a legacy which will enjoy for decades and it would help the economy and the quality of life in qatar that's why we are not wasting any dollar in the development of all these facilities. it's saturday in doha. at the weekend the city's residents flocked to local parks and to the soup the traditional arab bazaar. here the traditional qatar of old a good sign. among the traders at the market is it is maya who sells pearls. he grew up in a different and poorer i didn't always the pulls from the sea i open them and get

them. their parents and said that. they won't say that have you got any poor rose from the old days i could not believe it because how to keep the pearls in my pocket and my stomach is into. anything they get i said. he says to get. today's side is my only enjoys a relatively good life he's a local legend known as the old pearl fisher everyone knows him and countless celebrities have stopped by to have their photo taken with them. his v.i.p. visitors have included queen beatrix of the netherlands and former german president chris judge one bright 2nd. guitar used to be a british protectorate until it gained independence in 1971 at the time an underdeveloped nation where pearl fishers were still among the best earners.

the physically demanding and laborious business but still a business. when the country was transformed by the discovery of huge oil and gas deposits the south pars north dong field in the persian gulf is shared between qatar and iran it is by far the world's largest natural gas reservoir with reserves larger than all the other fields combined. east started for the gas industry and the elegy in particular when qatar was thought even to create its rated and from scratch we became the biggest. a producer and exporter of the world we produce we process we store we transport we have the biggest fleet off. transportation in the world so it's a wonderful story too to say. the. serbs are projected to last around 160 years and

have already made qatar the richest nation on the planet. germany's per capita gross domestic product for example is $43000.00 euros you could tar it's 2 and a half times that figure. that development has been meteoric as oil and petro dollars started being pumped into the economy we see a massive rise in infrastructure in buildings in and consistent with that we see social change qatar's manufacturing itself a modern society at its top is the emir who enjoys absolute power but he does use that power to benefit his people the country has a generous social security system for qatari nationals and a high standard of health care plus continued billions were education and the arts that's what made it deliberate effort to cultivate what is called knowledge based

economy and to prepare themselves for the post oil era. one calculated decision that was made was that in order to be able to survive you need additional revenue streams other than oil and these revenue streams can be best accrued and secured through investments. doha is west bay the hub of qatar is growing global economic empire to qatar investment authority is the biggest shareholder in the london stock exchange and the 3rd biggest investor in german carmaker volkswagen and it also has stakes in everything from real estate to luxury goods and hollywood film production companies guitars investment strategy is a global one giving the nation considerable economic muscle and the regime now apparently wants to open up politically to this would normally mean more power for

the people next up trade unions and parties are still banned in 2011 the emir's father promised guitar's 1st parliamentary elections scheduled for 2013 they still have to be held. that's the primary reason that that's a leadership prize discovered that it then runs the risk of creating an institutional forum for more conservative elements in society that may not necessarily subscribe to its vision of how it wants to move the country forward. but is the pace at which young qatar's are racing towards the future too fast for more tradition minded shank's. might they still try to turn back the clock. oficial at least elections are now on the cards. the top was trying to be sensitive. to its neighbors. who thought that its might be

too soon for g.c.c. countries to. go through shura council elections. and guitar was trying to be aligned and be sensitive to those neighbors now since those neighbors decided to bookies because you are. there was no reason. to postpone any more. but behind the shining facade the country still has some distinctly unmodern laws sexual relations between people of the same gender can be punished with imprisonment and muslims found guilty of adultery can potentially face the death penalty. qatar faces a balancing act between tradition and innovation by the end of our trip we are able to shoot footage at a stadium construction site in years past the world's media reported thousands of workers losing their lives due to dangerous conditions today everyone wears our debt in many regards it looks like

a construction site in any developed world nation and there is no indication that this is all just a show for our camera crew we're not allowed to talk to the workers however making it difficult to gauge whether conditions have improved and besides the migrant workers at the world cup stadium sites comprise a mere 3 percent of the total foreign workforce qatar is definitely ready to take this responsibility on board as for qatar's image to the rest of the world we'll have to see what happens when the visitors when the visitors arrive it's it's up to them to to judge but only judge by actually being here rather than hearing accounts on the news or depending on on media to to build an opinion. this side alone employs some 3 and a half 1000 workers to ensure that qatar stays on schedule they work in 2 shifts around the clock and the qatar foundation stadium in doha is just one of 8 brand

new arenas when opened it will have a capacity of for. 45000 to 30 years still has to be built after the world cup 15000 seats will be removed nobody here seems to have any doubts about the project's success. you've got to walk cup but 2022 i can assure you that we will organize a good one but i cannot assure you off winning the cup but i hope that we can do when it. millions of migrant workers toiling away to keep the designation stream alive people who could charm will have to take seriously if the vision of a liberal monarchy is not destined to be a fairy tale with a happy ending. because

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this is coming to you live from. and twitter and facebook take action against chinese government propaganda targeting hong kong the justice region has been trying to come to the pro-democracy movement with social media disintegration some 200000 accounts linked to that campaign have now been suspended by twitter.