Petro dollars continue to flow into the Building Sites mushrooming across a country that prides itself on its rivals while observers remain skeptical about its true direction. Cut. A lot of it. If qatar has a face its 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 i mean bin hamad tani is a champion of a peaceful and modern qatar. We are invited everybody to visits qatar media to almost welcome to come to doha and freely go everywhere. I dont see what we stand for qatar is a piece of prosperity loving nation we are welcoming all different nationalities here in qatar to is come to 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 for the 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 that. 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. Business to get its times also to show respect for all these many people coming to qatar without whom the world cup wouldnt have been possible its they who are building old infrastructure new roads subway lines hotels and restaurants and so was supplied time needs to treat these people with more respect and provide them with acceptable accommodation and working hours then we would give our prison let us understand. This building site has now been completed the emir is here in person for the inauguration of qatar as new National Library to the sounds of the National Anthem its the highest profile event on the countrys 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. Its very important guitars a constitutional country is as you mentioned guitar has taken many measures willingly to words democracy. Going to absolute monarchy taking steps towards a democratic future that at least is the oficial line. Constitutions are often not worth the paper theyre written on im extremely surprised to hear that anybody would imagine. Is anything remotely resembling a democracy even if thats how these themselves i dont 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 the 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. I dont know what g. P. S. Then here in my mind. Because i ignored that each of you on here if you would last but if you dont know is what is going to become. The king of the the you know theyve been things up with that theres a bit over that they throw in the mud its the you 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 the saudi arabia. Just a stones throw away as it were. Type of way put this told me. Is that a league of grown ups like i do like that you know were in the way we dont know so we come to like that. 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 International terrorism and providing refuge for radical islamists what they can do. If i have said what they can do nothing because these off the wall clinton also a cunt tale of this situation because it does not a lot to talk. Because you know there is a cunt talk about these things. Ordinary civilians tend not to speak out on political issues qatars 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 thats harrys martis the saudis and the martys thought they had a perfect window of opportunity to once and for all bring the tower to its knees 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 chatty population. Everyone was surprised its chaotic that. The move prompted panic buying a monk ataris 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 a definitely something up propped sudden without any justification and it is definitely unjust and doha based aljazeera the biggest t. V. News station in the arab world also found itself caught up in the conflict and its multinational workforce protested against another demand made by qatars neighbors for the channel to be closed down immediately qatar pursued Foreign Policy and a Security Policy which was designed to minimize adversaries and maximize friends the saudis did not. Appreciate. Thats how a trying to come to its own trying to secure its own place on the global. But the attempts to stifle qatars cautious opening to the west proved ineffective here at the new industrial port in most a 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 state owned and is come under criticism from abroad for its allegedly biased coverage in favor of the muslim brotherhood. Qatars neighbors see aljazeera 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 all freedom of the media or professional media they want only the media that is that works as a mouth a mouthpiece for themselves and thats what happened actually with all the media that send their their their control so having having this kind of of the mens 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 its 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 its World Press Freedom index aljazeera is it pains to salvage its image. When people talk about the disease. As one sided channel especially out of it they cannot be watching it as you because i would slogan from the beginning of you is the opinion and the other opinion dizzied 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 dont over hate anybody its because they need it to be that in order to balance the views of what we bring the palestinians or the arabs you name it and its that we never have one on the one side never every day life and could to our barely changed following the countrys regional isolation and the mayors 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 cared for his country his people so he gained the the heart and mind of his people. For the young a mayor who was handed the reins by his father and 2013 the young going round with the countrys neighbors has proved a boom in terms of years heroic domestic image. Seem to blockade i think this has doubled and maybe tripled so the immediate shift to mean is someone whos very much loved by the people hes a Peoples Person think atar needs a Peoples 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 tease 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 others the gulf region countries together have 23000000 Migrant Workers and their families but only qatar has suffered scrutiny and negative press on site. Just scale but the focus of their criticism is the socalled tough on a system which requires Foreign Workers to seek their employers permission to change jobs or even leave the country start as one of the 1st countries in the region to wallish the sponsorship system or whats known as the defile 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 arent that easy footage like this has to be shot discreetly so we at least were unable to ascertain whether the cup on a labor sponsorship system that binds workers to their employer is still in place or not its laden 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 follow used to goven. With the mine a difference. That its not quite as straight. As he did it is. More visible to the outside world or at 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 a new complex on the outskirts of doha boasts a number of University Campuses and this new landmark the National Library of qatar. Remember the project was overseen by a german scholar proud your looks together with local experts it was financed by the Qatar Foundation assembly a private organization that has provided substantial funding for education and the sciences since the mid 1990 s. Because a foundation had shrunk the cutoff foundation did come back corruption from the outside. It and implemented these changes with a very modern approach always setting 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 ive seen him been into by the way because it wasnt that much money up. The completion of the library coincided with qatars year of culture being hosted by germany. Alongside the german ambassador shaikh i had been counted out china chairwoman of the Qatar Foundation senior opening the librarys 1st exhibition on aptly enough german and arab fairy tales and they do one specific everyone whos 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 dont have to because theres a lot of tolerance here too there is so few could tyreese living there and so many foreign as and everyone gets on and tries hard to ensure integration and the library is part of that integration stuff is and these are in tickets. A center of learning and stylish centerpiece of qatars 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 harry and we bring it over there. Yes. 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 candidates. It tastes good. Had to make it. And here too its 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. When i want it yeah youre not eating for any think. This. Camels were originally used for carrying cargo by the better we use that omatic 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. Is a place where the qataris love for competition and support is clear to see. And an ideal opportunity to showcase that enthusiasm was the 2015 world mans handball championships hosted for the 1st time by kicked off. Most of its own team and been enticed to play for the gold state thanks to substantial financial bonuses and they finished a sensational 2nd to the distinctive many handball if you see a not so. Subtle. And a similar policy saw the qatari Mens Soccer Team win this years asian cup with a 2022 world cup now only 3 years away. For decades the beating 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. And for the 1st time. Certainly the 1st time in this part of the world people football. They love these 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 cost of 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 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 2 filming is not officially permitted the stadium complex also includes a park with an indoor Swimming Pool running tracks a Sports Medicine center and public soccer pitches. The infrastructure will be a legacy which will enjoy for decades and it will help the economy and the quality of life in qatar thats why we are not wasting any dollar in the development of all these facilities. Its saturday in doha. At the weekend the citys residents flocked to local parks and to the soup the traditional arab bazaar. Here the traditional qatar of old lives on. Among the traders at the market is maya who sells pearls. He grew up in a different and poorer i drink always the police from the sea i open them and get their. Prayers and said that. They wont say that have you got any pros from the old days. Because how to keep the parties in my pocket and my stomach is in to. Anything they get i said. He says to get clear. Todays society is my only enjoys a relatively good life hes 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 dodd to invite 2nd. Qatar 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. Then 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 Worlds Largest natural gas reservoir with reserves larger than all the other fields combined. Least started for the gas industry and the elegy in particular when qatar was not 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 l. N. G. Its transportation in the world so its 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. Germanys per capita Gross Domestic Product for example is 43000. 00 euros you could tar its 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 changes guitars 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 for education and the arts thats made it liberated effort to cultivate what is called Knowledge Based economy and to prepare themselves for the post oil era