The Doha Debates

''The House Believes....''

The Doha Debates are a public forum for dialogue and freedom of speech in Qatar. Each month, invited speakers debate the burning issues of the Arab and Islamic world in front of an audience who are encouraged to participate by asking questions. The Debates are chaired by the internationally renowned broadcaster Tim Sebastian, formerly of the BBC's HARDTalk programme.

The Doha Debates are hosted and funded by the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development which is headed by Her Highness, Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser al Missned, wife of the Emir of Qatar.

The audience is made up of people living in or visiting Qatar. University and senior high school students, from a wide range of different countries in the Arab world and beyond, comprise half of the audience. To register for tickets, please go to, 'Attend The Debates'.
The Doha Debates are broadcast around the globe on BBC World. They are now in their third series.

The aim of the Doha Debates is to allow a public exploration of the important issues in the Arab and Islamic worlds and apply the principles of free speech and democratic decision-making through the use of this traditional debating format. The purpose is also to create a sense of social responsibility that will carry through to real life. The Qatar Foundation is well known as a venue where people of various backgrounds, expertise and opinions can share knowledge and exchange views.

The Doha Debates have a format similar to the traditional `Oxford Union' debate, where discussion centres on a "motion", usually a controversial statement. Two teams argue for and against the motion; the discussion is then thrown open to the audience, directed by the chairman, Tim Sebastian. At the end of the debate, a vote is taken and the chairman announces the result, declaring the motion to have been passed or rejected by "the House". Tim Sebastian's international reputation of tough questioning and straight talking sets the tone of this ground-breaking enterprise.