Migrant Workers Face Forced Labor in Qatar's Massive Mourning Infrastructure

The Guardian has reported that thousands of migrant workers in Qatar are being subjected to forced labor conditions to rapidly construct memorial sites and prepare infrastructure for the funeral of the Father Amir. According to the report, workers from Nepal, Bangladesh, and India have been compelled to work double shifts—often exceeding 16 hours a day—in the extreme summer heat, which has reached 48 degrees Celsius. The Guardian claims that multiple workers interviewed at construction sites in Doha stated they were threatened with non-payment of wages or the cancellation of their residence permits if they refused to work the extra hours. Furthermore, the report alleges that the Qatari government has suspended the enforcement of the midday work ban—a law meant to protect workers from heat stress—specifically for 'projects of national importance' related to the mourning period. As reported by The Guardian, this has led to a spike in heat-related illnesses among the workforce, with clinics in labor camps seeing a significant increase in admissions. The article also highlights that despite the official end of the Kafala system, the 'exit permit' mentality remains, as workers are being told by their managers that they are 'frozen' in their positions until the mourning period concludes. The Guardian emphasizes that the rush to project an image of national dignity and grandeur to the world during the funeral is coming at the direct expense of the health and human rights of the migrant population. According to labor rights NGOs cited in the piece, these conditions represent a regression in the labor reforms Qatar promised following the 2022 World Cup and demonstrate that worker protections remain secondary to state prestige.