Read more about the article 12-year-old, 12 Adults, 12 Days, 12th of May in Doha, Qatar–12 Years Later

12-year-old, 12 Adults, 12 Days, 12th of May in Doha, Qatar–12 Years Later

  • Post category:Qatar Academy
  • Reading time:6 mins read

Back in May 2013, based on the word of a 12-year-old I was held in police custody in Doha, Qatar for allegedly insulting Islam. The 12-men-strong board of directors of Qatar Academy, where I was teaching at the time, did NOT push back against the charges brought by the child's father. But, after 12 days in custody, on the 12th of May, I was released from Al Rayyan Police Station.

Now in May 2025, 12 years since the incident, I have something else to report!

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Read more about the article September 18, 2021: On the Path To Recovery Finally…After Eight Years

September 18, 2021: On the Path To Recovery Finally…After Eight Years

Eleven years since the most harrowing and traumatic twelve-day experience of my life in Doha, Qatar, for allegedly insulting Islam, I can say I have finally recovered.

However, it wasn't until after eight years of struggles with the fallout that experience, in September 2021, that I realized I was finally on the road to recovery. and shared that fact on social media. This is a reproduction of that post including some additional information.

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Read more about the article The Moment of Truth VIII: Is Nepal Home? If Not, Could I Make It My Home?

The Moment of Truth VIII: Is Nepal Home? If Not, Could I Make It My Home?

  • Post category:QatarQatar Academy
  • Reading time:9 mins read

In Feb. 2013, I turned down a, international teaching job offer to follow through with my plans to return to Nepal for good, after more than two decades abroad. I had many reasons for doing so. One was to see if Nepal was still my home, and, if not, if I could make it my home.

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Read more about the article “The Power and Place of Music in our Lives”

“The Power and Place of Music in our Lives”

Music stirs you, in ways and for reasons one might not even understand. It had been stirring me since my traumatic, despair-filled days in Doha jail, except I didn't know why. Thanks to a welcome address given by a musician, describing how and why music does stirs you deeply, I do now.

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Read more about the article A Ghost of Qatar

A Ghost of Qatar

Following a traffic accident, when the other party, unable to get their way, though they were at fault, lodged a "case" against me with the police. When I was told that, I was scared. I didn't know that the trauma of incarceration in Qatar had also engendered another feeling: fear of police cases and the the police.

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Read more about the article The Moment of Truth VII: “Go back where you came from!”

The Moment of Truth VII: “Go back where you came from!”

Another way the universe appeared to have conspired to send me home was the racism it sent my way! ;) I experienced a lot of harassment and abuse from locals in Baku as well as in Doha. I was also profiled by establishments in both the cities angering me greatly and compounding my depression, as well as adding to my weariness with moving and traveling. Nepal's attractiveness had been increasing steadily.

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