Qatar introduces national military service for women
Qatar’s emir has signed off on a law enabling women to do voluntary military service and extending the service for men for as long as one year.
The official Qatar News Agency said the legislation, which was endorsed by Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Thursday, men and women aged between 18 and 35.
Under the law, “national service for females is voluntary.”
It is the first time women are allowed to take up roles in the military beyond administrative duties.
Under previous legislation, Qatari men holding a bachelor’s degree could complete the service in three months and those without one had to serve for four months.
The new law, however, makes the one-year-long military service for all men mandatory regardless of their level of education.
Men have to report themselves for draft within 60 days of turning 18 or face a jail term reaching a maximum of three years and a fine of up to 50,000 Qatari riyals ($13,700).
The new law comes amid a diplomatic crisis pitting a Saud-led quartet of states against Qatar.
Persian Gulf tensions
The quartet – Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt -- cut their diplomatic ties with Qatar and imposed an economic blockade on the country last June, accusing it of sponsoring “terrorism” and destabilizing the region. Doha rejects the claims.
Since then, Qatar has been stepping up military cooperation with Turkey, which has backed Doha in the standoff, signing several military agreements with other countries and parties, including NATO and the European Union.
Taking advantage of the tensions, Washington has also increased its arms sales to both sides, holding separate joint drills with the parties to the conflict in the strategic Persian Gulf waters.
Qatar and Saudi Arabia have also turned to Russia for the purchase of S-400 missile defense systems.
In recent months, Qatar and the UAE, which has adopted a tougher line against Doha, have exchanged accusations of airspace violations and even taken their claims to the United Nations.
Last October, Qatar’s former deputy prime minister Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah told the Spanish daily ABC that the UAE had planned a military invasion of Qatar with thousands of US-trained mercenaries, but failed to secure Washington’s support.
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