After Noof Disappearance, Qatari women question how safe they really are

Noof had become a household name in the Gulf country after she secretly took her father’s iPhone, accessed a government app and gave herself permission to travel abroad in late 2019. By law, Qatari women under the age of 25 cannot travel without their male guardian’s permission.

Seeing Noof disappear for many Qatari women was a nightmare. Week in, week out, the Qatari government has remained silent as questions piled up. Was Noof in a safe house? Was she in a psychiatric hospital? Where was Noof?

Women in Qatar struggling to escape restrictions and abuse will be asking themselves a new question in the wake of Noof’s reappearance what protections could any of the rest of them have who are not public if someone like Noof can disappear that way.