Pearl-Qatar alcohol ban won't last - Gordon Ramsay

Rashid Wednesday, 9 January 2013 6:33 PM - UAE

There are more important things to focus on than banning drinks in restaurant. Drinking is a personal choice. if you want a drink then go for it, if not then you're not forced. Are you that weak in your beliefs that you have to hide it otherwise you'll just drink it??? Do you drink when you travel? do you sit next to someone drinking on a plane? Do you go to restaurants that sell drinks in London, cause most of them do?? if so, then you're a hypocrite. Get rid of this stupid ban. Why spend Billions on Western Education if you're not looking to accept people the way they are? if you want everyone to follow your beliefs? if you want it your way or the high way? Qatar, stop contradicting yourself so much, decisions like that make you look so medieval times.

Antony Saturday, 12 January 2013 4:31 PM - U.A.E

@Haisam ... Your point seems to be valid up to the remark you made about non muslims profiting the most out of alcohol. How are you so sure in saying that there is no one liquor serving restaurant in the region owned by a muslim. Also your suggestion of forcing an ideal into non muslims living in the region shows quite clearly who is actually living in the medieval times. If all this boils down to how you segregate so convincingly between muslims and non muslims, Qatar or for that matter any country that subscribes to such a philosophy really shouldn't host a world sporting event.

Haissam Saturday, 12 January 2013 10:34 AM - Australia

The banning of alcohol is not something a government or minister has the power to do as this is a main ideal of a major religion, Islam, that no one person or organisation has the right to ban or not ban. This is not an issue that is open for discussion. Non muslims all around the world know that Islam forbids the consumption of alcohol, buying and selling it and handling it. So why is this and issue now? because muslims in Qatar and most of the UAE have not implemented this ideal of the religion from the beginning with all non muslims who have entered the region. Had they have done so this would not be an issue now. You see the business people who have suffered as a result of this ban are non muslims and alcohol is not forbidden for them in their culture, so comparing this to the ban on niqab is not smart as one is a religious ban and the other ban is a political one. Implementing your religious beliefs is not medieval but criticizing one another's beliefs without knowledge is.

The Consultant Friday, 11 January 2013 1:05 AM - UAE

@SA1 You seem to be living in some black and white world where everyone is either teetotal or an alcoholic. The term "alcoholic" is a clinical one and refers to someone with a dependency on alcohol. However, there are billions of people worldwide who drink some alcohol from time to time but are not actually addicted, and get a certain amount of pleasure and relaxation from having a civilised drink. You also seem to be advocating a ban on tobacco to protect "the weak". Whilst I personally don't think smoking is a sensible thing to do, I do at least have enough respect for other people's freedom to let them get on with it, if that's what they want to do, as long as I'm not having to breathe their smoke in.

SA1 Thursday, 10 January 2013 2:42 PM - UAE

@Rashid -- this logic is only from Addicts.

Laws needs to be tough to allow weak (who falls into various addiction including drinks, smoke, drugs, adultry,) to stay away from such act.

Otherwise why discriminate ? --- let all addicts have their fun...why such balant preference to alchoholics? Even western society are now realising the perils of Alchoholism....and the cost of it on health care.

Hisham Wednesday, 9 January 2013 4:44 PM - UAE

Qatar is showing that the culture and religion of the country go before satisfying Westerners who seem not to understand that different people live different lifestyles. This is once again a case where Ramsey, a Westerner, views his culture as the culture that should be imposed on all nations worldwide, as in his narrow mind and in many Westerners' narrow minds, their culture is somehow superior. Go and try to make money in your own country if you insist on having wine with your dinner. Oh, I forgot, your country's broke! Sorry for that, but here you just go by the rules that exist, and here you let go of that colonist mentality where you come somewhere and the country has to somehow serve and satisfy you.

Hisham Friday, 11 January 2013 1:35 AM - UAE

@Peg each and every expat who is anywhere in the Middle East gets paid royally for whatever it is they do. Do you go and work for an employer and tell the employer he needs to change his entire company's culture and switch from suits to bathing suits? And I think you're being a bit too full of the West by saying Qatar would stop, no country that has money and a valuable resource will "stop" just because the West stops coming over, guaranteed!

Peg Thursday, 10 January 2013 8:27 PM - UAE

@hisham - I think you'll find that most expats are here because the locals can't build their countries by themselves. We've got hundreds of years experience in building the west - against the GCC who has about 30??? If we all went home as you say then Qatar (who is experiencing a massive skills shortage at the moment) would stop! Then where would they be?????

WHJ Thursday, 10 January 2013 3:49 PM - UAE

@ Who you fooling. That's because "most of your friends in Europe" have poor general knowledge.

WHo you fooling Thursday, 10 January 2013 2:41 PM - Dubai

Yes Qatar is a rich country.....

Is this from innovation manufacturing etc. No it is from a foreign company finding gas in your waters, the gas would still be in the ground and you would not be rich if it wasn't for foreign companies expertise in with expelling it and processing it.
If i win the pools does that make me special?

Would a local sport gather as much attention as the british invention of football and the world cup, I very much doubt it until the world cup saga most of my friends in Europe had never heard of Qatar 5 years ago. Oh I hear as of today Qatar is offering David Beckham 20 million to play in Qatar wonder why!?

SA1 Thursday, 10 January 2013 12:45 PM - UAE

Use GDP in ratio of local population and then you will see Qatar as the richest nation.

The right index should have been per captia income...and not GDP which will be biased against big/more populated countries like India --- 4th in GDP ranking but still millions starving for food / shelter

The avenger Wednesday, 9 January 2013 12:43 PM - Qatar

One of the most ridiculous things ever to come out of Qatar and all to do with money not culture .
The cultural bandwagon jumpers use it as an excuse but it's just a pure business fact . The Pearl or F&B outlets on the The Pearl will not survive unless the ban is lifted .

There's only so many Lebanese places that can operate and Guy Savoy has just opened under the dry banner but that venture no doubt will be heavily subsidised from above to make an impression that this can work , the truth is long term it won't and it can't.

If you want Western high end F&B then you need to let the business do the required plan to suit .

750,000 people will rick through the doors in the summer of 2022 and they'll not be wanting high end Fiji mineral water and a Fatoush salad .

Basel Thursday, 10 January 2013 12:45 PM - Bahrain

Its a muslim country and the country should abide to Islamic rules. If you dont like it you can go home from where ever you came from.