An airport cleaning crew found a premature baby abandoned in a bathroom at Doha’s Hamad International Airport. Acting quickly, authorities attempted to locate the mother. The result: international outrage over an invasive strip search of at least 13 female Qatar Airways passengers. But is such outrage misplaced?
Qatar Airways Female Passengers Face Strip Search After Baby Found Abandoned In Airport Bathroom
On October 2, 2020, an abandoned baby was found in a bathroom at Doha Airport. It isn’t clear whether the baby was found in a toilet or trash can or counter, but the baby was alive, though born premature.
When authorities were alerted, they opted to detain the female passengers onboard Qatar Airways flight QR908 to Sydney, Australia, which had already departed the gate. Reports are conflicting at this time, but there were at least 13 females onboard and all were led off the aircraft. Some have suggested that QR908 was not the only flight detained as authorities quickly tried to locate the mother.
In what must have been a horrific situation, the women were led downstairs into a cellar or garage. Two ambulances were waiting. One at a time, women were asked to board the ambulance. Inside, they were asked to remove their lower garments for a vaginal examination. Medical examiners searched for any signs of a recent birth. When asked for an explanation, they were only told, “A baby has been found in a bin, and we need to test you.”
The mother was not located by authorities.
Why Target The Australia Flight?
I’m no Sherlock Holmes, but there may be at least two reasons the Australia flight was targeted. Could it be that the baby was light skinned? Or could it be, as Qatar authorities suggest, that the flight to Australia was one of the only flights departing nearby the bathroom where the baby was found?
Addressing the incident, airport officials said:
“Medical professionals expressed concern to officials about the health and welfare of a mother who had just given birth and requested she be located prior to departing HIA. Individuals who had access to the specific area of the airport where the newborn infant was found were asked to assist in the query.”
There are more questions than answers right now. Were flight attendants searched too? Airport workers, one of which may have been a surrogate mother? It isn’t clear at all whether the female passengers onboard the Qatar Airways flights were exclusively targeted or were simply the ones who spoke up. The incident took place nearly a month ago, but is coming out now because the women onboard QR908 communicated with one another (after exchanging WhatsApp numbers onboard) and jointly approached Australian authorities after their 14-day mandatory lockdown.
A Moral + Legal Issue
Western notions of probable cause and the rights of the accused do not necessarily apply in Qatar. But the issue is not really a legal one as much as a moral one.
Putting myself in the shoes of Qatari authorities, I can imagine why they desperately wanted to find the mother of the child. Leaving a newborn child to die in an airport restroom shows a wanton disregard for human life.
But importantly and thankfully, the child did not die. In fact, the child appears to be doing well. Only a desperate woman wholly unfit to be a mother would abandon her child in an airport restroom. In that sense, what was the point of finding the mother? To throw the mother in jail? To what end? So the baby and mother could be re-united? I certainly hope not.
When my wife applied for her Green Card to the United States, she was given an invasive and degrading medical examination. She was forced to strip naked while a male doctor closely examined every inch of her. She was humiliated. I was livid. I understand the violation that occurred and without probable cause, I see no moral defense of what took place, even if Qatar had the legal right to do so.
CONCLUSION
The facts are still unfolding and I will be revisiting this issue once Qatari authorities release a report. I suspect other flights were targeted and it wasn’t just 13 Australians who were subjected to this, as if the baby had a kangaroo tattoo.
I don’t think Qatari officials handled this well. Basic communication failed. And while I cannot blame them for wanting to locate the mother, it certainly wasn’t for the benefit of the child.
This incident is a poignant reminder that individual rights are illusory, even in more “liberal” Arab states. Be mindful of that as you transit the glittering cities of Abu Dhabi, Doha, and Dubai.
No. Just no. How is this even a question?
It’s a question because it happened. My answer is no. I’m curious if there is anyone willing to defend it…
No one is willing to defend the Qatari absolute monarchy royal family and their tactics to abuse human rights ! as a woman I will never feel safe traveling again knowing that my money is going to such a regime that supports the Muslim Brotherhood Organisation that abuses women rights
I must confess the mere fact you posed the question had me baffled. Was glad to read your article in full & realise your opinion matches my own.
(Was also appalled to learn about your wife’s experience getting approved for a Green Card.)
I am!
It seems that for fear of offending certain over-sensitise western z-gen types, a baby killer could be allowed to get away with murder, literally, wen a medically supervised examination may be alll that is needed to apprehend the culprit,
If the shoe were om he other foot, I would be more than ready to submit to a rectal examination in order to assist the authorities in their search for the offender, not least when I am a guest on foreign soil, remaining respectful of customs and traditions of the hosts
We all should all stand against this ridiculous sexism and stereotyping.
Why weren’t the guys searched too?
We should boycott Qatar Airways and Qatar ! spending our money on them will only help the Qatari absolute monarchy royal family to abuse more human rights !
Yes. Yes. Yes. Don’t fly a Muslim airline. It’s just not safe. Wonder if it was a baby boy, as they’re likely not to have bothered for a baby girl. Western countries should unite and put all who were involved through a western legal system and get Interpol to arrest any of these people if they step on western country soil.
There was a huge uproar from the female community here in Qatar. However, most of the men thought the Qatari officials were just trying to find the mother to give her medical treatment. As per the laws, if they had found her and assuming the circumstances under which she could not keep the child, the mother would have been in prison (out of wedlock).
The strip search was a basic human right violation as well as an Islamic violation. The Government agrees to that. But the way that some people reacted to the incident was itself troublesome and worrying.
Way more than 13 women involved. That was just the Australians, many other nationalities also. Seen stories talking of over 40 women searched
On what planet do we think it’s okay to subject random women to invasive searches just because they are women? Sure, leaving a newly born baby in the bathroom is terrible. But that wrong doesn’t give governments the right to strip search every woman on the plane. I guess in certain backwards countries where woman are not equal to men this shouldn’t be surprising though.
Backwards country?
Sounds like you haven’t had a family member choked to death by the cops for $20 in the USA.
Or a president who whines on 60 minutes that he gets all the tough questions. Is he 70+ years old or a 6 year old kid.
Remember people we are on high alert for terrorism after the white terrorist militias tried to run terrorist camps in Michigan and tried to overthrow a legitimately elected government. If you see a white man acting suspiciously please call the cops. They still might not get choked to death though because “white”.
Backwards country? USA is a pathetic country.
Touche.
Hopefully we only have a few more weeks of the Cheeto in Chief
After Pompeo signed the US into this new anti-abortion/women are losing all rights over their own bodies/what rights? agreement with dictatorial countries, I fear we’re all headed back to the dark ages.
I’m not an “abortion as birth control” person, but women bear the brunt of so many wrongs imposed, too often, by those who seek to play God.
Bro, they weren’t “random women.” They were near the bathroom and could have reasonably been the horrible person who abandoned the baby.
Bro, doesn’t matter. That baby’s horrible start to life doesn’t mean all those women who happened to be near the gate should be subjected to invasive searches. If this was in a random alley, should every woman living in a 4 block radius be searched?
Yes.
Matthew, I agree that whoever this mother is is unfit to parent and should be imprisoned for life for committing such a heinous crime, which is exactly why she needs to be caught. What she did is not okay. That said, how are the Qatari officials supposed to catch her? It sounds like they did the best that they could under the circumstances.
They could use the baby or stuff on the baby to try to conduct a DNA search and narrow down the identity of the mother and father that way, if the mother and/or father was actually from a country where a lot of people submit their own samples for genetic genealogy searches. It would probably be too late for the Qataris to prosecute the mother for illegal child abandonment, but this seems like a situation where the illegal abandonment signifies problems that go beyond whether or not someone should be prosecuted in Qatar or elsewhere for illegal child abandonment.
@Matthew, I know it’s personal and expect no elaboration, but I wasn’t aware the medical exam that your wife had to go through to obtain a green card was even a thing that existed. How terrible and for what purpose?!
What is it with INS/CBP. Is their mission to actually outperform every evil organization in history?
His wife could’ve had a female doctor do this. One needs an immigration exam from a certified doctor, of which there are numerous female doctors. The contents of the exam are well known to anybody who will undergo it.
That is a problem with policing all over the world. The use of force as the first option, rather than good judgement.
Just a little thought would have made a difference and consideration of the potential emotional trauma to the innocent female passengers, could have guided them in handling this matter. In fact, the authorities could have announced to all passengers the situation about the baby, with pictures and then asked for information from the passengers, thus turning the passengers into a resource for resolving the identity of the mother. But no; they just had to alienate everyone, especially the unfortunate female passengers.
This is sad, regrettable and most unfortunate.
I sincerely sympathize with the distressed female passengers.
I had to undergo a medical examination to apply for a New Zealand Visa, and yes I find it quite invasive but I had a choice, I could have found another job in my Country. I don’t think all those women had a say.
No, it is not justified. Certainly, forcing someone into a rushed invasive examination based on weak grounds of suspicion can never be acceptable. Not in Qatar and not anywhere else. Heads will undoubtedly have already rolled (figuratively) over this even before the international attention.
That said, I do find ironic that these Aussies used their time in forced “imprisonment” upon arrival “home” to complain about how their “rights” were violated abroad. Just sayin’….
Wow Sean, you made a post without mentioning that you are a seasoned airline executive.
Are these comments about discrimination against women because men weren’t searched too serious? I can’t tell if they’re being facetious. If they’re serious, just wow. Somebody skipped 4th grade biology class, and didn’t realize that facts don’t care about your feelings, and that I can guarantee than none of the men had recently given birth even without an invasive strip search.
It is such horrible news !!! hopefully the Australian government puts an end to this human rights abusing tactics by the Qatari absolute monarchy royal family !! and the west is silent because they buy weapons from them ! not to mention how much Qatar support the Iranian regime in killing its own people !! Qatari regime must be fined and sanctioned the hell out of them !! As a woman I will NEVER feel safe traveling again ! Doha, Qatar is such a dangerous place for women and human rights
Saudi Arabia and the UAE must be “fined and sanctioned the hell out of them”, but they get a pass because they so effectively buy off the various elite classes in “the West”.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE — not to necessarily skip over the other Gulf Arab monarchies that are in bed with Saudi Arabia and the UAE — are actually way worse than Qatar in killing Arabs and others in Asia and Africa. And Saudi Arabia and the UAE are a recipe for disaster when it comes to the chances for the populations of Muslim-majority countries, Shia-majority or otherwise, to have democracy.
Here comes the Muslim Brotherhood Agent !! are you afraid to loose your job in Qatar?
In your wildest imagination; or to put it more straight: in your most baseless, fantastic nightmares.
You communicate like an agent for the Saudi- and Emirati-backed terrorist organization MEK with its anti-Qatari lines in recent years. Is that a coincident, or are you a fan of the MEK that was previously blacklisted (as due) as a militant terrorist organization by the US Government?
Ghadir, as in treachery, or as in a tiny water body? 😉
“Is that a coincidence* …… “
@Matthew
Was your wife not given an option to be examined by a female medical officer? I would assume that to be the case, since that was what I heard for people who would require medical examinations for immigration to the UK, Australia and Canada.
I don’t believe so, but I will ask her. I was in the USA and she was in Germany when it happened. She told me (directly) after the fact.
Wouldn’t it have been easier for all involved just to give a pregnancy hormone test to screen first? This just seems like the stupidest possible method to find the woman, let alone the most embarrassing.
This!! Yeah, really a stupid way to screen for recent birth. But knowledge of pregnancy and female-related medical science is something lacking in this country among male decision makers. I can’t even imagine how poor it would be from a country like Qatar
Stick to travel dudes, leave your political b**** at home
?
Elaborate.
All strip searches are a form of rape. Nakedness is something sacred. Anyone who forces you to remove your clothes is a rapist. Is this something you want done to your daughters or sons or parents? That’s why I hate government and the police the state. Strip searches are routinely done in jails and prisons and it makes me sick to my stomach. It will not end until every cop, judge, prosecutor, jailer, and their families are taken by members of the public and strip searched on a constant basis. Then they will see the harm they do by aiding and abetting it and performing them. There is no excuse for strip searches. X-rays exist. There is also no excuse for inmates being forced to shower in front of others or inmate not being held in individual cells with privacy. No person can claim to be a Christian and support having nakedness violated by government,
Qatar’s “guilty until proven innocent” sexist profiling involved a strip search for purposes of what was a genital examination of unwilling female targets. Qatar’s acts in this regard are nothing but a disgusting intrusion (conducted by people on a power trip) with no regard to the rights of the innocent to be secure in their body (and attire) from invasive searches.
Did you seek Heidis’ permission before writing that piece of information on the blog? I think that she has a right to have a say in whether you writing that is OK or not.
“When my wife applied for her Green Card to the United States, she was given an invasive and degrading medical examination. She was forced to strip naked while a male doctor closely examined every inch of her.”
No way was this legal. You should sue. Neither I nor my sister never have had any “medical examination” done during this process.
While I am sorry that Matthew was livid for the physical exam that his wife received by a male doctor, being subjected to the same exam by a lesbian is no better. There were (or should be) written standards to what the physical exam was supposed to investigate. Maybe it was to screen for dangerous diseases though the green card stage is a little late for that.
While there is outrage, there are similarities when the police round up men in a small town for DNA tests to catch a rapist. No probable cause for the vast majority of tested men.
For the Qatari, I don’t think it would be any better if they did genital exams on everybody including men to prove they don’t discriminate. The men are guaranteed not to be the one to give birth unless they are a women pretending to be a man. I suspect that they exempted elderly women beyond childbirth age and children that have not reached puberty. They probably excluded Black people (White Lives Matter?) because the Australians and the baby was white. They may have excluded Qataris, which tend to be a little dark.
In the end, the Qatari examination was probably less invasive than requiring blood tests of everyone. It was also probably quicker than subjecting everyone to a mini-trial. Just look and screen. If they knew this would happen, they could have set up a process to collect swabs from people’s mouth and compare it with the baby’s DNA but that requires some complicated logistics rather than just call two ambulances and look at 18 vaginas.
In short, the Qatari examination might have been the quickest and most efficient way to screen passengers even though the optics of it in the news is clearly bad.
There are some newborn children in the Arab world — and even in parts of the Indian subcontinent– who are “light-skinned” at birth to such an extent that I can’t tell them apart from the newborns in hospitals in the rural Upper Midwest of the US or Sweden.
But you can bet if the Qatari authorities targeted the wrong sheikh’s relative to conduct a genital inspection, it would not go over well. And it shouldn’t go over well no matter whose relative a searched passenger may be, as there is nothing good about treating any innocent person as being a guilty suspect — and it’s even worse when such treatment involves a dragnet based on profiling.
Morally, of course you are right. Legally, do you if this was permissible? I don’t…and I