Final Reflection

During the last three years, I have worked towards achieving the Media and Politics Certificate which consisted of taking six insightful courses that aim to highlight the connections between media and politics within a variety of topics (three Georgetown Courses and three Northwestern courses). In Georgetown, I started by taking the course Social Movements and Interest Groups which was aimed at understanding how groups that advocate and lobby for change originate, function and grow. I followed that with the course Media in the Middle East, which was aimed towards understanding media transformations and their effect on the state, society and culture within the Middle East. Finally, I took the class Women and Law, which was a discussion-based class that focused on analyzing the effects of legislation on women and providing different lenses to analyze them. In Northwestern, I took the course Exploring Global Media, which was a great course to start with since it covered a range of topics related to communication and media. The class helped to provide the basic building blocks for the rest of my classes at the university. I followed that class with Media and Public Diplomacy, which aimed at understanding different ways in which countries build relations with other nations. Finally, I finished with the course Sports, Society and Media which aimed at examining the politicization of sports and its connection to a variety of fields such but not limited to genocide and gender.

For my overall reflection, I have chosen to focus on the issue of the Online Activism of Qatari Women, which is a timely topic to discuss due to the increasing awareness of women’s rights within the region and the ease of access to online platforms. Qatar is aiming to modernize which involves “increased opportunities and vocational support for Qatari women” (General Secretariat For Development Planning, 2008, p.18). Qatari women are advancing within society such as in the educational sector where in 2019, 67% of Qatar’s higher education graduates are women ("About 67 Percent," 2019). However, Qatari women are also becoming more aware and educated about their rights and goals and are demanding they be met. Qatari Women still face a variety of struggles and believe Qatar has a long way to go before claiming that Qatari women have all their rights. Qatari women have taken to online platforms to break the silence and claim their rights. In this reflection, I will start off by explaining what digital activism is. The reflection will then aim to current the role of Qatari within society and their struggle with their online activism. Through this reflection, I will be connecting this topic to the courses I have taken.

It is first important to define digital activism to help provide a clear understanding of what it is. Within the class Media in the Middle East, we explored the role that digital activism played in countries with authoritarian governments such as in Egypt during the Arab Spring. Activism includes advocating and taking action in order to create a change. Activism can happen through various methods such as but not limited to marches, microblogging, and petitions. Digital activism, according to David Faris and Patrick Meier, is “challenging the older, large scale modes of organization” since platforms such as social media are accessible by everyone everywhere (Faris & Meier, 2013, p. 199). The reading aimed to create a discussion in class about how easy it had become to advocate for different causes on different platforms. Anybody can be a part of the discussion and advocate towards a certain issue. Social media gave organizers “a means to communicate in coordination with others in ways that until recently were only feasible to formal organization” (Faris & Meier, 2013, p. 199). The authors state that digital activism has opened the opportunity for individuals who “are afraid to participate because of the potential physical and emotional costs to themselves” (Faris & Meier, 2013, p. 200). Individuals feel more comfortable advocating online since it is more difficult for authorities to shut down and identify those participating in them. Furthermore, digital activism can help create “information cascades - widespread changes in attitudes and behaviors of individuals” since it creates a platform for the exchange of ideas. (Faris & Meier, 2013, p. 200)”.

Within Qatar, there are strict rules against criticizing the country, the government or the Emir. According to the 2019 U.S State Human Rights Report, Qatar’s “self-censorship remained the primary obstacle to free speech and press” and that “ citizens do not regularly discuss sensitive political and religious issues in public forums, but citizens discussed these issues in private and on social media” (U.S Department of State, 2019). However, the 2018 NHRC annual report stated that the cybercrime laws within the country were “a challenge to freedom of expression because of the legislation’s use of unclear phrases such as violating public order or general principles,” which made it easier for authorities to navigate around the law for their own interests (National Human Rights Committee, 2018, p.29). Qatari women have resorted to social media to express their views on the patriarchal society and the obstacles they face within the country. Social media is a way they are able to connect with other women to share their grievances, however, not all Qatari women share their views which creates a conflict. Some Qatari women believe that they do not have all their rights while other women believe that they do.

It is essential to further discuss the position and role of Qatari women in the society. Qatar’s most important value is family and women play an important part within this value. The Permanent constitution states that “the family is the nucleus of society. Its pillars are the religion, morals, and love of the Homeland. The law regulates the means capable of its protection, maintaining its structure, strengthening its ties, and safeguarding motherhood, childhood, and old age within its framework.” (The Constitute Report, 2020, p. 5). Protecting the mother or the women in the family is important to preserving the family. Qatari women are seen to represent the honor of the family and need to complete their duties at home to ensure that the family value remains strong. It is important to note that there is a tension that exists between modernization and tradition within the country. Qatar desires for the women to maintain the family value and traditions, but at the same time want women to modernize in order to be a competitor on the global scale.

The class Media and Public Diplomacy highlighted that Qatar believes in the power of public diplomacy and that Qatari women are important within it. We discussed in Media and Public Diplomacy how women are becoming the face of Qatar and have become an essential part of Qatar’s public diplomacy strategy. Several examples include H.E Lolwa Al Khater as the Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Assistant Foreign Minister who is the face of many initiatives that regard women. Another example is Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser who advocates internationally women’s education or Sheikha Alya bint Ahmed Al Thani serves as the Permanent Representative of Qatar to the United Nations. Citizens who do not hold such positions have also taken steps to highlight Qatari women’s achievements. In the class Exploring Global Media, we discussed participatory culture (Jenkins, 2009). In Qatar, people have started to move away from being only consumers but becoming also producers. Within my reflection that I wrote on the topic, I mentioned the site Women of Qatar, which was created by a couple of university students who wanted to highlight the stories of Qatari Women (Al-Naimi, Al Kuwari, & Al-Thani, 2019). Sites such as this help to show the achievements of Qatari Women in their society ultimately creating an even better image for Qatar. This can also be a form of activism, which is to ensure that the stories of women are heard and published.

Even though the constitution states that men and women should be treated equally, in reality, that is not the case (The Constitute Report, 2020, p. 7). The Qatar Shadow Report submitted to the UN Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination on Women (CEDAW) in 2014 highlighted that regardless of Qatar’s advancements, women are still facing obstacles in several fields. Females are facing difficulties participating in politics since society has “deeply rooted patriarchal cultural traditions are a strong barrier against female political participation” and the political sphere is considered to be a man’s place (Independent Group of Concerned Citizens, 2014, p. 5). Another example is that women are always supervised and controlled by a male guardian where her “involvement, whether in the form of seeking education, employment, marriage or otherwise, is always based on the approval of a male” and this allows total control of a women’s life (independent Group of Concerned Citizens, 2014, p. 11). Such issues were discussed within the class Women and Law.

The class Women and Law was filled by Qatari women (and one Qatari man) and most of the discussions in class revolved around relating the content to local examples. Over the course, students highlighted grievances they face within their own lives, whether it is their concerns due to the guardianship system, the ability to pass on citizenship or even domestic violence. Many within the class highlighted that they used social media to advocate and express their opinions. Some students stated that they used the hashtag Qatari Women's Rights (حقوق_المرأة_القطرية#) to express their thoughts. Within the hashtag, there are two opposing views that we discussed earlier: some who are for and some against. For example, one tweet stated that Qatar should not have signed CEDAW as it ruins the culture and tradition that exists in Qatar (saydat_qatar, 2020)(Appendix 1). Another tweet highlighted the struggles of divorced women and why we should help them (QFeminists, 2020)(Appendix 2) all under the same hashtag. Within the class, we debated a variety of tweets and the explanations behind them. A big part of CMAP is understanding the differing opinions that exist within the media and this hashtag is the perfect way for people to see that. People with various opinions are coming onto one platform to discuss an issue that they may have not discussed in person before.

Social Media tends to be very powerful due to its ability to reach a large number of people as well as the ease of access for everyone making their participation simple. Within the class Social Movements and Interest Groups, we looked at social movements that started over social media and were fueled by the digital world. The main examples we discussed were the Never Again movement and the Me Too Movement. One of the reasons these two movements grew was the ability of people to participate and contribute their grievances to the cause. Movements are usually driven through the uniting of grievances and this was evident in the Never Again Movement. In my final paper for the class, I showed that the students - from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School - who pioneered the movement wanted to create changes within the law that would help protect other students. Within the class, we read the article Social Movement Participation in the Digital Age: Predicting Offline and Online Collective Action (Brunsting & Postmes, 2002). The article highlighted that social media is“a socially isolating medium can reinforce social unity” because the contribution of one person is part of a movement of millions (Brunsting & Postmes, 2002 p. 528). The collective participation of millions reflects that people are advocating for a change and joining the conversation. The MeToo movement also crossed boundaries and resonated with women that faced sexual harassment. Women in Qatar participated in the Me Too movement on social media. Even Though the MeToo movement did not originate in Qatar, Qatari women were able to participate and share their grievances. For example, this tweet shows a comment posted on someone’s curious cat account about the sexual harassment cases that exist in Qatar (whatthehend, 2018)(Appendix 3). Social movements that contain digital elements to them cross borders and allows for a united front to emerge.

Another example where social media was used as a way to advocate for women’s rights is through the case of Noof Al Maadeed. She had decided to run away in 2019 to the United Kingdom and sought asylum after facing domestic violence from her parents. She first took the steps to create a youtube video titled “Non-existent Qatari Women's Rights” which quickly started gaining attention (Al Maadeed, 2019). This led to the hashtag Qatari Women's Right (حقوق المرأة القطرية) to start trending, which ultimately started a conversation about the video on twitter. One tweet stated that it takes a lot of courage for women to leave everything behind and how bad it must’ve been for her to be at this point (Aljazii, 2019) (Appendix 5). This is one example of many who agreed with her decision and acknowledged the suffering she went through. On the other hand, some individuals were against what she did and were insulting her. One man said that it was the devil pushing her to do it and that may God save her(q6r, 2019) (Appendix 6). The conversation was split into two categories: some that criticized and mocked and some that supported and shared their own experiences. Noof uses social media, mainly Twitter, to inform girls about what they can do if they are facing domestic violence and how they can safely leave the situation. It is important here to highlight Noof’s use of Youtube. The video that she uploaded created a huge controversy and it shows that participatory platforms such as Youtube provide a way to disseminate information and start a conversation.

I would like to highlight that women do face objections from the government and backlash. In Media in the Middle East, within our readings, we came times the government tried to interfere, control and censor the media. In class, we read Douglas Boyd’s article on Saudi Arabia International Media Strategy (Boyd, 2001, p. 56). Saudi Arabia owned a big section of international media as well the internal media which allowed them to control what was being said about them and that is the goal of censorship (Boyd, 2001, p. 56). Control. By having control over the media, they can choose which information they disseminate. Censorship is evident in the case of these activists that operated using Twitter. Qatar had decided to crack down on the twitter accounts of anyone who seems to have a feminist agenda and has a significant following. The activists reported being contacted by government authorities to shut down their twitter accounts and they claim that their parents were contacted as well. The 2019 U.S State Human Rights Report mentioned this incident and said that the accounts “published tweets demanding more freedom for women in the country '' and that there are “conflicting reports about whether they voluntarily closed the platform down or authorities ordered them to do so” (U.S Department of State, 2019). This is evidence of the authorities interviewing into accounts they believed should not be functioning.

It is essential to address the lesson I learned about activism from the class Sports, Media and Society. The existence of media allows for activism to be broadcasted and shared around the world. In the class we dicussed the case of Colin Kaepernick and I really wanted to learn more about what he did and the effects of his actions. I read the article An Analysis of Colin Kaepernick, Megan Rapinoe, and the National Anthem Protests highlighted how he was not protected in terms of his job (Watkins, 2019, p. 259). The protest of Colin Kaepernick was one of the most remembered acts of protest in which he kneeled one-knee on national television during the National Anthem. Kaepernick was protesting the oppression against black people and police brutality. He faced backlash and was kicked out of the NFL even though he was qualified to be on it. The article highlighted that "in a time when speech and political views face a constant threat of being suppressed, it is important to provide increased protections when private employees, like Kaepernick, engage in political speech, and face backlash as a result of such speech” (Watkins, 2019, p. 259). There should be mechanisms to protect those who use free speech to express their thoughts even if others don't agree with it. The fact that he was kicked out shows that there is an attempt to depoliticize the sports world, however that is not possible. Another example is the fight of Joe Fraizer vs Mohammed Ali in Manila - that we watched in class-, which happened around the time a revolution was stirring in the Philippines due to poverty (Teves, 2011). Was the game a way to distract the people into watching a boxing match and away from their struggles? Also, sports are now broadcasted all around the world. Acts of protest will be seen by millions and will send a message whether positive or negative. Sports can unite communities but at the same time, it can be a chance to raise awareness of issues around the world. Some would view this as defiance and some view it as courage. Activism can also happen internally within a community.

Within Qatar, there is a movement within fitness and sports to promote women leaving the private sphere and becoming part of the public sphere. Recently, there has been an increase in women joining gyms, attending classes and doing sports within the country. An example is Joujou Al Fardan, who dominates the sports sector in Qatar owning many of the female-friendly gyms. Joujou Al Fardan's gym Ox Fitness mainly features female trainers and athletes on their Instagram to aim to normalize women joining the fitness world outside her home (OxFitness, n.d.)(Appendix 7). She does not represent the typical image of Qatari women, but one that is constantly in workout clothes which could be considered breaking the stereotype of what Qatari women should look like. However, she is accepted within society as a very empowering figure. Having a role model like Joujou Fardan has many positive implications. Firstly, she is an entrepreneur and she could motivate more women to start their businesses which would help women become financially independent. Secondly, she advocates women leaving the private sphere and entering the public sphere which could lead to more female participation in society. Thirdly, she advocates a healthier lifestyle. However, some people may find her unacceptable since she is promoting women leaving their traditional roles and promoting a more Western sense of clothing and ideals.

Finally, I would like to conclude with what I have learned and developed throughout the certificate. Firstly, One of the tasks I had to do included doing an interview and creating a short film with that interview. I did not have experience in using a professional camera nor editing on Adobe Premiere, but it was a learning experience that allowed me to gain those skills. Another new skill I learned was in the class Media and Public Diplomacy, since we had to make a poster with an AR experience to present to the public. This provided us with experience with new software and possible methods of presentation for the future. Secondly, the certificate has allowed me to cross-register into the campus of Northwestern, which offers classes that overlap with the classes in my university, however, holds a different focus. Since the focus of these classes was looking at the media side, we are forced to look at the same topic through a different lens. Thirdly, It was a great networking opportunity, as I got to meet many new people and make new friends. I realized the people I met had a different way of looking at life and this created very interesting conversations. Also, CMAP has allowed me to take classes with new professors who shared a new set of knowledge with me which I am very grateful for.

In conclusion, the CMAP journey will continue to play a role in my future. Media is becoming an essential component within each person’s life and knowledge on it is becoming a necessity. Since media is becoming such a core component of life, it is essential to learn and understand it. I am sure I did not scratch the surface in regards to this subject, but I will definitely continue learning. I am looking to do a graduate degree that could combine communications and politics and this would allow me to continue to study media. I have interned in the Public Affairs department in the U.S. Embassy and it involved mainly monitoring the news and media and I honestly enjoyed it and would be interested in doing a similar job in the future. Furthermore, Qatar is creating a media city and this certificate will help provide me with the skills and background knowledge to hopefully be involved within the future. Media defines how we communicate with each other and to understand media could mean understanding how to communicate better.