Culture may not be responsible for authoritarianism in the MENA, but it is certainly related to a lot of other issues. Apparently there is an enormous population of the blind in Qatar, due largely to intra-family marriages. Parents often hide their blind children from society, and seeing-eye dogs are not an option in a culture where canines are not domesticated. But it seems like the great authoritarian regime of Qatar is taking charge and addressing these problems! (only somewhat sarcastic)