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Locals giving alms to beggars |
Brigadier Misfer al-Ahbabi, director of criminal investigation department (CID) at the ministry pointed out that many beggars feign injuries to draw the sympathy of people. He told Arrayah local Arabic daily that the CID had managed to arrest 58 persons for begging during the last few months. In 2011, 287 people were arrested while 290 beggars were arrested in 2010.
He indicated that the current legislations are sufficient to deter such practices, yet it is all right to make suggestions for change in case this is needed.
In the meantime, a considerable number of locals and expatriates have complained of the nuisance such beggars create for them. Such people usually follow them as they go in and come out of shopping malls, places of worship, they even knock on the doors of private accommodations pushing for alms.
Some of them put on Gulf costumes claiming to be GCC citizens who got stranded in the country and thereby is badly in need for cash to get back home. Further, some pretend to be handicapped and seriously ill and in urgent need for a way out to save their lives or the lives of their loved ones.
Other tricks include fully covered women begging with crying babies claiming that their husbands are dead or seriously ill and they need to feed the children.
“Qatar has many official and private charity organisations that not only help those in need when they ask, but they also reach out to them to spare them any embarrassment. However, these organisations have their own means to discover and investigate the cases that are in real need to offer them the due assistance with dignity and comfort.”
The chairman of the Central Municipal Council (CMC), Saud al-Khinzab, said that more co-ordinated efforts have to be exerted to eradicate such unbecoming phenomenon, which becomes more apparent during Ramadan. He noticed that most beggars enter the country on tourist and family visas during this month.
“Unfortunately, some of these people put on Qatari dress and hide their faces, breaking into homes and gatherings in a rude and annoying manner. This is really a terrible issue,” said al-Khinzab.
Yet, he admitted that the phenomenon is waning considerably due to the efforts of the ministry but it is still there and everybody should take part in combating its spread.
Dr Abdel Hamid al-Ansary, former dean of the Islamic Law college said that begging has become a nuisance in Ramadan though the religious teachings warn against such practices and consider this as degradation for humans.
“People have a great role in distinguishing between those who deserve alms and those who do not,” he recommended, explaining that those who go into the streets to draw the sympathy of people are not really in need but they exploit people adopting this as a profession.
He also strongly denounced the beggars wearing the Qatari dress and considered it a heinous insult to the dress code that should be severely punishable.
Dr Moza al-Malki, a consultant psychologist, explained begging in many cases involves psychiatric illness. However, in Qatar this is not the only case because many people come to the country with the purpose of begging due to the fame of welfare and prosperity of the country. She indicated that this phenomenon has to be addressed professionally to eradicate such practices.
Other people said that showing compassion to street beggars may encourage them to commit crime to get more money, especially theft. They saw a pressing need to launch intensive awareness campaign in all means of media to instruct people on how to deal with such phenomenon.
“People are responsible to use their common sense and wise judgment in dealing with such people. They should not let their sympathy overcome them and give chance to such ill phenomenon to spread,” said an expatriate.