The Qatari flag being hoisted atop Mt Elbrus, the highest mountain in Europe.
Two expats based in Qatar hoisted Qatar’s flag at the top of Mt Elbrus, the highest mountain in Europe, recently to express solidarity with the country against the illegal blockade.
Mt Elbrus has two summits, both of which are dormant volcanic domes. The taller west summit is 5,642 metres (18,510 ft) while the east summit is 5,621 metres (18,442 ft). Rehan Quereshi and Duncan Goga managed to reach the 5,621m summit after climbing for straight eight days persistently braving treacherous weather.
The idea behind hoisting the flag of Qatar and Qatar Youth Hostels (QYH) came from Rehan who is an Indian national living in Qatar for the past 29 years.
“I was raised in Qatar since I was a child and I always searched for a channel to pay back to this great community while learning new things. I have seen Qatar growing and progressing in all these years probably much more than I have seen India,” Rehan told The Peninsula.
“Being a member of QYH, it provides me with what I was looking for. QYH is a Qatari International NGO that aims to spread the culture of diversity and accepting others. By raising Qatar Youth Hostels flag I wanted to set an example that Qatari youth are capable of facing any challenges and no matter where you are from there is a way to contribute to the society - QYH is one of those ways,” he added.
Duncan Goga told The Peninsula: “The idea of hoisting Qatar’s and QYH flags came from my friend Rehan Quereshi who knows some people at Qatar Youth Hostels. Participating in such adventures teaches self-discipline, overcoming challenges and exposes one to different cultures.”
“With discipline, hard work and focus, Qatar can overcome temporary challenges and achieve its objectives,” he added.
While expressing love towards Qatar, Rehan said: “The only message I want to convey is as simple as mountain climbing is keep striving for success and never give up. We will be proven true with the heads held up high in future.”
