travel warnings and warden messages

Please circulate the following message without additions or omissions immediately to all American citizens within your area of responsibility:

The Muslim holy month of Ramadan will begin shortly, on approximately October 15, 2004. Ramadan will run for about 30 days, one lunar month, and will finish about November 13. The Embassy wishes to remind the American community of the behavior that Qatari citizens and other Muslims will expect visiting and resident non-Muslim foreigners to observe during Ramadan.

• It is regarded as unacceptable, and is actually illegal, to eat, drink (even water), or smoke in public during the fasting hours (sunup to sundown), i.e., approximately 5:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Actual times can be checked in local newspapers. If Muslims are present in the work place, they expect non-Muslims to respect their fasting and not eat, drink, or smoke in front of them, even in motor vehicles, or to prepare food that they can smell or see. It is illegal to serve food or drink to Muslims during the fasting hours. For this reason, restaurants are closed during daylight hours, with the exception of a few hotel restaurants that serve non-Muslims only. Restaurants will begin serving food at sundown, but expect them to be crowded, especially for the first serving hour. If you are in a hotel and they do not serve a meal at a time you require, you will find that room service is normally available or the dining room will have an isolated area where non-Muslims are served.



• Modest dress and respectful behavior between the sexes (even between married couples) are normal social customs in Qatar, but particularly so during Ramadan.



• Shops and markets are open in the morning, often closed in the afternoon, but open again for a few hours after the "breakfast" time (sundown). Shops and stores will have extended hours into the late evening and early morning.



• One should be extra alert when driving, particularly during the late afternoon when many will be rushing home to break their fast.



• Please note that the Embassy will continue to provide American Citizen Services during the regular hours, 10am to 12:30pm, Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, during Ramadan.

American citizens with any questions or concerns may telephone the Embassy at 488-4101, extension 6500. In case of an emergency outside business hours, American citizens may reach the Embassy duty officer by calling 488-4101, ext. “0”.

American citizens resident and visiting in Qatar who are not registered with the Embassy, or whose registration information has changed, are urged to register as soon as possible. They may now do so on-line at the Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs website at or on this website.