(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Politics is meddling with many families and students' lives. They have been badly hit by the illegal blockade imposed on Qatar, a female Qatari activist has said.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a recent panel discussion titled ‘Qatar after the Blockade: Impact and Prospects', Dana al-Anzy, a graduate of Georgetown University in Qatar, stressed that it is a shame that politics is taking away the right to education of many students who have been affected by the illegal blockade.
'The sentiment (of Qatari youth) is very emotional but we are very determined. That is why you will see young Qatari faces here, spending their time volunteering, she pointed out. 'We are trying our best to learn about this issue and to contribute to the narrative.
Al-Anzy cited the case of a volunteer one of the many students directly affected by what she described as an unjust blockade who was expelled from a university in Saudi Arabia.
She added that 'politics has also taken away peoples' rights to be employed and be with their families.
However, the Qatari activist said the siege only proved that the people of Qatar, including students, are diligent and resilient standing stronger and refusing to be 'torn down by such challenges.
Al-Anzy's view was reflected on by Dr Courtney Freer's who said that one of the major social components of the illegal blockade is the problems created for families crossing the borders they cannot see or be with their loved ones.
Freer, a research officer for the Kuwait Development Programme at the London School of Economics, was among the speakers at the panel discussion hosted by Hamad Bin Khalifa University's (HBKU) College of Islamic Studies (CIS).
The panel analysed the impact of the siege against Qatar through different lenses.
Freer quoted Qatar's Foreign Minister HE Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani who accused Saudi Arabia of bringing back the dark age of tribes.
She said Qataris living and studying in Saudi, Bahrain, the UAE and Egypt have had to give up their studies since the beginning of June.
'Aside from the obvious economic causes, the social problem with such policies (of siege countries) are clear and led to the Qatari objection that the blockade is unfair by targeting innocent citizens, she explained.
According to Freer, the Qatar National Human Rights Committee estimates that more than 13,000 people have been directly affected by the illegal blockade.
She said the governments of the siege countries, having knowledge of the effects of the illegal blockade on families, established emergency hotlines.
But the scale of the problem makes it difficult to ensure that everyone can be helped: only two of the 50 (based on a human rights watch survey) were granted access to cross the border despite the medical and educational circumstances.
The panel discussion titled ‘Qatar after the Blockade: Impact and Prospects' focused on the social, political, economic, and legal aspects of the illegal blockade against Qatar, according to CIS assistant professor Dr Mohamed Evren Tok.
The first panel, which included Dr Courtney Freer and Dr David Roberts, faculty member in defence studies at King's College London, engaged the audience on the prospects and opportunities for Qatar in spite of current challenges.
'We want to share cutting edge, objective and scientific perspective from different scholars to understand what this blockade really means to Qatari youths, how it is influencing them in different dimensions, Dr Tok noted, adding that historical, social and cultural perspectives should be discussed besides politics in general.
Recounting the time when Qatar gained its Independence in 1971, Dr David Roberts tackled how Qatar developed its own varied and independent policies, away from Saudi Arabia's lead.
The second panel, all from Qatar University, included law professor Hassan al-Sayed, political sociologist and researcher Majed al-Ansari, and sociology programme co-ordinator and assistant professor Fatima al-Kubaisi.
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